Prof. Uzi Rabi, Head of Tel Aviv University's Moshe Dayan Center, spoke with Udi Segal and Anat Davidov about senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk, who was interviewed by the New York Times and said that if he had known what the outcome would have been, he would not have supported the Hamas massacre on October 7th. The inference is that had there been no such outcome, it would have been fine with him to massacre, rape, and torture Israeli civilians. "This is part of Hamas's antics," Prof. Rabi claimed. "Musa Abu Marzouk might be a member of Hamas’ political bureau and you can call him a senior official, but he is actually the one who occasionally comes out with statements that slightly contradict Hamas' regular policy." He added, "This comment expresses the difference that is becoming more and more tangible between Hamas' internal and external leadership, but I tend to think that this is an attempt by Hamas to broadcast a different message, in light of the distress it has found itself in: the case with Trump, what is happening in the Arab world and, of course, the situation Israel is in; let's call it between A and B." "We can see here that some arms are being twisted. Israel understands that the issue with the hostages must be completed as soon as possible," Rabi added. Rabi later addressed the changing situation in the Middle East: "I deeply regret Israel's inability to translate its incredible achievements on this side of the Middle East, in Lebanon and Syria, into an agreement that meets its needs. I cannot see the death zone that should have been there, and I agree with the residents of the north that they still fear returning home, because the agreement is insufficient, to say the least." "My impression is that there is nothing less than a geopolitical explosion in the Middle East. There is Hamas, with whom Israel will have to settle accounts, but there are hostages who are of ultimate value. The IDF hasn’t dealt with a third of Gaza, but Lebanon? Syria? This is a much more fragile, different Middle East, that is playing into Israel's hands," said Prof. Rabi. He continued: "Where is Hezbollah supposed to get support? Syria has become an enemy state for Hezbollah. If Mohammad al-Julani has a declared enemy, it's the entire Iranian axis, especially Hezbollah, and that's why we are witnessing Iran's geopolitical downfall." He added, "There is a Turkish-Sunni bloc that cut the entire Iranian flotilla from wall to wall. The so-called 'Shiite crescent.' Remember the Iranian airplane? The Lebanese government won't let it land. The last thing Hezbollah needs now is a war with Israel, while it is still licking its wounds." Ironically, Rabi's greatest fear is Israel itself. He explained that: "Ultimately, I'm afraid that Israel will not know how to stand up to the outburst and will not know how to translate its achievements into what we're seeing here. It's a pity, it would have been possible to create a different reality in Lebanon. In southern Syria, too, Israel has made some statements and great things have been happening here. Israel needs to know how to make better use of the situation, and it could have done so. The last thing Hezbollah wants is a battle with Israel, a battle it has nothing to do with and it has no one to deal with. We must not talk about defeat, simply because it is not true."
