LARRY KUDLOW: Are we handcuffing Israel in its fight to destroy terrorism?

Are we handcuffing Israel in their fight to destroy terrorism and save freedom in the Middle East and America? That’s the subject of the riff. 

Any time hostages are released is a wonderful and joyous development. 

Israeli and American families have suffered so much as their children, spouses and soldiers have been held captive in Hamas’ hell over the past 15 months. So, let’s start there and be grateful for it. 

Let’s hope that the freeing of 33 hostages actually takes place. Tragically, that number was around 250 — 15 months ago. Several American hostages are expected to be released during Phase I. 

Three are presumed to still be alive and four declared dead. The evil, barbaric Hamas terrorists have already murdered the others — it’s a hate crime against humanity.

That leads to the second point, which is a question: How good a deal is this? I don’t know all the details. Perhaps no one knows all the details, but this is basically the same deal Joe Biden wanted last May. 

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President-elect Trump undoubtedly brought Hamas to the negotiating table by applying the hammer pledge that “all hell would break loose” if Hamas didn’t free up the hostages. 

Even Joe Biden’s State Department said Mr. Trump’s involvement was “absolutely critical,” but as former Amb. David Friedman and others have noted, the war in the Middle East is not over. 

According to reports, Israeli troops will be permitted to remain in the so-called Philadelphia Corridor separating Egypt and Gaza for at least another six weeks, but then they’re expected to leave and the so-called Phase II of the deal mandates a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and some kind of “permanent” cease-fire. 

Meanwhile, at least 1,000 Palestinians — including 200 who murdered Israelis — will be released from Israeli prisons. Well, aren’t they going to go straight to Gaza and resume their violent Jihad against Israel and America? 

Amid all this, numerous reports suggest Hamas is regrouping, recruiting and re-energizing. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces, but his brother Mohammed Sinwar became the new leader, just like that. 

So, if — and it’s a big if — the hostages are released in two phases and Israeli troops are mandated to leave Gaza, and 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli jails, and Hamas is rebuilding itself… How can this really be a good deal? 

President Trump is praising the deal as an “epic cease-fire agreement,” and certainly he and his special envoy Steve Witkoff should be given the benefit of the doubt and should certainly be given credit for freeing hostages. 

Perhaps there are many backstage details that we don’t know about. Perhaps Saudi Arabia has been persuaded by President Trump to join the Abraham Accords. Perhaps Mr. Trump will give Israel a green light to bomb Iran’s nuclear facility.  

Perhaps the IDF still intends to destroy Hamas altogether — as incoming Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified yesterday, that he supports killing every last member of Hamas.  

Incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz repeated that this morning. Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified today that if Hamas is there, there will never be a cease-fire. Perhaps, perhaps, but knowing what we think we know, Hamas is going to remain in power in Gaza and Israel’s military presence will end in Gaza. Not good. 

I always thought we would unleash the IDF against all the Middle East terrorists, and that we would all be grateful to Israel for not only saving freedom in both Israel and in the Middle East, but frankly saving all of Western freedom and our Judeo-Christian culture and thereby saving America as well, but putting the handcuffs back on the IDF will stop them from destroying terrorism and that higher mission of saving freedom in Israel, the Middle East and America. 

That’s what worries me. 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow’s opening commentary on the Jan. 15, 2025, edition of “Kudlow.”