Israeli prisoners can be a valuable commodity for the myriad "terror" outfits operating in Gaza. Gilad Shalit may be the most prominent example; that single Israeli was deemed worthy of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in an exchange that took five years to negotiate.
Perhaps emboldened by the success of that venture, Palestinians in Gaza are now holding two more Israelis. Alas, it appears the hostage takers may have over-estimated the value of their Israeli hostages. They are Avraham Mengistu, an "Israeli of Ethiopian descent," and an unidentified Arab Israeli.
Obviously, the captors of these prize specimens are not among the sharper tools in the terror shed. One cannot help but imagine the jocularity around the cabinet table as the fate of these "Israeli" hostages is discussed... "how about we offer to free a thousand Palestinians if they agree to take the rest of the Ethiopians and Arabs?"
This will indeed make for some interesting negotiations!
Showing posts with label Gilad Shalit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gilad Shalit. Show all posts
Friday, July 10, 2015
Monday, June 2, 2014
Bowe Bergdahl and the hypocrisy of the Republican hard-liners
Bowe Bergdahl.
You have to admit that's a name that has screen-play written all over it.
I sincerely hope Bowe makes many millions profiting from his ordeal.
He's paid his dues... let him cash in is what I say.
Prisoner exchanges are a matter of routine in any conflict, and a five-for-one tells me the US struck a relatively hard bargain. Far better than the 1,027-for-one that our Israeli friends managed in the Gilad Shalit swap.
Nevertheless, the usual crew of Obama-haters is going ape-shit over this. It sets a precedent. It will encourage the kidnap of more servicemen. It demonstrates America's weakness because, after all, we could have nuked the entire country and REALLY taught the towellers a lesson.
Instead, we've demonstrated that common sense and common decency are not entirely dead in America.
Is that a bad thing?
You have to admit that's a name that has screen-play written all over it.
I sincerely hope Bowe makes many millions profiting from his ordeal.
He's paid his dues... let him cash in is what I say.
Prisoner exchanges are a matter of routine in any conflict, and a five-for-one tells me the US struck a relatively hard bargain. Far better than the 1,027-for-one that our Israeli friends managed in the Gilad Shalit swap.
Nevertheless, the usual crew of Obama-haters is going ape-shit over this. It sets a precedent. It will encourage the kidnap of more servicemen. It demonstrates America's weakness because, after all, we could have nuked the entire country and REALLY taught the towellers a lesson.
Instead, we've demonstrated that common sense and common decency are not entirely dead in America.
Is that a bad thing?
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Bullshit 'n bluster; John Kerry in the Middle East
The New York Times and the Washington Post et al have been busy wasting tons of ink on the supposedly "revived" Middle East peace process.
Forget about it. Ain't gonna happen. Skip to the sports section.
Much has been made, especially in Israel, about the heart-rending sacrifice involved in freeing 104 Palestinian prisoners.
Hey, not to worry; there's plenty more where those came from!
And in the event that the next nine months of talks were to actually result in some sort of agreement, don't worry; Israel has already passed a law that will require any agreement be put to a referendum.
In other words, even if the government and the Knesset approve a deal, at the end of the day it'll be up to the settlers to vote away their settlements.
There'll be hockey in hell before that happens.
So why is the US pushing this charade?
Because all concerned have something to gain, well short of a "peace agreement."
Netanyahu gets to give his international reputation a bit of a face-lift. "Oh look, he's freeing those prisoners as a gesture of goodwill! What a reasonable man!"
Abbas gets to look like he has at least enough schlepp to get 104 prisoners released (approximately 1% of total Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.) Remember, his Hamas rivals were able to secure the freedom of 1027 Palestinians in return for Gilad Shalit. Abbas is desperate to look like he is more than America's stooge in the occupied territories.
The American's are desperate to be seen to be doing anything whatsoever positive in the region in the face of their rapidly evaporating influence with practically all players on all sides.
America's absolutely incompetent fumbling and bumbling in the region just keeps getting more ludicrous.
Did they learn anything from Iraq? Nope!
Got rid of that crazy guy in Libya... wasn't that a good thing?
Sure it was! Just look at how those lucky Libyans have taken to freedom!
Then we have Syria. Assad must go. Assad is going. He'll be gone in a matter of weeks... maybe months... maybe next year...
Maybe not!
The Egyptian coup that wasn't a coup is just the latest credibility destroying mis-step for the Americans.
All three parties to these "peace talks" have something to gain without actually gaining a peace agreement.
So let's not get our hopes up.
Forget about it. Ain't gonna happen. Skip to the sports section.
Much has been made, especially in Israel, about the heart-rending sacrifice involved in freeing 104 Palestinian prisoners.
Hey, not to worry; there's plenty more where those came from!
And in the event that the next nine months of talks were to actually result in some sort of agreement, don't worry; Israel has already passed a law that will require any agreement be put to a referendum.
In other words, even if the government and the Knesset approve a deal, at the end of the day it'll be up to the settlers to vote away their settlements.
There'll be hockey in hell before that happens.
So why is the US pushing this charade?
Because all concerned have something to gain, well short of a "peace agreement."
Netanyahu gets to give his international reputation a bit of a face-lift. "Oh look, he's freeing those prisoners as a gesture of goodwill! What a reasonable man!"
Abbas gets to look like he has at least enough schlepp to get 104 prisoners released (approximately 1% of total Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.) Remember, his Hamas rivals were able to secure the freedom of 1027 Palestinians in return for Gilad Shalit. Abbas is desperate to look like he is more than America's stooge in the occupied territories.
The American's are desperate to be seen to be doing anything whatsoever positive in the region in the face of their rapidly evaporating influence with practically all players on all sides.
America's absolutely incompetent fumbling and bumbling in the region just keeps getting more ludicrous.
Did they learn anything from Iraq? Nope!
Got rid of that crazy guy in Libya... wasn't that a good thing?
Sure it was! Just look at how those lucky Libyans have taken to freedom!
Then we have Syria. Assad must go. Assad is going. He'll be gone in a matter of weeks... maybe months... maybe next year...
Maybe not!
The Egyptian coup that wasn't a coup is just the latest credibility destroying mis-step for the Americans.
All three parties to these "peace talks" have something to gain without actually gaining a peace agreement.
So let's not get our hopes up.
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