The brutal truth is that most of the hostages will be killed during Israel's current campaign to wipe out Gaza. I feel terrible for these hostages. On the other hand, I think it's hypocritical and naive to think that any country, Israel especially, is going to in any way curb its drive to retaliate viciously and kill thousands of Palestinians for the case of these hostages. Sadly, mostt of the hostages that are now being held (some of whom, I suspect , are already dead) will likely be killed in the coming days weeks. We cant possibly think that an all out war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian groups is not going to result in the death of Israelis too. Israelis are used to one Israeli death equaling around 10 or more Palestinian deaths. I am not saying this to criticize Israel (I am Jewish and support Israel). This is not fair and it is not realistic.
What’s idiotic is the entire US population being held hostage by lunatics insisting on their right to carry weapons wherever and whenever they want. If you truly care about human life such as the hostages in Gaza it makes no sense that you’re willing to sacrifice thousands of lives every year because of your idiotic need to own and carry a gun.
Bari - Thank you for building theFP over the last couple years. Because your outlet exists, we have a source we can trust when it is needed most. It's so hard to get accurate & useful information during times of war, it won't be perfect... But I know it is honest. Thank you.
Today, America First Legal (AFL) secured a key victory in its case filed on behalf of Stuart and Robbi Force, Sarri Singer, and Rep. Ronny Jackson against President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken for violating the Taylor Force Act and illegally subsidizing terrorism.
Rejecting the fundamental premise of U.S. anti-terrorism laws – that money is fungible – the defendants claimed that there is absolutely no evidence U.S. funding for the Palestinians in Gaza and the “West Bank” (more accurately Judea and Samaria) facilitates or subsidizes terrorism against Americans and Israelis. However, internal State Department documents demonstrate otherwise: that the Biden Administration considered the consequences of dumping American taxpayer dollars into the West Bank and Gaza, and concluding that there was a “high risk” Hamas would benefit as a result of its spending.
Now, in the aftermath of Hamas’s barbaric terrorist atrocities that have killed at least 22 Americans and at least 1200 other innocent men, women, and children, and with an unknown number of Americans now being held hostage in Gaza, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted AFL’s motion to begin discovery in our case. America First Legal believes the evidence obtained from the documents and from the face-to-face depositions of high-ranking officials under oath, will confirm that the Biden Administration knowingly and directly increased the risk of harm faced by our clients, and by other innocent Israelis and Americans at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.
We must act as if the hostages are already dead. It breaks my heart to say that, but this inhuman bloodbath proves that Hamas must be killed deader than Raid kills bugs. If Israeli and U.S. forces can grab up some hostages on their cleanout sweep from one end of Gaza to the other, that will be marvelous. But we can't count on anyone remaining alive after the first soldier crosses into the Strip. That's the horror of terror--that sometimes you can't rescue everyone.
In any case, the writer is correct: now is the time to end the enormous mistake of allowing Hamas and Hezbollah to breathe the same air as humans; to end their reign of terror not just on Israel but on the everyday Gazans who want to get on with their lives; and through that let Iran know that its days as a terror-sponsor are finished.
Wow! It's clear from reading these comments that tribalism in America is ubiquitous, and I hoped to see more balance in The Free Press since I'm not a Trump or Biden supporter.
The US has always negotiated for hostages in one way or another, and it should be done in this horrific situation as well. Maybe the US should inform all Americans from this point onward it will not negotiate their freedom in any circumstance? Or bomb the shit out of every country Americans are held hostage? Or plant tracking chips in Americans, even those with dual citizenship, so it knows their whereabouts at all times? Or pull their passports at terminals if they're traveling to a "dangerous" destination? And so on...It's much more complicated than we readers can imagine.
Will repreat. The economics of taking hostages has to change.
Israel should declare a unilateral cease-fire and offer this deal. The war ends if the hostages are released quickly (a week or 2).
And it needs to be framed differently. hamas is holding 150 Israeli hostages (with perhaps some other nationalities in there) and 2.3million Gazans hostage.
The rest of it is this -- if the hostages are not released in short order, Israel will not negotiate on any issue any longer. It will wipe out hamas and however many Gazans die in the process, they will die. For hamas, it becomes an existential decision.
The war that follows, if hostages are not released, will be hamas' choice. By valuing 150 hostages over the lives of 2.3million Gazans, the world we see the evil in even starker terms -- even Arabs will question why hamas put so little value on the lives of the people they rule.
Possibly the only way around this conundrum, alluded to in the Robert O’Brian/Trump response is to make it clear that Armageddon + is headed towards Gaza if hostages are harmed. The barbarians of Hamas are the ones to be considered already dead but they have extended families. Threaten those families with something one can do: death; exile; etc. There is already talk of moving the residents of Gaza to the West Bank and strengthening the PLA there. The PLA will, with Israeli backing, make short work of any of Hamas.
The author is comparing apples and oranges when he compares the Tehran hostages to the Gaza hostages. The Tehran hostages were USG employees performing their governmental function. The USG had a special obligation to them.
The US citizen Gaza hostages are private individuals who voluntarily visited one of the most potentially dangerous areas in Israel. They are responsible for placing themselves in a position to be taken hostage. The USG does not have the same obligation to them that it had to its own employees in Tehran
May Gid have mercy on all the hostages in Gaza, irrespective of citizenship, because Hamas will have none.
NO American service member should be exposed to potential death or maiming in an attempt to rescue those unfortunate people. Their fate is in the hands of God.
The brutal truth is that most of the hostages will be killed during Israel's current campaign to wipe out Gaza. I feel terrible for these hostages. On the other hand, I think it's hypocritical and naive to think that any country, Israel especially, is going to in any way curb its drive to retaliate viciously and kill thousands of Palestinians for the case of these hostages. Sadly, mostt of the hostages that are now being held (some of whom, I suspect , are already dead) will likely be killed in the coming days weeks. We cant possibly think that an all out war between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian groups is not going to result in the death of Israelis too. Israelis are used to one Israeli death equaling around 10 or more Palestinian deaths. I am not saying this to criticize Israel (I am Jewish and support Israel). This is not fair and it is not realistic.
The last sentence in your excellent article, Mr. Rosen, should’ve been Israel’s first thought.
I knew you'd stick up for Abba! I like them too, but in an endless loop? Could snap a few brains !
The wolves howling is a nice touch, but we could cut to the chase and play YOKO ONO!!! But I guess that would be against the Geneva convention?
Why stop there? How about "Co-Secretaries General" at the UN?? (My typing skills are negligible, but I've got great phone skills!)
What’s idiotic is the entire US population being held hostage by lunatics insisting on their right to carry weapons wherever and whenever they want. If you truly care about human life such as the hostages in Gaza it makes no sense that you’re willing to sacrifice thousands of lives every year because of your idiotic need to own and carry a gun.
If I was a hostage I would say don’t hold back the assault on Gaza because of me.
Bari - Thank you for building theFP over the last couple years. Because your outlet exists, we have a source we can trust when it is needed most. It's so hard to get accurate & useful information during times of war, it won't be perfect... But I know it is honest. Thank you.
Today, America First Legal (AFL) secured a key victory in its case filed on behalf of Stuart and Robbi Force, Sarri Singer, and Rep. Ronny Jackson against President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken for violating the Taylor Force Act and illegally subsidizing terrorism.
Rejecting the fundamental premise of U.S. anti-terrorism laws – that money is fungible – the defendants claimed that there is absolutely no evidence U.S. funding for the Palestinians in Gaza and the “West Bank” (more accurately Judea and Samaria) facilitates or subsidizes terrorism against Americans and Israelis. However, internal State Department documents demonstrate otherwise: that the Biden Administration considered the consequences of dumping American taxpayer dollars into the West Bank and Gaza, and concluding that there was a “high risk” Hamas would benefit as a result of its spending.
Now, in the aftermath of Hamas’s barbaric terrorist atrocities that have killed at least 22 Americans and at least 1200 other innocent men, women, and children, and with an unknown number of Americans now being held hostage in Gaza, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted AFL’s motion to begin discovery in our case. America First Legal believes the evidence obtained from the documents and from the face-to-face depositions of high-ranking officials under oath, will confirm that the Biden Administration knowingly and directly increased the risk of harm faced by our clients, and by other innocent Israelis and Americans at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.
We must act as if the hostages are already dead. It breaks my heart to say that, but this inhuman bloodbath proves that Hamas must be killed deader than Raid kills bugs. If Israeli and U.S. forces can grab up some hostages on their cleanout sweep from one end of Gaza to the other, that will be marvelous. But we can't count on anyone remaining alive after the first soldier crosses into the Strip. That's the horror of terror--that sometimes you can't rescue everyone.
In any case, the writer is correct: now is the time to end the enormous mistake of allowing Hamas and Hezbollah to breathe the same air as humans; to end their reign of terror not just on Israel but on the everyday Gazans who want to get on with their lives; and through that let Iran know that its days as a terror-sponsor are finished.
Wow! It's clear from reading these comments that tribalism in America is ubiquitous, and I hoped to see more balance in The Free Press since I'm not a Trump or Biden supporter.
The US has always negotiated for hostages in one way or another, and it should be done in this horrific situation as well. Maybe the US should inform all Americans from this point onward it will not negotiate their freedom in any circumstance? Or bomb the shit out of every country Americans are held hostage? Or plant tracking chips in Americans, even those with dual citizenship, so it knows their whereabouts at all times? Or pull their passports at terminals if they're traveling to a "dangerous" destination? And so on...It's much more complicated than we readers can imagine.
Rise and kill first.
It's so hard to wrap my head around the idea of taking children as hostages. Whether it's Boko Haran or Hamas--- how heartless and cruel.
they know it's a power move!
Will repreat. The economics of taking hostages has to change.
Israel should declare a unilateral cease-fire and offer this deal. The war ends if the hostages are released quickly (a week or 2).
And it needs to be framed differently. hamas is holding 150 Israeli hostages (with perhaps some other nationalities in there) and 2.3million Gazans hostage.
hit 'post' too soon.
The rest of it is this -- if the hostages are not released in short order, Israel will not negotiate on any issue any longer. It will wipe out hamas and however many Gazans die in the process, they will die. For hamas, it becomes an existential decision.
The war that follows, if hostages are not released, will be hamas' choice. By valuing 150 hostages over the lives of 2.3million Gazans, the world we see the evil in even starker terms -- even Arabs will question why hamas put so little value on the lives of the people they rule.
Possibly the only way around this conundrum, alluded to in the Robert O’Brian/Trump response is to make it clear that Armageddon + is headed towards Gaza if hostages are harmed. The barbarians of Hamas are the ones to be considered already dead but they have extended families. Threaten those families with something one can do: death; exile; etc. There is already talk of moving the residents of Gaza to the West Bank and strengthening the PLA there. The PLA will, with Israeli backing, make short work of any of Hamas.
The author is comparing apples and oranges when he compares the Tehran hostages to the Gaza hostages. The Tehran hostages were USG employees performing their governmental function. The USG had a special obligation to them.
The US citizen Gaza hostages are private individuals who voluntarily visited one of the most potentially dangerous areas in Israel. They are responsible for placing themselves in a position to be taken hostage. The USG does not have the same obligation to them that it had to its own employees in Tehran
May Gid have mercy on all the hostages in Gaza, irrespective of citizenship, because Hamas will have none.
NO American service member should be exposed to potential death or maiming in an attempt to rescue those unfortunate people. Their fate is in the hands of God.
So George; you think what Hamas has done is funny? I hope you are never a hostage .
So long as hostage takers can set terms there will always be new hostage takers.
Only one policy works: If you take hostages you will get only one thing-death.