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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Hunt continues for Beeb Gaza reporter | |
| 2007-03-15 | |
I'm sure they're hunting real hard. Helps drive the price up.
Hope they brought a big bag of money. For everybody... Palestinian security officials say he was kidnapped from his car by masked gunmen, but the BBC says it cannot independently verify these reports. Jeez, after all they've done for them, this is the thanks they get. Other reports in Gaza say he is healthy and negotiations are under way with the abductors to secure his release. The BBC says it is continuing to work with the Palestinian authorities and others to establish the facts surrounding Alan Johnston's disappearance. He disappeared on Monday after leaving the BBC office in Gaza City. Yes. How much and where do you want it? There has been a series of abductions of Westerners in the increasingly lawless Gaza Strip. All were eventually released unharmed. The motives for the abductions were mainly local: unpaid salaries, demands for jobs or the release of jailed family members. It's just the way things are done there. A quaint local custom. No big deal. Until one of them ends up dead when Mahmoud drops his AK-47 and puts a round in their head... | |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #13 LH all your points well taken. Agree. Your analysis is especially compelling when one starts to ponder the likelihood that Israel will have to undertake some serious actions in the territories in response to the upcoming Nth Fruitless and Idiotic Palestinian Offensive (new term just coined here). |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-03-15 23:23 |
| #12 The Beeb reporter decided to look for stories and glory, or whatever, in Gaza---land of entropy, corruption, bad sanitation, criminals, terrorists, and a dearth of rational thinking. He made a choice to go here and report, and now he is facing the consequences of working there. Such is life in a sh*thole like Gaza. That is why rational people don't go there if they do not have to. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-03-15 22:57 |
| #11 i understand it was a throwaway line, and im not blaming you. Just kinda taking issue with the larger mindset (not necessarily yours) thats held both by some folks here, and by folks on the left, of as Israelis as being all powerful. Their assets in general are scarce and limited and must be rationed carefully. Basically if bad stuff is happening in the strip, its for the most part NOT their business, even if its indirectly inimical. They cant go after every kidnap artist in the territories - thats what an occupier has to do, and the flip side of withdrawl, with its dangers, is freeing your assets from having to pursue such things. Let the Pals, who have far more at stake, do something about it (and I mean either the Abbas Pals or the Hamas Pals) If its a threat to the whole civilized world, let the whole civilized world do something - at least let the Brits do something. Israel hasnt gone into Gaza overtly even in response to months of Qassams. As long as they dont hit, I think Israel will continue to hold back. Any covert assets in the strip should be reserved for A. Intel gathering and B. Hitting VERY high value targets. Not for playing cops and robbers, or for fixing "broken windows" Fixing broken windows is a great strategy, but its hard to do when you cant move freely somewhere - basically Israel doesnt have the wherewithall to do it in Gaza and shouldnt try. (Again, this is not aimed at you Verlaine, but more at some other concepts of what Israel should do in the territories) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-03-15 16:55 |
| #10 Understood, grom - no problem. LH, it was a throw-away line - I agree with you on the substance. But as I see most Pal criminality as being along a continuum, all of which is inimical to Israel and the civilized world in general, I'm always happy to see bad guys iced. Today's kidnap-for-$$$$ operative, tomorrow's vest-bomb courier .... |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-03-15 16:31 |
| #9 "undercover border police" You mean Israelis? Im not rooting for the Beeb guy to die, but I doubt that going after some local kidnapping ring is a particularly good use of Israeli covert assets in the Strip, they being a scarce and valuable resource. Note to world - its NOT Israel's responsibility to maintain order in the Gaza Strip. Not anymore, at any rate. (Of course if say, MI6 requested assistance, and offered something in return, at least good will, and maybe something more tangible, that might be different) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-03-15 16:04 |
| #8 Oops, sorry. No disrespect intended Verlaine. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-15 15:22 |
| #7 Wish I could afford to think like you Vervane, but I've a child---so I cannot. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-15 15:21 |
| #6 I'm still waiting for Israel to "ransom" its kidnapped Israeli soldier - preferably with two brigades of infantry, backed up with tanks, artillery, and airpower. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-03-15 15:06 |
| #5 Grom, I understand the sentiment but let's continue to be better than some by hoping for safe return. Followed by a very unsafe ending for the perps, at the hands of undercover border police or some other worthy outfit. I'm all for killin' them that needs killin' today, but let's limit our reaction to the BBC to fisking, debunking, and humiliation (and let's have more and more of that). |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-03-15 14:55 |
| #4 We may see the conversion-ransom-release dynamic again. |
| Posted by: Baba Tutu 2007-03-15 13:02 |
| #3 Marco. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-03-15 11:34 |
| #2 Only a little :-) You'll need to do an act of contrition. Perhaps you could sweep up in the O-Club tonight? |
| Posted by: Steve White 2007-03-15 10:31 |
| #1 Does the fact that I hope he'll get killed, makes me a bad person? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-15 10:19 |