This is not an uncommon refrain for me these days: This posting must
be short because other considerations are pulling at me. I did want to
follow through a bit more about the search for the three kidnapped
students. But, unfortunately, the very same matter that has my attention
today may prevent me from posting again until later in the week. Please
God, let there be good news to post!
What we are seeing now is:
[] Israel is squeezing Hamas in order to force the release of the
boys. There have been multiple arrests of Hamas affiliated people –
including some significant persons within Hamas - done in the course of the
search in the Hevron area. And Israel is considering harsher actions, such as
expulsions.
[] Netanyahu, for the first time in over a year, contacted Abbas and asked
him to help with finding the boys.
[] Abbas condemned the kidnapping, but also condemned the actions that
Israel is taking against Hamas.
[] In a very strange turn of events, the military arm of Abbas’s Fatah
party has claimed “credit” for the kidnapping. They want “thousands” of
prisoners released, their announcement says. There would really be huge
implications in this, but their claim does not really mean they have the
boys. Lots of groups claim lots of things, and Israeli intelligence, which
fingers Hamas, is excellent.
See this interesting piece that suggests that Hamas’s action in the
kidnapping tore the unity government apart, and Abbas knows it.
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© Arlene Kushner.
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