I hope they both lose.
Hamas gunmen on Tuesday took up positions around the stronghold of the shadowy group holding kidnapped British journalist Alan Johnston, stepping up the pressure to secure the correspondent’s release.
Members of Hamas’ 6,000-strong militia moved onto rooftops of high-rise buildings and deployed gunmen in streets in the Gaza City neighborhood inhabited by the Doghmush clan. The large, heavily armed family leads the Army of Islam, a little known group that has been holding Johnston for nearly four months.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the other Gaza clans see this as a clear threat to themselves and join in yet another civil war in the Gaza Strip.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said security forces “will not spare any efforts to free the British journalist.” Hamas radio also broadcast a toll free phone number, urging people to call in any information about the case. Witnesses said at least four members of the Doghmush clan were detained by Hamas.
Please excuse me while I laugh my head off. A toll-free number? For what? Hamas knows who has Alan Johnston. The whole world knows it. These are the same people Hamas is using to hold Gilad Shalit.
Since seizing control of Gaza last month, Hamas has demanded Johnston’s release in an apparent bid to gain favor with the West.
The Army of Islam, whose formerly close relations with Hamas have soured, has demanded that Britain first release a radical Islamic cleric with ties to al-Qaida. It also has threatened to kill Johnston if Hamas tried to free him by force.
On Monday, Hamas arrested the spokesman of the Army of Islam, giving it a potentially valuable bargaining chip in its efforts to release Johnston.
I read somewhere else that the Doghmush clan then kidnapped ten members of Hamas. Can’t find the link.
The same group was involved in the capture of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was seized more than a year ago in a raid on an Israeli army post near Gaza.
Uh-huh. But let’s play pretend and stand outside posing for the cameras for the release of Alan Johnston. Because nobody would suspect Hamas of staging this whole thing to make it look like they care about releasing a BBC reporter.
Nope. Nobody.
Its all PR on the part of hamas, can you think of a better way for hamas to improve their image in the UK then by “rescuing” the bbc reporter. Just think of the glory the bbc and other left wing media will bestow on this terror group when Johnson is set free.
And typically, Johnson will state in his press conference how its all Israel’s fault for “forcing the pals to resort to this kind of behaviour.”
I have heard and seen this garbage many times before, and would be surprised if anything different arises.
I see that Drudge has a link to al Reuters, saying that Johnston has been released to Hamas.
Guess where they say he’ll go next. I think Israel should bar his vehicle from entry, and suggest it drive to Egypt.