Arr, 'tis a treacherous trail President Biden be treadin', hagglin' fer the souls held captive by the scallywags, Hamas!
2023-11-29
Arr, the plundering tale of yore unfolds! 'Twas a time when the landlubber Iran did seize 66 American souls, holdin' 'em captive fer a mighty 444 sunsets. Hostage terror, a newfangled mischief, did grace the modern world's stage. Aye, the scallywags made history, they did!
Since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, the Israeli-Hamas conflict has captured the world's attention. Recently, a 4-day ceasefire was extended, and now the focus has shifted to the hostages. So far, 70 hostages have been released, including four-year-old Abigail Edan. However, there are still many hostages, including Americans, who are yet to be released.Hamas did not discriminate when selecting their victims during the kidnappings. Hostages from over 40 countries were taken, regardless of age or condition. This shows that hostage-terrorism works for Hamas. They use the hostages to make public demands, raise awareness for their cause, and extort ransoms or concessions from nations.
Hamas, a proxy army of the mullahs in Tehran, introduced the world to hostage-terrorism with the U.S. embassy hostage crisis in 1979-1980. Constant media coverage of the hostages raises their perceived value as bargaining chips for Hamas.
The goal should be to humanize the hostages while minimizing their worth to the hostage taker. However, having senior U.S. government officials publicly involved in negotiations can sabotage the situation and hinder future releases. It is a departure from the "the US does not negotiate with terrorists" rule.
Paying ransoms or making concessions to terrorists only encourages more acts of terrorism. The U.S. should adhere to a coherent hostage policy based on historical precedents. The hope that paying ransoms yesterday wouldn't lead to paying billions today has led to the current hostage crisis in Gaza.
In conclusion, the Israeli-Hamas conflict has brought attention to the issue of hostage-terrorism. It is important to prioritize the safe release of hostages while avoiding actions that may increase their perceived value to the hostage takers. The U.S. should adhere to a policy that does not negotiate with terrorists and does not make concessions to encourage more acts of terrorism.