Trump and the hostages
Recently Trump has reissued his warning to Hamas about the hostages:
When pressed by American political commentator Hugh Hewitt on the specific meaning behind his warning, Trump elaborated with characteristic intensity: “If those hostages aren’t released by the time I get into office, there will be hell to pay.
“I don’t think I have to go into it. … But it won’t be the word ‘don’t,’ you know. I heard the word ‘don’t,’ you can add that into it, but that would just be a small part of it. … Those hostages have to get out. They have to get out now.”
And now this news:
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to be in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday to advance multilateral negotiations aimed at securing the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
During a press conference on Tuesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Witkoff, a Jewish businessman and longtime friend of the president-elect, expressed optimism about the ongoing discussions.
I’d love to be privy to Witkoff’s instructions.
Meanwhile, the bodies of two of the hostages have been found in Gaza by the IDF. They are Yosef Al Zaydani and his son Hamzah, who until now were among the hostages believed to still be alive. The two were Bedouins, which is a reminder that Hamas also warred on Israeli Arabs as well as Israeli Jews:
RIP.
US Believes Only 20 Hostages Still Alive in Gaza
Just read that the US did extensive attack on the Houthis.
RIP. People forget that Bedouins and non-Israelis were kidnapped or killed as well as Jews.
I’m surprised I’ve seen no mention of this anywhere.
_________________________________
An End to the Hostage Crisis
Republican Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the 1980 presidential election. Although Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher had completed negotiations under Algerian auspices to free the American hostages in Tehran, President Carter and Secretary of State Edmund S. Muskie, suffered to their last day in office. On January 20, 1981, the hostages were finally freed—but only after Ronald Reagan had been sworn in as president.
https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/hostageend
_________________________________
Here’s hoping history rhymes.
Actually, it was before. As in, hours before.
Then the joke was “What’s flat and glows in the dark?” “Iran, 24 hours after Reagan’s inaugurated.”
“Hell to pay” if the hostages are not released by January 20 has a problem: Gaza and Hamas have already experienced–justifiably so–“hell to pay.” Gaza’s infrastructure is pretty much destroyed , and Israel has killed much of the Hamas leadership. What more can Trump do to Hamas? It has already been done.
That may well explain the intransigent attitude of Hamas. What more can Israel do to it? Hamas’s demand that hostage release be contingent on Israeli withdrawal is non-negotiable: a flat NO from Israel. There is no way that Israel is going to withdraw and permit the rearming of Hamas.
As I see it, the only “hell to pay” could be inflicted on Iran, the paymaster for Hamas.
Given Iran’s varied vulnerabilities, we may find something entirely unexpected. For example, in addition to putting the kinetic stuff on the Iranians’ ideas of war stuff, what if the refineries disappear? That would drop their GDP back to, practically, the Stone Age.
While the IDF doesn’t seem to be able to find the remaining hostages, it’s possible the IDF and the intel groups know a lot about where other figures are. They’ve shown that capability in ones and twos, and in dozens. And practically in real time as they go to bed, or wherever.
Hard to think of any targets in Gaza which haven’t been serviced thus far.
But to go outside the box….the possibilities are endless.
What more can Trump do to Hamas?
Gringo:
Well, as Bill Cosby once advised in an early comedy routine, “Never dare worse.”
Words to live by. Since then I never ask, how could things get any worse?
I’m sure Israel has a to-do list and they are checking it twice for when Trump has got their back.
Re: on Trump’s “hell to pay” if hostages are not returned (dead or alive):
What’s left to attack?
As said earlier, Iran should worry.
Also, Hamas leaders living well in Qatar.
As said earlier, Iran should worry.
Marlene:
Yes.
I’m sure there is more Israel can do to Hamas, but the real question IMO is whether Israel goes for Iran’s nuclear weapon sites.
Israel wiped out Iran’s air defenses in its last reprisal. I understand that Iran has dispersed its nuclear facilities and it won’t be an easy job, but I bet Israel can put a serious dent in Iran’s quest for WMD.
The speculation I hear is that Trump won’t assist with American forces, but will give Israel permission to do whatever they think is necessary.
Which sounds right to me.
I suspect that there is some materiel that Biden has been withholding from the IDF but would be freely available to them starting a couple of weeks from now- bunker busters, MOABs, classified stuff. Maybe even some intelligence, some targeting guidance, certainly diplomatic cover.
Despite Biden’s best efforts, the US is not a pitiful helpless giant. We still have some capabilities that smaller nations lack.
Perhaps the US would strike heavily elsewhere to confuse and divide defenses and give the Israelis’ targets more to worry about. Radar tells you where it is. Getting it to light up early is an advantage.
Y