Unquestionably, the announcement Saturday of the dramatic rescue of four hostages who were held in captivity for eight months by Hamas terrorists was fantastic news for everyone outside of the pro-Hamas Democrat/media contingent.
“Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were rescued in a special operation by the IDF, ISA and Israel Police from 2 separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat after being kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival,” the IDF said in their statement.
“We will continue to make every effort to bring the hostages home,” they also said.
The horrific terrorist attacks of October 7th and the capture of Israeli civilians have been the driving impetus behind Israel’s relentless campaign to crush Hamas, so it’s understandable they are reluctant to get behind any proposed ceasefire deal that would hinder their ability to accomplish those goals, especially at this stage in the war.
And yet a ceasefire is exactly what the Biden administration chose to focus on in response to news of the hostage rescue.
For instance, here was National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s statement, where the emphasis was on the Biden-pushed ceasefire proposal:
In France, Biden himself praised the rescue but called a ceasefire “essential”:
Speaking at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Biden said he joined his host in welcoming the return of the hostages and vowed, “We won’t stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached.”“That’s essential to happen,” he added.
Selecting a different tone, Sec. of State Antony Blinken called the rescue a “welcome” development, and while he promoted the ceasefire proposal, he stated that the onus was on Hamas to make it happen:
We welcome the rescue of four hostages who after eight months of captivity have finally been reunited with their families in Israel. The United States will not rest until every hostage is returned home.The proposal that President Biden outlined eight days ago would bring relief to both the people of Gaza and the remaining hostages and their families through an immediate ceasefire that could lead to the release of all hostages, a surge of humanitarian assistance, Gaza’s reconstruction, and an enduring end to the war. The only thing standing in the way of achieving this ceasefire is Hamas. It is time for them to accept the deal.
Though it was initially reported last week that Israeli leaders were on board with the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said there were areas of disagreement:
“The proposal that Biden presented is incomplete,” Netanyahu told Israeli lawmakers during a closed-door meeting of the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.Netanyahu told his country’s lawmakers that Israel would not end the war in Gaza until it achieved its three primary objectives: Destroying Hamas’ military and civil governance capabilities, securing the release of all the hostages, and ensuring that there is no ongoing threat to Israel from Gaza, the Times of Israel reported.
Left out of the Biden White House’s statements on a ceasefire resolution is that it would effectively pull the IDF out of Gaza’s most populous areas, leaving few options when it comes to rescuing the remaining hostages and finding/returning home the remains of any who might have been murdered:
The proposal announced Friday calls for an initial six-week ceasefire with an Israeli military withdrawal from populated areas of Gaza and the release of some hostages while “a permanent end to hostilities” is negotiated through mediators.
What is likely to come next for the Biden administration in response to the hostage rescue are calls from Squad types in Congress and their far-left activist allies to condemn Israel for the alleged civilian casualties that critics say happened as a result of the rescue mission.
In my view, this is how they should respond:
Islamist terrorism expert Khaled Hassan to Piers Morgan:
You don’t take pur [sic] people hostage, hold them in one of Gaza’s busiest markets and tell usbhow [sic] we rescue our hostages. If a 1000 Palestinians died in that rescue operation, you have only Hamas to blame.They particularly hid them in this busy shithole because they wanted to prevent Israel from rescuing them in fear of comments from useful idiots such as yourself. Go talk shit about Harry and Meghan. Warfare and national security are not your thing. You are becoming a mouthpiece for Hamas.
I think that about covers it.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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