15 Iyyar 5785
30 Days of the Omer
UPDATE! That's more like it!! B"H!! It's also confirmed at Ynet and JPost.
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The U.S. proposal to fly newly released hostage Edan Alexander to Qatar to meet President Trump and Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has sparked intense backlash for exploiting a traumatized 21-year-old still struggling to walk. Critics on social media denounce the plan as a publicity stunt, arguing Alexander needs urgent medical care and family time, not a trip to a country accused of funding his captors....However, [the] controversial U.S. proposal to fly Alexander to Qatar to meet Trump and Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, potentially on May 14, 2025, has ignited fierce backlash. The plan, contingent on Alexander’s health, is criticized as exploiting a traumatized young man for political gain. Social media posts on X condemned the idea, with one stating, “A hostage flown to Qatar to be paraded in front of cameras rather than taken 5 minutes away to their home wouldnt be a freed man. They would still be a hostage.” Another post raged, “The last thing anyone held hostage for 19 months should be asked to do is travel to the country that funded his captors. Edan Alexander needs trauma therapy, medical care, and time with his family, not a flight to Qatar to be paraded in front of cameras alongside Trump and the Emir. Qatar not only financed Hamas but also sheltered its leadership. This is exploitation of s 21 year old boy and its disgraceful.” A third declared, “A hostage isn't a photo opportunity. They are a human being in need of medical attention, psychological care, and their family. There is only one place a released hostage should be taken: Home.” These sentiments highlight outrage over prioritizing a publicity stunt over Alexander’s urgent need for recovery after 19 months of torture and violence.The U.S. sees the release as an opening for broader hostage negotiations under the “Witkoff framework,” with envoy Adam Boehler calling it a “positive step” and urging Hamas to return the remains of four deceased American hostages. Israel, maintaining no ceasefire commitment, demands half the remaining hostages be freed immediately, viewing Hamas’s move as a desperate bid to delay an IDF offensive aimed at dismantling its control over Gaza. As Alexander’s family cautiously supports the Qatar trip pending his condition, the controversy underscores a tension between diplomatic optics and the human cost of captivity.
I haven't seen any other confirmation that a final decision has been made as of yet. Hashem yerachem!
It's absolutely outrageous and the insensitivity of the Trump camp is beyond belief. I don't understand how his mother would want him to go for photo ops with the very people who financed not onlybthe massacre and his torture, but kept him in the tunnels for more than a year and a half. I know they feel more American than Israeli and she is close to Trump, but still I would not allow it. Notice too how the Trump people are attempting to divide the alleged 700k US passport holders from the rest of the Am here in Israel. It's a sinister plot to further weaken and diminish us.
ReplyDeleteMaamash sickening....Trump is a selfish megalomaniac. This is the last thing that poor kid needs right now.
ReplyDeleteAlso I have an uneasy feeling like it's the prelude to something really bad ...like another Witkoff deal, but with a permanent ceasefire and a cessation of the war.(without Hamas being evicted from Aza)
CSF
Apparently he is NOT going to Qatar.
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/AmitSegal/status/1922176879617806824
Right! Thank God! I just updated the blog post.
DeleteIt's not just the Witkof / Boehler effort. According to reports, the "Palestinian" Bahbah is the one who went to Witkof to push the deal. I find the man suspicious.
DeletePretty much from the outset, he said he's not going. He, c'v, would have
ReplyDeleteto have been out of his mind even to think of going there. B'H!
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