From ABC News:
A senior Palestinian security official said Friday he saw the “first promising signs” in efforts to free two Fox journalists who were abducted in Gaza nearly two weeks ago.
The comments by Interior Minister Said Siyam of Hamas marked the first upbeat assessment by Palestinian officials since Fox correspondent Steve Centanni of Washington, D.C., and cameraman Olaf Wiig of New Zealand were seized from their TV van in Gaza City on Aug. 14.
“Efforts and contacts are being made to guarantee the safety and bring about the release of the two guests of Palestine,” Siyam said outside a Gaza City mosque.
He said the contacts were made with major Palestinian militant groups, all of whom denied kidnapping the journalists or knowing where they were being held.
“There are first promising signs,” he said, but did not elaborate. Earlier this week, Palestinian security officials said they had no leads.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said winning their release is at the top of his agenda. “I have appealed to the kidnappers not to harm the journalists and to release them immediately,” he added.
”Two guests of Palestine.” Guests.
Gotta love the balls it takes to say something like that.
Oh well, maybe they’ll let the FOX guys keep a towel and a bathrobe.
Rusty has more.
I’ll be glad if they get to keep their heads…literally.
To be fair:
1 – inflammatory language is generally best avoided in these kidnap/beheading hostage dramas (wait until after the hostage is back, then kick ass)
2 – Identifying them as “guests” has special meaning in Islam: you’re not supposed to harm invited guests, it’s a very serious prohibition.
3 – Identifying them as “of Palestine” there is suspicion on the Palestinian side that this terror group is out to embarrass the Palestinian government. Murdering the journalists would do exactly that.
Just like the prohibition against killing the innocent.
(Hint: if the jihadis reject the identification of them as “guests”, then it doesn’t matter what some spokesthug calls them.)
Daryl is right – “guests” is for internal comsumption. However, this just shows that their spokesdude needs to refine his pitch to us kuffir.
Yeah but half the time the help runs off with shoes left outside the door for polishing.
A modest proposal: All the news agencies announce they will pull out and cover nothing at all from the P.A. until these two are released.
“Identifying them as “guests†has special meaning in Islam: you’re not supposed to harm invited guests, it’s a very serious prohibition.”
As if any special meanings hold any water in Islam anyway…….
Give credit: Reporters Without Borders is upset with this.
And don’t forget those little bottles of PLA shampoo and conditioner.
By their definition, I was once a guest of the fine people of Allegheny County.
Come to think of it, I was a guest in my first marriage.
Headline: “Jeff Goldstein Loves Balls”
I note that on the released tape, Wiig and Centanni noted that they were being treated like “guests,” so we can hope that the kidnappers consider this to be important and that the urging of the officials that they be treated as such helps save them. It’s a note that clangs over here, but—issues of intentionalism aside, for the moment—it’s more important that they speak to the kidnappers in ways they understand.
I agree that the words of terrorists generally don’t mean much, but on FOX, Jennifer Griffin gives the impression that the Hamas & Fatah folk are not happy with this new group (for whatever reason). And she’s dealt with them for awhile, and seems to have a decent BS detector. So if they are actually trying to help (as opposed to palying “good cop”), I won’t bash them for it.
Give them both back, unharmed, or we shooting, should be the only “negotiations” involved here.
Why the Palos get away with this kind of shit, I will never ever understand.
I wonder if they’d be this considerate to a couple of CNN reporters?
Has our fine government made any demands or statements about the abducted duo?
Where is GWB stating, “Let ‘em go or we’re coming to get them, and we don’t give a fuck who gets in the way.”?
Yeah, even Ismail Haniyeh (who really needs to eat a Hellfire) seems very interested in unscrewing this situation. It’s almost as if they’re starting to understand consequences.
What are you talking about? The Palestinians who kidnapped them probably are CNN reporters.
That’s understandable. The Bloods and Crips in LA weren’t too happy when the Nortenos and Surenos moved in.
Something about cutting into their profits.
That’ll make a difference.
Clarice’s modest proposal: All the news agencies announce they will pull out and cover nothing at all from the P.A. until these two are released.
Gppd thinking… With ME preoccupation with PR and coverage….not bad at all.
A brilliant proposal.
I saw the top Hamas man in Gaza swagger out of the mosque today waving to the toadies of media and hangers on while making his announcement. Evil. Pure evil.