By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
McALLEN, Texas | We never leave our own behind. How many times was that drummed into my head during my days in the military. Well, not quite every day, but every day we were told about duty in South Vietnam. Americans go back for their own. It may not be quickly, but we go back for them.
Not yet for our civilians in Gaza, however.
The war Israel declared against Hamas terrorists in Palestine came after a brutal mass-killing charge a week ago against its people in the Israeli provinces. To date, reports have it that more than 2,500 Jewish settlers have been killed by Hamas and another 2,000 by Israel in Palestine.
The U.S. is in it, not just because it fully supports Israel but because an untold number of Americans are among the many hostages Hamas captured and still has.
This from politico.com: [ The U.S. does not yet know where the hostages are held, the officials said. Gaza is notoriously dense, with a warren of tunnels, and officials believe that hostages - whether American or Israeli - would be spread out and likely not held together, housed in separate underground areas and with innocent civilians in an effort to make any rescue operation that much more difficult. Additionally, U.S. officials believe the quality of Israeli intelligence in the area has slipped - as evidenced by the stunning success of last weekend’s Hamas sneak attacks - and there has been a paucity of reliable information from the area.
Further complicating the situation, U.S. officials said, is that Hamas consists of numerous and often competing subgroups and militias that all operate in Gaza. Before the U.S. can put together a plan to recover hostages, officials first have to figure out which of those Hamas subgroups may be holding them.
And so, for now, the U.S. is deferring to the Israeli special forces, who have far greater experience in Gaza. A team of American military specialists has arrived in the region and is consulting with their Israeli counterparts about possible plans of action. Among other elements, U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command have offered to provide hostage rescue planning and intelligence support to the Israelis.
But, as principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said Thursday on MSNBC, "We are not contemplating U.S. boots on the ground for any sort of rescue mission." ]
The early-going is measured, as could be expected.
Action will come when the hostages and their location are known. Hamas has the leverage at present.
It won't for much longer...
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I remember the Iran hostage situation during the Jimmy Carter administration. They were held for years!
ReplyDeleteAnd it was a disaster.
DeleteBut Iran freed them as soon as Reagan was elected in 1980. Ronnie would've bombed them on Day One.
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