Mere Rhetoric: It's Official: The Internationally-Recognized Palestinian Government Is Holding Gilad Shalit Hostage

Everyone's aware of how Hamas soldiers, representing the democratically elected government of the Palestinians, helped start a war with Israel by undertaking a cross-border act of war. But sometimes it's useful to publish reminders of the degree to which the Palestinian government is singularly responsible for this crisis:

The Army of Islam, one of the three groups responsible for abducting and holding Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, issued a handbill on Wednesday proclaiming that only Hamas was holding Shalit. The proclamation, distributed in the Gaza Strip, runs contrary to all the organization's announcements to date, which have emphasized that three groups were holding Shalit. The Islamic Army is headed by Mumtaz Dormush, who recently fell out with Hamas after its activists killed two of his relatives. It is not clear if the handbill is authentic. However, by late last night, no Army of Islam spokesman had denied it.

The Palestinian government, of course, is welcomed in most of the world's capitals. Even where Hamas is not welcome, it's still considered the legitimate representative of the Palestinian Authority - with all of the diplomatic honors that this status confers.

Previously: Palestinians Say They Won't Release Shalit Because of Qana - Asks World to Forget That They Weren't Going to Release Him Anyway, Prisoner Exchange News: Because You Wanted To Have A Shitty Day Anyway, This Is How the Palestinian Authority Will Dodge Its Treaty Obligations. Again.

About

Omri Ceren is a PhD student studying Rhetoric at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. He lives in downtown Los Angeles.
Email: omri@mererhetoric.com
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