Israel Matzav

Hamas threatening to abduct Israelis and Jews outside of Israel

DEBKAfile is reporting that Hamas, which is fed up with Israel's refusal to accede to its demands to free murderers and other terrorists in exchange for kidnapped IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit and kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston, is threatening to kidnap Israelis and Jews outside Israel in a bid to pressure the Israeli government.

Lacking networks outside the Gaza Strip and West Bank, Hamas is expected to employ the extensive Lebanese Hizballah covert infrastructure which branches out across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, for its threatened kidnap offensive abroad.

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The Hamas escalation is taken very seriously. It is also seen as further confirmation of its close working ties with Hizballah under active orchestration by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

In the next 24 hours, Palestinian spokesmen plan to release another false bulletin purporting progress in the negotiations for the release of Gilead Shalit who has now been held for nine months without a word on his fate. DEBKAfile’s sources stress that these bulletins are fabricated deliberately to deceive.

A couple of points worth noting here. First, I have reported in the past that there may be a connection between Shalit's kidnapping and Johnston's. Second, Hezbullah also has terrorist infrastructure in the United States and not just in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. They have arrived in the US as illegal immigrants from Mexico.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:31 PM