Israel Arrests Palestinian Deputy PM In Ramallah

The Israelis sent a message this morning that they have not forgotten the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit by Hamas. The IDF captured the Hamas Deputy Prime Minister, Nasser Shaer, at his home this morning:

Israeli soldiers arrested the Palestinian deputy prime minister Saturday, the highest-ranking Hamas official rounded up in a seven-week-old crackdown against the ruling party.
Troops burst into the home of Nasser Shaer around 4:30 a.m. and took him away, said the deputy prime minister’s wife, Huda. …
The army said Shaer was arrested in Ramallah overnight for his involvement and activity in the Islamic militant Hamas.
With Shaer, Israel has now arrested four members of the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Cabinet and 28 Hamas lawmakers. Four other ministers have been detained and released.

As Shaer’s wife explained, this comes as no surprise to the deputy PM. He had avoided his home ever since the Shalit kidnapping, which preceded the similar Hezbollah operation that touched off the war in Lebanon. The Israelis have taken the Hamas claim of responsibility seriously, and acknowledged it by holding its senior leadership responsible. The Israelis show no sign of relaxing their campaign, and Ismail Haniyeh may well be next if Hamas does not return Shalit.
Of course, the Palestinians howl with outrage at the Israelis. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad claims that Israel “won’t be satisfied with any government headed by Hamas or headed by Fatah,” which amounts to a PR non-sequitur. Hamad wants people to believe that the Israelis have reacted badly to normal political activity. Apparently, Hamas considers kidnappings (and worse) as a banal part of government, not an act of war. If Fatah believes that as well — and its Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade certainly suggests it — then no sovereign government should be satisfied with that kind of government. And in any case, if Hamad wants to argue for kidnappings as political maneuvers, then his petulant whining must spring from the fact that Israel can capture people better than Hamas can.
When the Palestinians decide that they want responsible, rational government, the world will rush to give them their own state in which to live, and Israel will be at the head of the line. Until then, the Palestinians would do well to remember the proverbs about reaping what one sows, and to quit crying like babies when their own tactics get turned onto themselves. If they want Israel to stop capturing its leaders, then return Gilad Shalit and renounce terrorism. It’s really that simple.
UPDATE: I forgot to credit CQ reader Stackja1945 for the hat-tip.

4 thoughts on “Israel Arrests Palestinian Deputy PM In Ramallah”

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