Thank you Bari for publishing Arnold Roth's important and deeply moving letter. Am contributing right now to American Friends of Keren Malki. May Malki's memory be a blessing and inspire us to good deeds and actions.
#SlowJoe will get right on that. Ilhan Isis Omar and Rashida Taliban Tlaib will be appointed special ambassadors. No democrat is going to help you. Almost no Republican will. Trump likely would.
Joey will do nothing. No Jewish democrat will raise this as an issue. The only way this could possibly work is if Trump came out and said leave Tamimi be where she is. Don't even contemplate doing a stinkin extradition. Then Joey and the dems will maybe rush to do the opposite.
What an unimaginable tragedy. How could one imagine the pain this family has experienced for 20 years. And her killer walks free treated like a rock star. And these are the people we're in bed with.
I hope Malki's family isn't waiting for President Biden to rouse himself to action. Maybe he'll appoint Kamala to spearhead this issue.
Thank you for letting us know this story. I will pray for extradition. There are far too many stories of the glorification of terrorists. Hopefully, this story comes to an end soon.
I never thought I'd be standing up for the Biden administration, but here goes. I think we are losing the ability in America to see anything except through partisan lenses, and I don't think that is a good thing. As such, I have been disturbed by some of the comments on this piece. I voted for President Trump twice and was appalled at the horrendous and prejudiced reaction he received and continues to receive from the press and from Democrats (and from anti-Trumpers), including outright lies about his activities. I also love Israel and have children living there. The pain of parents like the Roths and so many others as terrorists are lauded and encouraged, and lately as American elected officials join in that adulation, is real and shared by all good people.
Having said that, the Israeli government makes its own decisions and among them are not giving terrorists like Tamimi the death sentence, knowing that there is a credible chance of them being released. The Israeli nation chose to do a hostage exchange and let her go free. Gilad Shalit was in my daily prayers for years. I would not have wanted to be responsible for choosing whether to save him or not at the expense of releasing terrorists to kill again- it was an excruciating choice.
All leaders, including Joe Biden (or those making decisions for him), have to calculate national interest vs. emotional tugs. America is a poorer country because so many of our legislators have voted and promote voting on emotions alone. The U.S. has a relationship with Jordan in a volatile region of the world. There is true hatred of Israel and of Jews in the Democrat Party as well as anti-Americanism. Nonetheless, as pained as I may be at the Sbarro bombing and as upset as I am at the lies told about Israel by her enemies, in this case I do not see non-action on the part of the Biden administration, should that be so, as proof of anything nefarious, just a sad acknowledgment of the limits of a presidency in a real world.
Wow. I don't even know what to say. Sadly, I wouldn't expect the barely-sentient Joe Biden to pick up this case. And the advisors he surrounds himself with hate Israel as much as Tamimi. I dearly wish that weren't so.
The Roth's deserve justice and murderers to need to be held to account.
Still, the root of the problem is societal. In this case, it is Jordanian society, which seems to think murder is not just acceptable, but an actual celebrity career path. This is the root of so much evil and horror. This is not a "moderate" nation. It may not be the most extreme, but any place where murderers are held in high esteem, the nation is not an ally for much of anything.
This is a tragedy beyond comprehension. Unfortunately there is no law that prevents Israel or USA governments from making deals with adversaries which include prisoner exchanges, and also no law preventing convicted terrorists being part of these exchanges, even those doing life without parole. Exceptions can be made. If Pres Biden heeds this heartfelt plea and pursues the matter either directly with the King of Jordan or indirectly through the State Department and diplomatic back-channels, it is unlikely that Jordan will play ball given the high stakes - Tamimi is a celebrity, her arrest and extradition would likely cause public uproar, the issue can be politicized by opponents of the King and his government, etc. Pres Biden will obviously not burn political capital trying to force the King to act on it, given the vast American business and military interests in Jordan that are too important to jeopardize. However hope springs eternal. Are there other families similarly affected who are still actively pursuing justice? A joint effort in these things can help.
I hope Bari excuses me, but I wanted to share an article written about this about a year ago when I first heard of this. The article is a little more in-depth about the politics of the situation, arguably more accusatory of Bibi too.
Times of Israel actually has quite a few articles about this I haven't seen since I read the one above, including Ahlam Tamimi's husband being deported to Qatar.
Jordan is on shaky ground...they're one of the few ME countries without an Arab Spring, yet. They have water and job issues. While it'd be nice to have Tamimi in an American jail, Israel doesn't want a civil war in Jordan either. It's unfortunate, but, perhaps ppl can find solace that Israel has a peaceful, relatively friendly, neighbor.
Also, I see in the comments that there is much discussion about who is more or less pro-Israel. Bush and Trump clearly were more Pro-Israel than the Ds. There is really no debate about that no matter how many jewish friends that hate Trump exist. Jews are not a monolith so there is diversity of opinion including Jews that fully support the Iran deal and dove-like attitudes toward Hamas. My point is a bit different, the Rs support Israel because the Evangelicals on the right (R supporters) blindly believe in the Jewish right to the Holy Land Premise as well as Rs recognizing correctly that it is the only western-style and Pro-US democracy in the area. The Ds meanwhile are so obsessed with Muslim pandering (civil rights!) mostly in response to Trump derangement syndrome along with inherent - (I think possibly genuine) - sympathy to the plight of: a) real life David vs Goliath or b) Hamas designed/choreographed victims of their own people to create world sympathy.
Bari - thank you and Arnold Roth for this moving, touching, and painful article. It speaks to the hopelessness of the situation in the Middle East. There is no doubt that Israel has suffered under the terrorist-aligned (at least) palestinian leadership. The disproportionate exchange of prisoners is telling. But I have a question/proposal for you. I do understand you manning the bulwarks against the leftist belief that Israel is to blame and that the PA are the victims - when it appears to be muslim based and anti-Israel. But in truth the people on both sides are victims. I understand the thinking that it seems more wrong on the palestinian side. But innocent children should not die - yes Hamas uses their own for that and Israel does not stoop to that. The original "sin" or "mistake" of the creation of the Israeli state in 1948, no matter how well-intentioned, was created by the western powers pushed along by zionist terrorist attacks against colonial rule and rightful holocaust sympathy. It annexed unofficial Arab land - even with a growing population of Jews since before 1900 due to Zionism. Zionists had design on the Holy Land for at least a half century before Israel creation - their motivation was understandable - except for the annexing. The allies response should have been handled better than it was. But this is all history and semi-irrelevant now. Israel's manner of creation cannot be undone. I have long believed that there is only one long-term solution to this mess and that is that Israel make significant concessions to create a palestinian state. That is a bitter pill, yes. But is it better for Israel to cling to more land, etc.- no matter how right it may feel or be - or continue this mess with no end in sight endlessly into the future? The annexing of palestinian settlements is wrong and should be stopped - it is making matters worse. Stop the Netanyahu expansionism. Israel should be seeking to give over land and rights - yes it will make it geo. smaller. But maybe as much as Israel claims that it should be recognized (and not be subjected to annihilation threats) palestinians /Arab majority states given the same recognition may create a lasting peace. It's worth a try - if it does not yield fruit return to the stalemate. To be clear, this is not John Kerry pie in the sky philosophy talking. The Iran deal was a disaster/embarrassment/risk increase and Israel (and the US) should continue to make use of unilateral bombing of nuclear/other facilities. I believe this should be done with North Korea also. Common sense says don't wait until the nuclear weapons are in existence - send bombers in asap. Is it an act of war - yes. Is it a long-term act of peace for humanity? Also, yes.
If this family cannot get justice, then the hunter-killers of Massad should be let off the leash. Remove this mass murderer from the face of the Earth.
Thank you Bari for publishing Arnold Roth's important and deeply moving letter. Am contributing right now to American Friends of Keren Malki. May Malki's memory be a blessing and inspire us to good deeds and actions.
#SlowJoe will get right on that. Ilhan Isis Omar and Rashida Taliban Tlaib will be appointed special ambassadors. No democrat is going to help you. Almost no Republican will. Trump likely would.
Joey will do nothing. No Jewish democrat will raise this as an issue. The only way this could possibly work is if Trump came out and said leave Tamimi be where she is. Don't even contemplate doing a stinkin extradition. Then Joey and the dems will maybe rush to do the opposite.
Such a tragic story. Americans need to push for the right thing to be done.
What an unimaginable tragedy. How could one imagine the pain this family has experienced for 20 years. And her killer walks free treated like a rock star. And these are the people we're in bed with.
I hope Malki's family isn't waiting for President Biden to rouse himself to action. Maybe he'll appoint Kamala to spearhead this issue.
Godspeed.
Thank you for letting us know this story. I will pray for extradition. There are far too many stories of the glorification of terrorists. Hopefully, this story comes to an end soon.
I never thought I'd be standing up for the Biden administration, but here goes. I think we are losing the ability in America to see anything except through partisan lenses, and I don't think that is a good thing. As such, I have been disturbed by some of the comments on this piece. I voted for President Trump twice and was appalled at the horrendous and prejudiced reaction he received and continues to receive from the press and from Democrats (and from anti-Trumpers), including outright lies about his activities. I also love Israel and have children living there. The pain of parents like the Roths and so many others as terrorists are lauded and encouraged, and lately as American elected officials join in that adulation, is real and shared by all good people.
Having said that, the Israeli government makes its own decisions and among them are not giving terrorists like Tamimi the death sentence, knowing that there is a credible chance of them being released. The Israeli nation chose to do a hostage exchange and let her go free. Gilad Shalit was in my daily prayers for years. I would not have wanted to be responsible for choosing whether to save him or not at the expense of releasing terrorists to kill again- it was an excruciating choice.
All leaders, including Joe Biden (or those making decisions for him), have to calculate national interest vs. emotional tugs. America is a poorer country because so many of our legislators have voted and promote voting on emotions alone. The U.S. has a relationship with Jordan in a volatile region of the world. There is true hatred of Israel and of Jews in the Democrat Party as well as anti-Americanism. Nonetheless, as pained as I may be at the Sbarro bombing and as upset as I am at the lies told about Israel by her enemies, in this case I do not see non-action on the part of the Biden administration, should that be so, as proof of anything nefarious, just a sad acknowledgment of the limits of a presidency in a real world.
Wow. I don't even know what to say. Sadly, I wouldn't expect the barely-sentient Joe Biden to pick up this case. And the advisors he surrounds himself with hate Israel as much as Tamimi. I dearly wish that weren't so.
The Roth's deserve justice and murderers to need to be held to account.
Still, the root of the problem is societal. In this case, it is Jordanian society, which seems to think murder is not just acceptable, but an actual celebrity career path. This is the root of so much evil and horror. This is not a "moderate" nation. It may not be the most extreme, but any place where murderers are held in high esteem, the nation is not an ally for much of anything.
Malki Roth. Say her name.
Malki Roth. Say her name.
Malki Roth. Say her name.
This is a tragedy beyond comprehension. Unfortunately there is no law that prevents Israel or USA governments from making deals with adversaries which include prisoner exchanges, and also no law preventing convicted terrorists being part of these exchanges, even those doing life without parole. Exceptions can be made. If Pres Biden heeds this heartfelt plea and pursues the matter either directly with the King of Jordan or indirectly through the State Department and diplomatic back-channels, it is unlikely that Jordan will play ball given the high stakes - Tamimi is a celebrity, her arrest and extradition would likely cause public uproar, the issue can be politicized by opponents of the King and his government, etc. Pres Biden will obviously not burn political capital trying to force the King to act on it, given the vast American business and military interests in Jordan that are too important to jeopardize. However hope springs eternal. Are there other families similarly affected who are still actively pursuing justice? A joint effort in these things can help.
I hope Bari excuses me, but I wanted to share an article written about this about a year ago when I first heard of this. The article is a little more in-depth about the politics of the situation, arguably more accusatory of Bibi too.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/failed-by-israel-malki-roths-parents-hope-us-can-extradite-her-gloating-killer/
Times of Israel actually has quite a few articles about this I haven't seen since I read the one above, including Ahlam Tamimi's husband being deported to Qatar.
Jordan is on shaky ground...they're one of the few ME countries without an Arab Spring, yet. They have water and job issues. While it'd be nice to have Tamimi in an American jail, Israel doesn't want a civil war in Jordan either. It's unfortunate, but, perhaps ppl can find solace that Israel has a peaceful, relatively friendly, neighbor.
All terrorists must be behind bars. And NOT RELEASED for any deals.
Why was Tamimi not assigned to Mossad for accountability?
Also, I see in the comments that there is much discussion about who is more or less pro-Israel. Bush and Trump clearly were more Pro-Israel than the Ds. There is really no debate about that no matter how many jewish friends that hate Trump exist. Jews are not a monolith so there is diversity of opinion including Jews that fully support the Iran deal and dove-like attitudes toward Hamas. My point is a bit different, the Rs support Israel because the Evangelicals on the right (R supporters) blindly believe in the Jewish right to the Holy Land Premise as well as Rs recognizing correctly that it is the only western-style and Pro-US democracy in the area. The Ds meanwhile are so obsessed with Muslim pandering (civil rights!) mostly in response to Trump derangement syndrome along with inherent - (I think possibly genuine) - sympathy to the plight of: a) real life David vs Goliath or b) Hamas designed/choreographed victims of their own people to create world sympathy.
Bari - thank you and Arnold Roth for this moving, touching, and painful article. It speaks to the hopelessness of the situation in the Middle East. There is no doubt that Israel has suffered under the terrorist-aligned (at least) palestinian leadership. The disproportionate exchange of prisoners is telling. But I have a question/proposal for you. I do understand you manning the bulwarks against the leftist belief that Israel is to blame and that the PA are the victims - when it appears to be muslim based and anti-Israel. But in truth the people on both sides are victims. I understand the thinking that it seems more wrong on the palestinian side. But innocent children should not die - yes Hamas uses their own for that and Israel does not stoop to that. The original "sin" or "mistake" of the creation of the Israeli state in 1948, no matter how well-intentioned, was created by the western powers pushed along by zionist terrorist attacks against colonial rule and rightful holocaust sympathy. It annexed unofficial Arab land - even with a growing population of Jews since before 1900 due to Zionism. Zionists had design on the Holy Land for at least a half century before Israel creation - their motivation was understandable - except for the annexing. The allies response should have been handled better than it was. But this is all history and semi-irrelevant now. Israel's manner of creation cannot be undone. I have long believed that there is only one long-term solution to this mess and that is that Israel make significant concessions to create a palestinian state. That is a bitter pill, yes. But is it better for Israel to cling to more land, etc.- no matter how right it may feel or be - or continue this mess with no end in sight endlessly into the future? The annexing of palestinian settlements is wrong and should be stopped - it is making matters worse. Stop the Netanyahu expansionism. Israel should be seeking to give over land and rights - yes it will make it geo. smaller. But maybe as much as Israel claims that it should be recognized (and not be subjected to annihilation threats) palestinians /Arab majority states given the same recognition may create a lasting peace. It's worth a try - if it does not yield fruit return to the stalemate. To be clear, this is not John Kerry pie in the sky philosophy talking. The Iran deal was a disaster/embarrassment/risk increase and Israel (and the US) should continue to make use of unilateral bombing of nuclear/other facilities. I believe this should be done with North Korea also. Common sense says don't wait until the nuclear weapons are in existence - send bombers in asap. Is it an act of war - yes. Is it a long-term act of peace for humanity? Also, yes.
If this family cannot get justice, then the hunter-killers of Massad should be let off the leash. Remove this mass murderer from the face of the Earth.