Riad Ali Ghanem, the Israeli Druze who was kidnapped by PLO Arab terrorists, has been released. But may questions remain unanswered, like who captured him, and why? But here at Israellycool, I believe I have a pretty good idea as to the answers to these questions.
Consider the following:
The circumstances surrounding Ali’s disappearance remain unclear after all the main Palestinian groups denied responsibility. In addition, PA officials refused to give details about the agreement with the kidnappers or whether a ransom had been paid.The kidnappers’ identities also remain shrouded in mystery and no suspects have been arrested.Ali told reporters shortly after his release that the gunmen identified themselves as members of Fatah’s armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades.However, a spokesman for the group in the Gaza Strip strongly denied responsibility. Top Fatah officials in the West Bank and Gaza Strip also denied any link to the case, insisting that the kidnapping was personally motivated.“It appears that there are some elements who are trying to use our name to achieve their own goals,” said the spokesman, who only identified himself as Abu Muhammad. “We were not involved in this case at all.”Ali, from the village of Maghar in Lower Galilee, later retracted his statement, saying he did not know to which group the kidnappers belonged. “Of course I do not know if they were really from the Aksa or not,” he said.
And this:
Shortly before his release, a videotape surfaced in which Ali said he was being held by the Aksa Martyrs Brigades. On the tape, he explained in Arabic that he is a Druse Arab and that his father and other members of his family have served in the IDF.No demands were made on the tape, which was distributed by the Ramattan Productions Company in Gaza City.Ali was recorded calling on the Druse not to serve in the IDF, saying that the Druse cause is the same as that of the Palestinians.“The Druse are part of the Palestinian people and it is inappropriate for Druse youth to fight the war of the occupation against their own people,” he said.—-Ali’s father, Said, announced outside his home that Arafat phoned him to tell him about the release of his son.“Yasser Arafat made all efforts and he gave his word as a man and told me that he would not sleep or remain silent until Riad was released and back with his family..”
I believe that Yasser Afatrat’s own Aksa Martyrs Brigades kidnapped Mr Ghanem, a prominent Israeli Druze and journalist. Afatrat wanted to show that he is still very much in charge in the PA controlled areas, so he ordered the journalist captured, and then “pretended” to intercede in his release. Of course, having him released by his own men was not a problem. In addition, he wanted Mr Ghanem to appeal to the Druze community not to serve in the IDF, in a bid to cause more dissention in IDF ranks, and cause more problems for Israel. Afatrat knew the kidnapping would serve both purposes, since Mr Ghanem works for one of the largest media outlets in the world, guaranteeing much publicity.
At least this is my theory. But given the circumstances of the case, and Afatrat’s transparent, manipulative behavior, chances are I am not far off the mark.
