• superkret@feddit.org
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    7 days ago

    People imprisoned by legitimate, lawful governments are prisoners, never hostages, because the government wouldn’t arrest people without legal basis.

    Terrorist groups can never take prisoners, only hostages, because they have no legal basis and no legitimacy.

    That’s the framing this headline is going for.

    • yesman@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Just a reminder that Hamas is the recognized government in Gaza. Israel reminds us of this fact constantly in it’s attempts to justify their collective punishment. But I see now that Hamas have Schrodinger’s legitimacy.

      The framing their they’re going for is worthy victims vs. unworthy. It’s a pillar in the project of acceptable mass murder.

  • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
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    7 days ago

    A hostage implies the purpose of holding that person is as leverage to extract some concession from someone, whereas a prisoner does not necessarily imply that intent and could be held for any reason?

  • jol@discuss.tchncs.de
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    7 days ago

    Losely speaking, prisionaires are people who committed crimes, while hostages are innocent civilians. I’ve no idea if that accurately describes the situation here, I’m just answering your question.

    • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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      7 days ago

      It does not, none of the people Israel kidnapped were charged or convicted of any crime, and were kidnapped outside of Israel.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Hostages are taken from their homes or jobs with the express intent to threaten their lives, and exchange them for a political outcome.

    Prisoners are apprehended in association with criminal activity, with intent to persue charges and criminal trial. They are held at designated prisons, which are subject to local and international monitoring.

    We don’t even know how many of the hostages are alive or dead.

    This attempt at moral equivalence is repugnant.

    • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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      7 days ago

      Prisoners are apprehended in association with criminal activity, with intent to persue charges and criminal trial. They are held at designated prisons, which are subject to local and international monitoring.

      So not a word that describes the people Israel kidnapped.

      • EldritchFeminity
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        7 days ago

        Hostages are taken from their homes or jobs with the express intent to threaten their lives, and exchange them for a political outcome.

        While this describes them perfectly.