Qatar played a central role in securing the surprise release Friday of an American mother and daughter held hostage by Hamas. Now that Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, are free, the hope is that the release of more captives by Hamas “could lead to wider dialogue or mediation,” aimed at averting a full-scale war, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told NBC News on Saturday.
There were “ups and downs” during the discussions, said the diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly. Ultimately the American mother and daughter walked free because negotiators were able to convince Hamas that the unconditional release of two hostages could serve as a confidence building measure.
[Insert lengthy, nigh incomprehensible diatribe on why, well acthually, Qatar isn’t practicing slavery in the very specific and coincidentally convenient meaning of the word I invented 5 minutes ago]
[Insert picture of pig shitting on itself]
[Insert insult and throwaway line about CIA propaganda]
There, I think that covers the bases for the thread, don’t you?