Former Israeli Soldiers Rescue U.S. Citizen Held Hostage By Palestinian Husband

Ten former Israeli Army soldiers successfully rescued an American citizen and her son who had been held hostage for three years by her husband in a Palestinian village, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The woman had met and married her Palestinian husband in the United States, it reports, and they then moved back to the Tulkarm area of the West Bank.

The woman's husband allegedly hit her, prevented her from leaving the house and threatened that if she left, she would never see their son again. He also threatened that if she left the home, she would be apprehended by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).

Read more about the rescue here.

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Comments

[Propaganda-Killer]

12:01 PM on 09/21/2009

Any update on this story?

I'm curious if any of the accusations against the husband have been corroborated.
If not. This seems to be quite a shocking story of kidnapping this man's baby

Its amazing to see the responses here. Its as if people are totally united in the belief that Palestinian's don't deserve due process of law.
Is this really how you guys think the world should work? A wife makes accusations against her husband of abuse and with no trial or inquiry, armed foreign vigilantes come and take the baby away? Scary

[straight record]

02:21 PM on 09/18/2009

Now a days white racists are no different than those Nazis in back days, There will be thousands of crimes in US against women but they will highlight just one in the middle east because these racists want to destroy middle east like Hitler.

Recently one woman was murdered in US, What happened to that ? Why don't you guys bomb America for that incident ?

[straight record]

02:17 PM on 09/18/2009

And who is going to save those millions of people who are enslaved and imprisoned by Israelis ?

[eileenflemingWAWA]

10:55 AM on 09/17/2009

There are battered woman and children everywhere who also need rescue!

I wonder though WHY this is big news, but NOT the 1:30 AM Sept. 16 raid by Israeli Forces who beat a Palestinian in Bil'in and traumatized many children:

SEE VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqy7uyVKYMA&feature=email

"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There is no innocence. Either way, you're accountable." -- Arundhati Roy

[yankees]

10:28 AM on 09/17/2009

Great job!!!!!

[jasjohn128]

10:13 AM on 09/17/2009

Good job, rescuers. Imagine being Israeli and wondering why an educated Western woman would consider marrying into the desert Arab subculture. What's in it for her?

From the Arab's point of view he gains a green card, an American passport and all the "cash and kind" welfare benefits he can extract from his wife's country, but where's the payoff for the Western half of the arrangement?

[alumcreek]

10:24 AM on 09/17/2009

It takes a certain kind of twisted, right wing mentality to assume that everyone in the world is coming to the USA to scarf up the overly generous welfare. Actually it takes gross ignorance, but that is one of the hallmarks of being American. The other is arrogance.

If Americans knew anything at all they would know that welfare as wel healthcare is far better in western Europe than the USA.

Can anyone out there explain why the USA keeps its citizens so ignorant? Why the citizens allow it? Whats is to be gained by being willfully ignorant?

[AtheistUS]

08:42 PM on 09/17/2009

You go too personal. Both against the commenter and against Americans.

There was nothing said about coming to USA, I think the discussed action happened not here. Secondly, there are many people who do come here to US exactly for the reasons you deny. Many come for same reasons to Western Europe too. For some it is easier to come here, for some to Western Europe.

Having said that, I think we cannot claim anything for sure about this couple. Western women could marry the guy simply because she loved him.

[Academic]

08:51 AM on 09/17/2009

A feel good segment of the news, what I would term "rebranding"?

Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore.

[dogman44]

03:00 AM on 09/17/2009

These guys did well. They are very honorable men. Turning
down the money and all.

[rissole]

11:22 PM on 09/16/2009

Good timing. George Mitchell must be in town.

[brendanm]

09:54 PM on 09/16/2009

Everyone should be happy for the liberation of a kidnapped woman, as we all should be supportive of liberty for kidnapped nations.

[blutigeroo]

08:38 PM on 09/16/2009

Nice to hear good news once in a while.

[BobQueuePublic]

06:09 PM on 09/16/2009

Good for the ex-soldiers. Too often we -- even we Liberals, or ESPECIALLY us liberals -- that while we hope the people called Palestinians deserve freedom, they live in an extremely repressive society. And yes, they seem to harbor all kinds of criminals (call them terrorists or whatever) rather than "rat" on them to the Israeli or even Palestinian authorities.

So let's be thankful for little reminders of decent Israelis out there, who I think represent the mainstream of that democratic society.

[AtheistUS]

03:06 AM on 09/17/2009

Good comment!

[freemind1234]

05:44 PM on 09/16/2009

Huffingtonpost,

Have you covered the report on Israeli war crimes that was issued by the UN?

Why are advertisting Israeli Foreign Ministry 's website at the top? Even worse they are claiming it as facts.

Why give Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman air?

[AtheistUS]

03:54 PM on 09/17/2009

freemind1234,

Perhaps it takes a free mind to allow possibility for such article to appear here.

Not everything is black or white and as simple as 1234.

[widdles]

05:09 PM on 09/16/2009

A big thank you to the men who were brave in their rescue efforts.

It is refreshing to find these kinds of articles on HuffPo once in a while.

[kinvore]

05:07 PM on 09/16/2009

It sounds nightmarish. Glad they were able to get her out of there.