DONALD Trump has been backed to end the American hostage crisis.
Earlier this week, outgoing President Joe Biden achieved a significant milestone by finalizing a ceasefire plan with Qatar and Egypt. This agreement aimed at securing the release of Americans who had been detained during the 15-month intense conflict between Israel and Hamas.
DRAMATIC RELEASE
Since 2021, Biden has orchestrated the return of over 75 American citizens and residents held abroad.
During the fall, a daring prisoner exchange took place resulting in the release of three individuals who were held captive in China. Similarly, a multinational negotiation with Russia conducted last summer led to the liberation of four more individuals.
In a noteworthy decision in 2022, Biden authorized the release of an Afghan drug lord from U.S. custody. This action was taken to facilitate the rescue of Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, who had been held captive in Afghanistan for a distressing period of 36 months.
Former Green Beret Michael L. Taylor, however, has told The U.S Sun that he expects incoming Potus Trump will be more assertive and act far with greater force in the event of more Americans being detained overseas.
Taylor, who has extensive Middle East experience in dealing with terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Taliban, says the Biden administration, despite welcoming some captives home, still hasn’t “done enough” because there is “no political gain in it for them.”
The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation says there are currently 36 “publicly disclosed hostage and wrongful detention cases” involving American citizens.
They detail detainees in Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, and the United Arab Emirates.
BRUTE FORCE
Experts, however, believe those numbers may be higher, with families keen to keep their private plights out of the headlines.
“Give me an unlimited budget and 90 days. My colleagues and I will get that American safely out,” the highly experienced former Green Beret told The U.S Sun.
Taylor thinks that under Trump’s leadership, the United States rescue effort will be more “patriotic” and won’t think twice the next time an American is captured against their will.
“They will be hungrier for it,” he added.
“They don’t appease the terrorists. They don’t appease nations like Iran. You can’t appease people like that. I’ve been dealing in the Middle East for 40 years. There’s only one thing they understand – brute force.”
In 2023, the Biden administration sealed a deal with Iran to bring home five American citizens held on dubious charges after years of captivity.
They were given a whopping $6 billion in frozen Iranian oil revenues in South Korea.
Who are the American hostages in Gaza?
Meet the eight Americans who are still being held hostage by Hamas, per the AJC .
- Edan Alexander, 19: The New Jersey native left his home after graduating high school to participate in Garin Tzabar, a program for young Jewish adults who want to explore serving as lone soldiers in Israel’s Defense Forces
- Itay Chen, 19: Chen was born in New York, but was raised in Israel and served in the IDF. His family learned he died on October 7, but his body is still being held captive by Hamas
- Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35: The grandson of Holocaust survivors, Dekel-Chen was working in his machine shop 200 yards from his home when Hamas terrorists entered Kibbutz Nir Oz
- Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23: Polin was last seen at a field shelter with others who tried to escape the Supernova desert festival
- Gadi Haggai, 73: Haggai was shot by terrorists on a motorcycle, but his body is still being held captive by Hamas
- Judith Weinstein Haggai, 70: On the morning of October 7, Judith called the ambulance to help her husband, who was shot by Hamas. The ambulance never arrived, and terrorists came back to kill her. Judith’s body is still being held captive by Hamas
- Omer Neutra, 22: The New York native took a gap year before attending Binghamton University to serve in the IDF’s tank brigade. Hamas militants ambushed his tank with rocket-propelled grenades on October 7.
- Keith Siegel, 64: The North Carolina man moved to Tel Aviv 40 years ago; on October 7, he and his wife were taken hostage and driven to Gaza with a neighbor and her two children. His wife was released on November 26, but Keith remains, his ribs broken from being captured.
The funds were reportedly set to flow through a unique Qatari channel for humanitarian purchases.
Taylor, however, totally disagreed with that tactic.
He is vehemently against “paying billions of dollars to get hostages released and removing sanctions.”
FIGHTING TALK
Instead, he advocates fighting fire with fire when negotiating with terrorists.
The Boston-based security specialist hit the headlines in 2019 when he helped smuggle former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn out of Japan.
The daring scheme landed Taylor in a squalid Japanese prison, with the scarcely believable tale being turned into a film that’s already in production.
He knows how to deal with authorities – and is predicting Trump will take a far different approach to Biden in the battle to free American hostages all over the world.
“Once you try to appease them, they don’t take that ‘okay, let’s sit down and be gentlemen. Let’s have some honor and talk about this and discuss things for the future,’ ” he snapped.
“Instead, they are thinking, ‘Let’s get out of here, let’s make this worse. Oh, thanks for the six billion. We’re going to pass them off to Hezbollah. We’re going to pass them off to Hamas. We’re going to pass them off to whoever else. Let’s create some more havoc around the world.’ ”
“Whoever is in charge needs to get in there and deal with the situation.”
