MK: To Close Budget Gap, Follow Iran Lead, Take US Hostages For Ransom

The Obama and Biden administrations have contorted themselves to provide as much relief and generosity as possible even as the Islamic Republic keeps US and other foreign citizens hostage as negotiating or financial leverage.

Jerusalem, June 21 – An Israeli lawmaker concerned over the deficit implications for the incoming government’s projected allocations proposed a policy today under which the country imprison American citizens and demand exorbitant payment from Washington to release the prisoners, since that policy and similar extortion methods have produced dividends for the mullahs of Tehran in dealings with the last two Democratic presidential administrations.

MK Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionist Party suggested Monday that the government exploit the presence of a Democratic Party American presidency as Iran has, taking into consideration how far the Obama and Biden administrations have contorted themselves to provide as much relief and generosity as possible even as the Islamic Republic keeps US and other foreign citizens hostage as negotiating or financial leverage. Rothman made the remarks in a conversation with several journalists at the Knesset.

“The US under Biden, and under Obama before him, took quite the solicitous attitude toward Iran,” explained the freshman legislator. “Just last week the US Treasury announced the removal of various Iranian officials from sanctions lists, and that’s even before Iran made any official demands for concessions in the ongoing nuclear talks. And who can forget Obama’s shipping pallets of cash to the Ayatollah during the first JCPOA talks? That was going on while Iran held American nationals hostage, which is a thing Iran does with some regularity, holding people for ransom. We need to get some of that action.”

“The coalition agreement call for a massive outlay,” continued Rothman. “With the country only barely recovered from the economic ravages of the COVID pandemic, and tax revenues flat as a result, we’re going to feel a serious budget crunch unless we can find significant alternative sources of income. Fortunately, the US under this administration and the one before last set a reliable precedent of rewarding countries that hold Americans hostage. It would be foolish to dismiss this opportunity to inject large amounts of cash into state coffers, for comparatively little effort.”

Other MKs offered cautious support for the idea. “I’m all for kidnapping people and making demands,” allowed Ra’am Party Chairman Mansour Abbas. “That’s a familiar modus operandi for my allies on both sides of the Green Line. Even now, Hamas is holding two Israelis and the bodies of two others, so far with no tangible results, but sometimes these things take a while. In any case, the US has proved much more willing to cave to such demands than Israel has. While Israel’s stubbornness in that respect might be lamentable from my perspective, I can certainly see the advantages of easy money from Biden via the same tactic.”

“Just think of how much we can provide for polygamous Bedouin families!” he gushed. “The possibilities are exciting.”

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