Thank goodness. After 16 weeks, BBC journalist Alan Johnston has gone free. I can now remove that logo to the right.
Thanks to negotiations between Hamas and his kidnappers, Johnston wasn't killed in a cowboy raid. Good to Hamas for that wise tack. While there are many concerns about Hamas' takeover of Gaza, there is no denying the security situation seems to be improving now that Fatah and Hamas aren't shooting at each other. I hear the clans in Gaza, who had run the place for a while and one of which was responsible for Johnston's kidnapping, are running scared now that Hamas is in charge. That may be a good thing.
Hamas says it will protect foreigners and enforce the rule of law. This release should be taken as a sign that perhaps that's not an empty claim. Time will tell.
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