President Barack Obama says telling families of American hostages like Kayla Mueller that the U.S. will not pay ransom for their release is “as tough as anything I do.”
Still, Obama defended the U.S. government’s no ransom policy hours after Mueller’s family said it had received confirmation of her death from her Islamic State captors. The president says that by paying ransom, the U.S. would be strengthening terror groups and putting Americans at greater risk for future kidnappings.
The president says a rescue mission to recover Mueller and other hostages last summer probably missed them by “a day or two.”
Obama called Mueller an outstanding young woman with a great spirit that “will live on.” He spoke in an interview Tuesday with BuzzFeed News.
(AP)
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6 Responses
A mishna mefureshes — אין פודין את השבויים יתר על כדי דמיהן.
Obama Defends Policy of Not Paying Ransom for Hostages Because he is a Talmid of the Maharam meRothenburg, and hence is following the Pesak of the Maharam meRothenburg, who himself was incarcerated from 1286 thru Iyyar 19, 1293.
“as tough as anything I do.”
Yes. Like your sanctions on Iran
Perhaps there is one thing Netanyahu can learn from him.
Ransom, be it money or (worse) returning terrorists, is a totally unacceptable and lose/lose idea.
The halacha is not to pay an exorbitant sum to redeem hostages. America’s policy is not to pay any sum. So America will allow hostages to be killed rather than engage in pidyon shvuyim, as they should.
To 5. ujm. I don’t believe that ISIS was asking for $100, or $1000. They were asking for what you might call “an exorbitant sum”, in the hundreds of millions of dollars. There is no doubt that if they asked for $1000 that the families, etc, would pay it, of course. But they are asking for crazy, kidnapping-incentivizing amounts.
But in short, yes, American will allow hostages to be killed [to prevent further kidnapping] rather than engage in pidyon shvuyim. This indeed is the same course recommended by halacha in similar terrible situations — allow the captive to be killed rather than encouraging many similar kidnappings.