Two interesting pieces of news about Steven Sotloff the reporter who was murdered by ISIS and the world was alerted by video yesterday. Apparently the family is angry with the Administration for leaking the false rumor that Steven Sotloff was murdered the same day as Jim Foley an obvious attempt to to cover up the administrations own incompetence. The second piece of news was that Sotloff was a dual Israel/US citizen a fact that was covered up as to protect the abducted reporter.
The news of the families anger was released by none other than the NY Times who, not surprisingly placed the news at the end of its story about Sotloff's murder.
A person close to the Sotloff family expressed outrage at what he viewed as a pattern of deliberate leaks in Washington suggesting that Mr. Sotloff was killed the same day as Mr. Foley — a strategy he said the family sees as an attempt to absolve the administration of inaction.According to multiple reports and published in the NY Daily News:
“It was incredibly frustrating for us, because it was as if basically they were saying, ‘Don’t hope for any positive outcome,' ” said this person, who requested anonymity because he did not have the family’s permission to speak publicly.
The 31-year-old U.S.-Israeli dual citizen hid his Jewish faith — and his nationality — from his ISIS kidnappers for the year he spent in captivity. He prayed secretly, fasted on Jewish holidays by faking illness and never once mentioned that he moved to Israel in 2008.Sotloff carefully calculated his time in the militants' hands, a former captive who was kidnapped with the journalist told Israel's Yedioth Aharonoth.
Israeli media hid his ties to the country, too, out of fear the Islamic State could persecute him based on his religion.
On Tuesday, the terrorist group released footage of a masked militant beheading the Miami native. The freelance reporter, who wrote for Time and Foreign Policy magazines, was kidnapped last summer.
Sotloff also worked for a handful of Israeli media outlets, including Jerusalem Report and the Jerusalem Post.
"We refused to acknowledge any relationship with him in case it was dangerous for him," said Avi Hoffman, editor of the Jerusalem Report. All of Sotloff's presence online was stripped of any references to Judaism and Israel to protect him.
"He used to pray secretly in the direction of Jerusalem. He would see in which direction (his Muslim captors) were praying and then adjust the angle," the unidentified colleague told the Israeli newspaper.
The Jewish journalist also found a way to fast on Yom Kippur.
"He told them he was sick and didn't want to eat," his friend said.
HaMakom yenachem et'chem b'toch shar avay'lay Tzion vee'Yerushalayim.
May God comfort Steven Sotloff's friends and loved ones among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
0 comments:
Post a Comment