Lugar, Biden Unsatisfied with Palestinian Efforts to Free Fox News Journalists

In an email alert from The Hill, we learn that Sen. Richard Luger (R-IN), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), the panel’s ranking Democrat, are trying to pressure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to do more to win the freedom of Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig.

Abbas and Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh intervened in the hostage situation, according to an AP report, but Luger and Biden are unsatisfied with those efforts.

"We urge you to redouble your efforts to peacefully resolve this situation, securing the release of the two hostages unharmed, and bringing to justice those responsible for this unprovoked act," Luger and Biden wrote in a letter made public Thursday.

Luger and Biden could have considerable leverage in the standoff as Congress oversees tens of millions of dollars in annual foreign aid to the Palestinians. Congress appropriated $281 million in aid to Palestinians between fiscal years 2002-2004, according to a Senate summary document. Congress is estimated to give $424 million for fiscal years 2005 and 2006.

It can be reasonably assumed that Abbas and Haniyeh were aware of the letter and its implications before the announcement today that there were "promising signs" for their release and that the issue is at the top of Haniyeh's agenda. As much as we want to see Centanni and Wiig return to their families, we can't help but think of Gilad Shalit, still held captive by Palestinian terrorists somewhere in Gaza. We doubt that securing his release is at the top of Haniyeh's agenda, let alone on the list of things to do.