Political Quotes

“In the tumult of a Presidential election, a lot of important and newsworthy events don't get enough attention. One such event last week was the Czech Republic's release of Ali Fayyad, a dangerous Hezbollah terrorist who was indicted in 2014 by the United States for conspiracy to kill officers and employees of the United States. The United States had requested Mr. Fayyad's extradition to the United States, and the Czech courts had approved that extradition request. But the Czech Minister of Justice, who is aligned with Vladimir Putin, refused to honor that decision and released this terrorist. Fayyad has deep ties with the Russian black market for weapons and was an adviser to the former President of Ukraine and a close ally of Vladimir Putin. It appeared at one point that Mr. Fayyad was exchanged for several Czech nationals being held hostage in Lebanon, but journalists have since shown that the hostage situation was a sham staged by his family and defense team. This episode is significant for several reasons. First, Mr. Fayyad's presence and influence in Central Europe are yet more evidence--as if we needed more--that Iran, through its proxies like Hezbollah, has tentacles throughout world. More importantly, the event demonstrates Vladimir Putin's increasing influence with an important member of NATO. And it is not just the Czech Republic. This is a trend, and it is more concerning. Mr.…”