By the way...

Not really coming off hiatus - just thought I should acknowledge the good news that Alan Johnston has been released. The support banner that I was displaying on this blog has therefore disappeared from the sidebar.

I don't know whether the many people who tried to raise awareness about Johnston had any effect on his release - nor do I know whether Hamas is going to gain politically from this move. Quite frankly, though, those things simply don't matter right now. Alan Johnston's free and back with his family, and that's worth celebrating.