Alan Johnston, the BBC correspondant held by a radical Djihadist group, is freed today by the efforts of Hamas, two weeks only since Hamas took control of the Gaza strip.
Israeli collaborators from Fatah are bitter and angry. There may be some Logic beyond Politics, according to The Guardian account of Johnston's liberation. Israel and Fatah, encouraged by the international community, planted chaos and anarchy in Gaza in order to undermine the image of the Hamas government. But the anarchy went to such lenght that Hamas did not have a choice but to get rid of collaborationnist elements in the Gaza strip.
Now that they control Gaza, Hamas can prove what they are capable of. Johnston's liberation is a good sign.
For Moïn Rabbani, expert on Palestinian Politics for the International Crisis Group, Johnston's liberation is a ''major accomplishment for Hamas''. ''It is a success, even in the eyes of Palestinians themselves whose major everyday concern is security. Hamas has shown the public opinion it is more apt to bring security and order to the people.'' Mr. Rabbani doubts however that these news will affect in any way the stance of the international community towards Hamas. ''The international community and the Quartet have only one objective: Get rid of Hamas even though they are able to bring security to the Palestinian people.''
Fatah, already irrelevant to the Palestinian people, may become irrelevant also for Israel and the international community. This day will come...but this day, the international community, if it pursues its isolation of Hamas, will have also transformed Hamas into another irrelevant Palestinian organisation, and the Palestinian people will have nobody to speak for them...
Other links on the story
Extensive reporting and background on the clan who kidnapped Johnston from der Spiegel
Here is an account on his blog of the atmosphere prevailing before the release at Hamas quarters in Gaza from journalist Charles Levinson.
Comment: Khalid Mish'aal
Read how Dahlan, resigned only in July 2007 from the post of the responsible for security for Fatah in Gaza, talked to Israelis about slaughtering Arafat. The documents were found in Gaza by Hamas after Fatah lost the war against Hamas and had to flee.
Dahlan, a Fatah Washington and Israel's ally, seems to have prolonged Alan Johnston's captivity.
Read the story of Said El-Atabeh the most veteran of Palestinian prisoners in Israel's jails, imprisoned since 1977.
Since March 29th 2006
15 comments:
Sophia
thank you for the interesting Blog. As always, an excellent read.
But there is a conundrum in your writing: You want Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to progress. But this progress by definition means meaningful Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, especially in security. But you spurn this as "collaboration".
You prefer Hamas over Fatah, but Hamas refuses to cooperate with Israel.
Anonymous,
You are reciting a well learned lesson.
Last thing Israel wants is any power in Palestine with any backbone. Still, my morning paper was spinning the story as Hamas kidnaps him and then releases him for propaganda purposes. Now that's what I call a conspiracy theory. Mind you there's something slightly familiar about Ismail Haniya. That George Lucas is a genius I say.
Wolfie,
I love your link. My son next room is asking why I am laughing.
I am all for conspiracy theories, but why should we dismiss some and then adopt some ? What are the criteria ?
Sophia
Hamas releasing the BBC reporter is doing what is best for Hamas. Reporters were afraid to go to Gaza because they would be kidnapped. So now reporters know that if a gang kidnaps tthem in Gaza, Hamas will try to get them released in about 16 weeks.
Israel is so boring. No one kidnaps reporters there.
anonymous, Israelis don't need to kidnap reporters. They just shoot them dead--like James Miller.
Elizabeth
you are confusing the issue. In Gaza, Hamas and its allies intentionally identify reporters and others and kidnap them. That is why reporters are afraid to go to Gaza, because Hamas cannot guarantee their safety.
In contrast, James Miller was shot in the heat of a battle, as tragically happens to reporters around the world. In 2003, Israeli soldiers had just been shot at by an anti-tank missile, and they returned fire in that direction, accidentally killing a man who turned out to be a reporter.
Do you not see the difference? Hamas sees the difference, and that is why Hamas was shamed into releasing Johnson.
"accidentally killing a man who turned out to be a reporter"
James Miller was wearing highly visible identification that said "PRESS." If you believe he was killed accidentally, I have a bridge for sale I'd like to show you.
Elizabeth
Do you know the term "in the heat of battle"? When soldiers are shot at by anti-tank missiles, the soldies do not have the time to read the ID on individual people. This is the risk reporters take. Reporters have been killed in battles since before 1948, so you can't blame that on Israel.
Hamas' strategy is to shoot from a group of civilians to cause civilian deaths, which makes Israel look bad in the international arena. Israel does not deliberately target civilians. That is Hamas' strategy (see homicide bombings, etc.).
Also Elizabeth, you are strangely silent on Islamic strategy of kidnapping and killing reporters (Daniel Pearl R.I.P.). Are you able to denounce this strategy, or are you too afraid of Hamas, like most people?
Dear Elizabeth,
Usually I don't publish comments from propagandists zionists but I did to see to which extent they woul engage in a real argument. In fact, they don't. They never answer accusations against israel and its army within the formulated accusation. Each time they are cornered they bring something from the outside in order to shift the focus of the accusation.
Look at the following pattern:
Elizabeth: '' Israelis don't need to kidnap reporters. They just shoot them dead--like James Miller.''
To which the first anonymous answered that:"Hamas intentionally kill and Israel killed Miller in the heat of a battle''. While the ''intentionally kill'' was assigned to Hamas making it te sole organisation ''killing intentionally'', ''killing in the heat of the battle'' was widened as to include other situations and other countries and other people. So what israel is doing, according to them is 'normal'.
Then you Elizabeth continued with the same argument with more precisions, no outsode artefacts: "James Miller was wearing highly visible identification that said "PRESS." "
To which anonymous reiterates his initial normalisation of Israel's method of killing reporters by referring to a technical term "in the heat of the battle" like "collateral damage". These terms reframe the concept of killing in order to minimise it, while inflating the accusation against Hamas by extending it from reporters to civilians. An inflation that second anonymous extends to the deeds of Islamist organisations that have nothing to do with Hamas by referring to Daniel Pearl.
Elizabeth,
It is useless to discuss with them.
You may answer the two recent comments by Anonymous
But Anonymous, be aware that I am not going to publish further comments from you.
Sophia, your post was excellent, and I can't believe some of the nonsense that turned up in comments. Well, on second thought I can believe it because people who rely on obvious lies do tend to sound nonsensical.
Pardon me, but I am so interested in this subject and in supporting you that I'm going to include two links to posts I think you'll find interesting:
”Lies, Lies, Lies” and
a current itemon Israeli aggression against Hamas in Gaza.
Sophia, I enjoy picking apart people's logical errors, from time to time.
Anonymous: There was no frenzied battle going on in Gaza when James Miller was killed.
I never blamed all reporters' death anywhere and everywhere on Israel (!)
Afraid of Hamas! I've spent time in Gaza and Nablus, and I enjoyed it very much, thank you.
Hamas had nothing to do with Daniel Pearl's death.
Hi Sophia
I enjoy your blog. Maybe you can help me understand: If Hamas stands for security and law & order, why doesn't Hamas ARREST the people who kidnapped Alan Johnston?
Hi anonymous,
Enjoy, Enjoy.
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