John Nagenda, Israel attacked militants and not aid emissaries
Jun 11, 2010
On June 5, John Nagenda launched a venomous attack on Israel.
On June 5, John Nagenda launched a venomous attack on Israel.
This was in reaction to a May 31 confrontation between a fleet of ships and the Israeli soldiers, where nine people were killed and several othinjured.
The ships were attempting to forcefully break a three-year blockade Israel has placed on Gaza after Hamas overthrew the ‘moderate’ Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas.
Nagenda says Israel “murdered emissaries of peace†and yet peace was the last thing these 700 activists had in mind.
If they indeed wanted to pass on aid to Gaza, Israel had offered a compromise, whereby the ships would dock in Ashdod Port from where the aid would be inspected before being transferred to Gaza.
Earlier Israel had met envoys from countries whose citizens had boarded the ships and asked them to discourage them from going to Gaza, to no avail.
Of the six ships in the convoy, only one of them – the Mavi Marmara – offered violent resistance while the rest complied and its aid was eventually transferred to Gaza by road.
It later emerged that it was carrying about 50 mercenaries who were each found with $10,000 in cash in envelopes (pointing to a likely payment).
These militants were clearly trained and ready for confrontation. As soon as the commandos landed on the upper deck, they attacked them with metal bars and knives. Moreover, they were wearing bullet-proof vests and gas masks.
Why would peace emissaries need all those, Nagenda?
A Lebanese cameraman for Al-Jazeera network, Andre Abu Khalil, who was aboard the ship told Reuters that four soldiers were injured and were taken to a deck below, in an apparent attempt to hold them hostage.
Nagenda calls Hamas a revolutionary organisation, when it is obvious Hamas is Iran’s proxy army and daily smuggles weapons with reckless abandon.
Kokas l’Odeke
Kampala
This was in reaction to a May 31 confrontation between a fleet of ships and the Israeli soldiers, where nine people were killed and several othinjured.
The ships were attempting to forcefully break a three-year blockade Israel has placed on Gaza after Hamas overthrew the ‘moderate’ Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas.
Nagenda says Israel “murdered emissaries of peace†and yet peace was the last thing these 700 activists had in mind.
If they indeed wanted to pass on aid to Gaza, Israel had offered a compromise, whereby the ships would dock in Ashdod Port from where the aid would be inspected before being transferred to Gaza.
Earlier Israel had met envoys from countries whose citizens had boarded the ships and asked them to discourage them from going to Gaza, to no avail.
Of the six ships in the convoy, only one of them – the Mavi Marmara – offered violent resistance while the rest complied and its aid was eventually transferred to Gaza by road.
It later emerged that it was carrying about 50 mercenaries who were each found with $10,000 in cash in envelopes (pointing to a likely payment).
These militants were clearly trained and ready for confrontation. As soon as the commandos landed on the upper deck, they attacked them with metal bars and knives. Moreover, they were wearing bullet-proof vests and gas masks.
Why would peace emissaries need all those, Nagenda?
A Lebanese cameraman for Al-Jazeera network, Andre Abu Khalil, who was aboard the ship told Reuters that four soldiers were injured and were taken to a deck below, in an apparent attempt to hold them hostage.
Nagenda calls Hamas a revolutionary organisation, when it is obvious Hamas is Iran’s proxy army and daily smuggles weapons with reckless abandon.
Kokas l’Odeke
Kampala