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June 30, 2011

Dutch Journalists Abandon Flotilla

NGO Monitor has translated a Dutch news story about a number of its journalists gathered on Corfu to participate in the flotilla who have decided the project is not for them. Under the headline "Pers vertrouwt Gazaboot niet" ("The Press Doesn't Trust Gaza Boat") the story recounts tensions between organizers and journalists seeking information about flotilla participants, funding and other issues. The account notes:

Eric Beauchemin (47), a journalist for the ‘Wereldomroep’ (Dutch World Broadcast station): “I’ve been doing this work for 25 years, but never have I seen a more closed organization. When we would ask critical questions they would accuse us of being unprofessional. Restrictions were imposed on us that hadn’t been agreed upon beforehand. We were prohibited from telling which island we were on, even though they had promised we could.

The same reporter said of the activist participants: "Their gullibility is shocking. They are blinded by idealism.�?

There was also reportedly dismay at the appearance of an operative with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, Amin Abou Rashed, though assurances had been given there would be no such Hamas connections.

Posted by AL at June 30, 2011 08:07 AM

Comments

Only the gullible are surprised.

Posted by: dannykid at July 1, 2011 03:53 AM

The flotillas against Israel are essentially a propaganda tool to discredit Israel. The right way to fight the Gaza-bound flotilla is to turn the tables on the jihadists and expose to the world what these people believe in and what they are fighting for. Make huge posters with quotations from the Hamas Charter and attach them to the ships for all the media to see. For instance: Article 7 : 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' Article 13: ‘There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by jihad.’ http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1609.htm.

Posted by: Mladen Andrijasevic, Israel at July 1, 2011 06:15 AM

the Gaza-bound flotilla should be treated as any would be terrorists. If gullible or idealistic people joined them they should pay the price of working with and supporting terrorists. Once we have done that they will stop all future flotillas.

Otherwise they will just keep coming and get bigger and better organized each time.

Posted by: Robin Rosenblatt at July 1, 2011 01:21 PM

It really says something when the traditionally israel-critical wereldomroep is skeptical of the flotilla. I have never seen them report even-handed on israel; they even have Bertus Hendriks, known pro-palestinian activist and former head of the 'palestina-commitee' on their staff as a 'middle east expert'.

Posted by: Ron at July 4, 2011 08:48 AM

Mladen Andrijasevic has suggested ataching to the ships large posters containing portions of the Hamas Charter, in order to expose the goals of the flotilla supporters.

I suggest this one (and I suggest other readers post their own favorites from http://middleeast.about.com/od/palestinepalestinians/a/me080106b.htm )

"Article Eight: The Slogan of the Hamas

Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Qur’an its Constitution, Jihad its path and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief."

Posted by: Think1! at July 4, 2011 10:09 PM

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