When Israeli commandos recently raided a terrorist-laden “relief” ship, they came into deadly contact with so-called “peace” activists who were aiding the terrorist cause of Gaza’s Hamas rulers. Among them were representatives of Viva Palestina, an organization founded by the anti-American former member of Britain’s parliament, George Galloway. Viva Palestina portrays itself as a humanitarian group dedicated to helping the people of Gaza. In reality, the group has longstanding ties to terrorism — one its members was once a senior leader in Hamas — and prolongs the Gazans’ suffering by supporting Hamas; by aiding its jihad to destroy Israel; and by working closely with the Turkish Islamist group that sponsored the recent Gaza flotilla.
In July 2009 in Brooklyn, Viva Palestina held an event where one of its members, Lamis Deek, gave voice to her organization’s pro-Hamas worldview:
“In choosing Hamas, what they [the Palestinians] chose was one united Palestinian state on all of the 1948 territories from the north to the very south…And in supporting Palestinian choice, we are saying we support their right to liberation from violent colonialism.”
Notably, Deek is also a member of Al-Awda, another group fighting for the end of the state of Israel.
The Free Gaza Movement and the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief (better known as IHH, the acronym for its Turkish name) worked with Viva Palestina to organize the flotilla whose participants clashed with Israeli soldiers on May 31.
One of Viva Palestina’s leading members, Kevin Ovenden, was aboard the ship where the deadly fighting occurred. He has since depicted the incident as an unjustified Israeli massacre of nine innocent activists. Writing on the SocialistWorker.com website, Ovenden claims that any physical attacks that were aimed at the Israeli soldiers were in reaction to the soldiers’ initial violence. “Some people responded quite instinctively and with good cause—and with all legal and moral authority on their side,” he says.
But there are amble to reasons to doubt that Viva Palestina was supporting a “good cause.” Steve Emerson, the executive director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, points out that the group is a declared supporter of Hamas. “While Viva Palestina claims that they aim to ‘distribute necessary medical aid to the Palestinian people,’ evidence indicates that they are fighting to support the Hamas government in Gaza financially, morally and politically,” Emerson told Front Page. Indeed, Viva Palestina’s Ovenden openly supports Hamas and has called the late Hamas co-founder Abdel Aziz Rantisi “one of the greatest heroes, greatest leaders that Palestine has ever known.”
Viva Palestina’s support for the terrorist group is not only rhetorical. Although George Galloway has denied that the group finances Hamas, Emerson pointed out that Galloway “defiantly handed a bag of cash to a Hamas minister” in March 2009. Emerson further described Viva Palestina’s efforts as “very effective” in raising money and recruits. Over $100,000 was raised at a single event in Kansas City.
What is clear beyond dispute is that Viva Palestina has been actively aiding Hamas in its goal of ending Israel’s naval blockade, which is designed to prevent arms and supplies from reaching Hamas and ultimately to drive it from power. Thus far, Viva Palestina has sent three convoys to Gaza, aside from the one organized by the Free Gaza Coalition. Galloway says plans are underway to send additional convoys, including one sponsored by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and possibly one sponsored by Iran.
Viva Palestina’s previous Gaza-bound convoy, which made its trek earlier this year, traveled by land rather than by sea. The Egyptian authorities, aware of the group’s history of supporting Hamas, stopped that convoy and demanded that the cargo it was transporting enter Gaza via the Al-Arish port instead of the Al-Nuwaiba port. The Egyptians explained that all humanitarian aid to Gaza was required, for security reasons, to go through Al-Arish, and that Viva Palestina had been notified of this but “did not even bother to reply” and ignored the rule. In a skirmish that erupted during the dispute over where the convoy was obliged to gain entry to Gaza, more than 50 people were injured and one Egyptian soldier was killed. The Egyptians subsequently reported that Viva Palestina had “provoked” its security forces. Kevin Ovenden, for his part, said that the bloodshed “signaled the end of the siege.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sided with the Egyptians and described Viva Palestina as a Hamas “propaganda tool.”
Viva Palestina has numerous connections to terrorists and extremists. In March of this year, George Galloway announced that he was organizing an event, to be held in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, called the “University of Palestine,” which would bring together 500 students to “plan the next 12 months of solidarity with the Palestinian people.” According to Galloway, the scheduled guest speakers at this confab will include Noam Chomsky; the wife of the political and terrorist figure Marwan Barghouti; the Holocaust denier Norman Finkelstein; and Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Mousawi.
Viva Palestina is also closely tied to the Turkish IHH organization, accused by Israel of being “part of Hamas’s fundraising network” and of having ties to Al-Qaeda. Jean Louis-Bruguiere, once France’s top counter-terrorism magistrate, testified that the IHH was involved in the Al-Qaeda plot to attack the LAX airport in December 1999. The IHH also financed jihadists in Chechnya, Bosnia and Afghanistan in the 1990s. Moreover, the group is a member of a coalition known as the Union of Good (UOG), which the U.S. Treasury Department says was “created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization.” UOG is led by Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi, a supporter of Hamas and a top Muslim Brotherhood theologian.
One member of Viva Palestina, Muhammad Sawalha, attended a conference in December 2009 with such luminaries as Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Sheikh al-Qaradawi. Sawalha was once a senior leader in Hamas, and later became the head of the British Muslim Initiative which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. As pointed out by Steve Emerson, Sawalha is listed on the IHH website as the person in charge of its operations in Europe.
This means that Viva Palestina and IHH actually share personnel, including one individual with a past in Hamas and current ties to Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood. If this publicly available evidence is so plentiful, one can only imagine what incriminating evidence may exist in classified documents. The IHH is clearly a front for Hamas, has numerous ties to terrorism, and works closely with Viva Palestina. Congress should immediately investigate IHH and Viva Palestina for their activities as part of the pro-Hamas infrastructure in the West. The media, meanwhile, would do well to discount these groups’ claims to victim status and describe them as the terrorist supporters they are.
Correction: Norman Finkelstein does not deny that the Holocaust occurred. Instead, he maintains that Jews have used the Holocaust to justify terrible things, namely, the existence of Israel.
Finkelstein is also said to be a fan of David Irving, the thoroughly discredited pseudo-historian who most notably tried to sue a historian when she labelled him a holocaust denier, and subsequently got laughed out of court.
The Palestinians are a subculture of migrant workers used as proxy terrorrists by the Arab Muslim states and they strap munitions on their own women and children and send them out on homicide-suicide missions to murder other innocent women and children in restuarants, supermarkets, on school buses, etc.,.They have have forfeited their right to even exist. Kill 'em all, wrap 'em all in their prayer rugs, put 'em all in piles and burn 'em, and let Allah sort 'em out.
I thank you for your service sir but this kind of thinking is as evil as the Islamists! The Bible teaches us to speak the Truth in love. If you descend to their level than you are no better!
Be Aware. Sure love your fellow humans, however what to do when they blow your beloved family into dust. Turn the other cheek? Or do you survive?
Well, its Christianity that has gotten the muslims this far. Their ove everyone and treat everybody as you would like to believe.
What do you do with a mass of ignorant non- doers of life. The only thing on their mind is murdering iihfidels and Mohammud. Not doing anything good for civilization
Well it is the Christian left that has gotten the Muslims this far. Their love one another and treat others as you want to be treated. I am a christian and believe that you cannot love everybody. And to love Muslims is to wish for slavery
Stopping evil isn’t evil. It's not the Israelis, but the terrorists the 'palis' elected to lead them that insist they or Israel must leave or die, and they brag about how much they love death. That’s evil. By their own judgment, they live to die kill, they AREN”T fit to live, and by repeated demonstration they aren’t fit to govern. The only thing that will change such mentalities is to make the cost prohibitive, and with them that cost will be high.
I’ll know they’ve had enough when they themselves stop anybody they think will attack Israelis from whatever territory they themselves are in. The quicker it’s done, the less death, destruction, and suffering overall.
Giving them a real war isn't sinking to their level any more than our bombing Japanese and German cities in WWII. It's how others are warned against using terror as a tactic and punished if they do. It's doing what you must to stop someone from trying to kill you.
http://www.zionism-israel.com/log/archives/000007…
Shalom! This is a desperate bitter truth that sooner or later we were going to have to face. Now is as good a time as any. THOSE WHO HONESTLY WISH ISRAEL WELL, WILL PASS ON THIS ARTICLE TO THE ENTIRE ARMY OF YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, AND EVEN UNKNOWNS! WILL YOU PLEASE??? THE TRUTH HAS GOT TO COME OUT IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. I thank you so much for passing this one nonstop!!! lovezion
"Viva Palestina portrays itself as a humanitarian group dedicated to helping the people of Gaza. In reality, the group has longstanding ties to terrorism"
So,and Israel and the Zionists didn't have ties with Irgun,Stern Gang and Begin.What's good for the goose,hey.Muchiboy
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,…
Actually, Israel outlawed the Irgun and Stern gang. Learn your history…. Interestingly, the Palestinians turn their terrorists into national heroes or elect them into office (ala Fatah and Hamas).
someone needs to stick up for and help the palestines
Someone needs to spam somewhere else.
The nearly half a billion from the U.S. is not enough?
Dear Ms. Abraham:
Grow Up! Hamas and every other Islamist orgnization and their followers wants to kill every living Jew, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or Left wing athiest on the planet who does not convert. Of course, as Mohamed had tens of thousands of slaves, many of whom were child sex slaves, so you, as a woman, may have a future as a slave akin to cattle for reproductive purposes once you have served your purpose as a "useful idiot". But, then, you are already a virtual slave riding your bicycle awash in ideological hubris and propaganda that appeasement at any cost of a genocidal ideology masquerading as a "religion of peace".
Clearly you have absolutely no understanding of the darn little things we call FACTS! This kind of delusional thinking keeps these so called "Palestinians", a people whom have never existed til Mr Arafat gained some notoriety, in the shackles of Islam! Yeah, they have submitted but who is their master??
I hope you are being sarcastic!
"I should write more but I'm busy preparing to hop on my little bicycle in order to pedal for "peace" in "Palestine"."
Laura,if you will be so kind as to send me a detailed itinerary of your "peddle for peace in Palestine" I will try to arrange an appropriate reception along the route with suitable refreshments e.g.hard candies and welcoming committee.Next year in East Jerusalem! Bring the Jews home! Muchiboy
Oh dear, Laura, you seem to have encountered a bunch of rather literally-minded zombies who cannot recognize sarcasm when they see it. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Citizen With a Clue: Sadly, you are clueless. Until you join forces with "Peace Cycle" (www.thepeacecycle.com) and see for yourself the devastation of 300 pound "Palestinian" mamas in abayas and cell phones as I have can you even comment. Israel is a petty, artificial little country that quite rightly has the World (or at least the Muhammadean World against…quite strange the Israel is very popular with the Hindus of India and the black Christians of Africa…I can't imagine why…). I get such pleasure going into the West Bank(Judea/Samaria) and participating in Nuremburg like rallies for the "Palestinians". With lips pursed as if I just finished sucking a bushel of lemons I love denouce the Zionist Entity in front of crowds of roaring "Palestininans"! Gotta to go…I have a meeting with my plastic surgeon about emergency liposuction…
Laura, just go back to your room, stop playing with the computer and
take your meds, being X'd in the head isn't the worst thing that can
happen, you may get better, or not……………..William
Dear Emman, I trying to come up with some ideas for both "Pole Dancing for 'Palestine'" and "Stripping in the Gaza Strip". I haven't really been able to think of anything but I am curious to know what music you dance to. I think "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue would be an excellent choice to illustrate the struggles of the "Palestinian" people.. .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHP6U5vQ3mU Any thoughts?