Wednesday
Jun022010
Gaza Flotilla Had Ties To Terrorist Organizations, Claims British Officer
By Sarah Mamula - Talk Radio News Service
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said the individuals aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla raided by the Israeli military earlier this week were "hard core activists intent on violence."
Speaking on a conference call hosted by the Israel Project Tuesday, Kemp argued that the IHH, the Turkish humanitarian group on board, is linked to Union of Hope, an Iranian and Hamas sponsored group that supports radicalism.
"The IHH is connected to Hamas and the Union of Hope," Kemp said. "Hamas itself is sponsored, funded, equipped, directed by Iran and has strong connections to Hezbollah which is also is organized, directed and funded by Iran. Accepting the fact that both Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations there appears to be no doubt that the people involved in this operation were connected to terrorists."
Kemp said that although the Israeli military could have explored other options, such as blocking the flotilla with Israeli war ships or disabling the humanitarian vessels, the effects of these alternatives could have resulted in more casualties.
In addition, Kemp emphasized that the nine deaths resulting from the raid were not due to a wrong approach by Israel.
"None of those deaths would have occurred had the people on that ship not attacked the Israeli soldiers," Kemp said. "The Israeli's intercepted a number of other ships with no similar violence."
Added the British officer, "It's wrong to put the blame of those deaths at the door of the Israelis. It is right to put the blame for those deaths at the door of the people who carried out the attacks on the Israeli soldiers."
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said the individuals aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla raided by the Israeli military earlier this week were "hard core activists intent on violence."
Speaking on a conference call hosted by the Israel Project Tuesday, Kemp argued that the IHH, the Turkish humanitarian group on board, is linked to Union of Hope, an Iranian and Hamas sponsored group that supports radicalism.
"The IHH is connected to Hamas and the Union of Hope," Kemp said. "Hamas itself is sponsored, funded, equipped, directed by Iran and has strong connections to Hezbollah which is also is organized, directed and funded by Iran. Accepting the fact that both Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations there appears to be no doubt that the people involved in this operation were connected to terrorists."
Kemp said that although the Israeli military could have explored other options, such as blocking the flotilla with Israeli war ships or disabling the humanitarian vessels, the effects of these alternatives could have resulted in more casualties.
In addition, Kemp emphasized that the nine deaths resulting from the raid were not due to a wrong approach by Israel.
"None of those deaths would have occurred had the people on that ship not attacked the Israeli soldiers," Kemp said. "The Israeli's intercepted a number of other ships with no similar violence."
Added the British officer, "It's wrong to put the blame of those deaths at the door of the Israelis. It is right to put the blame for those deaths at the door of the people who carried out the attacks on the Israeli soldiers."
tagged 
Gaza, Israel, Israel Project, Richard Kemp in Frontpage 3, News/Commentary
Gaza, Israel, Israel Project, Richard Kemp in Frontpage 3, News/Commentary
Reader Comments (5)
We need more men like this who know what they´re taliking about.May we hear more from them please.
Colonel Kemp is an island of sanity in speaking the truth as he did in the UN in response to the Goldstone Report. Bravo, Colonel; Bravo!
God bless Richard Kemp. God is judging us all right now. God will judge nations and individuals by the way which they treat Israel. Do not bear false witness against Israel. Christians stand with our Jewish brothers against hostile anti-semites. Some people feel since they vastly outnumber the Jewish people they can lie about Israel and gang up on the Jews. But we Christians must let them and God know we stand with the Jewish people against Satan. You can lie amongst each other all day long, but no one can lie to God, he is all knowing and all powerful.
Las Prensas Europeas solo escriben a favor de los Hamas, ellos estan Ciegos de la Verdad y porque Nadie hacen Procesos por PubliCar Mentiras? Esta forma de como el Publicacionescomo El Periódico Westfälische Nachrichten solo fomenta el Antisemitismo. Yo precuro Reenviar siempre ESTOS Mensajes para que se conozca La VERDAD-
Sorry but Mr Kemp's logic is completely warped. Hamas are the only democratically elected government in the Arab world and they are popular in Gaza. The fact that the IHH may have indirect links with Hamas doesn't make the 9 individuals who lost their lives terrorists. Guilt by association is an easy game to play, Bin Laden played it when he attacked the Twin Towers on 9/11. Israel's actions were illegal, the boats were in international waters, Israel had no right to intercept, no weapons have been found. Israel also remains in active breach of UN Resolution 1860 and the 4th Geneva Convention prohibiting collective punishment.