Kuwaiti Journalist: The Flotilla Was Violent; Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself


In a June 3, 2010 article in the daily Al-Watan, Kuwaiti journalist ‘Abdallah Al-Hadlaq supported Israel’s decision to stop the Gaza flotilla, saying that the outcome of the Israeli navy’s operation was “in direct proportion to the violence” of the flotilla activists, and that the flotilla organizers are known to have ties with global and regional terror organizations.

The following are excerpts:[1]

“The Weapons had Clearly been Prepared in Advance… and the Soldiers had No Nhoice but to Respond”

“The Israeli navy gave repeated warnings to the ships [of the flotilla], which tried to break the blockade on the terroristic Hamas movement in Gaza, and also invited them to enter the Ashdod port and unload their cargo of ‘aid’ supplies, so it could be thoroughly examined by the security [forces] before being delivered by land to the Gaza Strip. When the flotilla failed to heed these warnings and requests, the Israeli navy had no choice but to take over the ships. [In doing so], the IDF troops encountered violent [opposition] that had been planned in advance: the flotilla participants assaulted them with firearms, metal pipes, knives and clubs, and grabbed the rifle of one of the soldiers. The weapons had clearly been prepared in advance… and the soldiers had no choice but to respond, including with live fire.

“The Israeli navy operation was conducted according to orders and instructions of the highest political echelons, [and aimed at] stopping the ships and keeping them from breaching the naval blockade and reaching Gaza. The warning message sent by the Israeli navy [to the Mavi Marmara] was as follows: ‘To the captain of the [Mavi] Marmara: You are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under a naval blockade. The Gaza coastal area and Gaza Harbor are closed to maritime traffic. We invite you to enter the Ashdod port, from whence the aid supplies will be delivered through the formal land crossing [to Gaza], after which you can return to your home ports.”[2] It should be noted that, according to the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israel retains control of a 40-kilometer strip of water off the Gaza coast.”

“The [Flotilla] Organizers are Supporters of Movements and Organizations such as [Global] Jihad, Hamas, Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda”

“The flotilla, which was supported by the terroristic Hamas movement and tried to breach the blockade on this movement in Gaza, was a preplanned provocation against Israel. The grave outcome [of the takeover] was in direct proportion to the violence [employed by the flotilla activists] as they tried [to breach the blockade]. The [flotilla] organizers are supporters of movements and organizations such as [global] Jihad, Hamas, Hizbullah and Al-Qaeda, and have a black record in terms of smuggling arms and [perpetrating] terror operations. And indeed, the Israeli forces discovered on the ships weapons and ammunition that had been prepared in advance.

“The naval blockade on the Hamas movement in Gaza is legal in light of this movement’s actions in the Strip. Had Israel allowed the flotilla – which was not legal – to reach the Hamas movement, it would have opened a route for smuggling weapons and terrorists into the Gaza Strip. No sovereign country would allow its citizens or its sovereignty to be harmed. Moreover, the attempt to force a path to Gaza by sea does not [really] benefit the people of Gaza, since the land crossings are sufficient for [the purpose of] supplying their needs. International aid organizations provide Gaza with all the necessary food, clothing and medical [supplies]. Over 15,000 tons of basic aid supplies enter the Strip every week. Construction materials enter it under the supervision of international organizations, in order to prevent the terroristic Hamas movement from commandeering them and using them for building military fortifications. The land crossings are the most efficient way to deliver supplies to Gaza, and the flotilla organizers know this perfectly well. They also know that since December 2008, their ships are not allowed to approach [the Gaza coast].

“The protests and demonstrations that broke out in various capitals are without meaning or value, as are the emergency summits [convened by] the Arab League, the E.U. and the U.N. The wave of protests will not change a thing, but a full and immediate investigation of the events will reveal all the details of what really happened… and [then] everyone will know the truth about the Hamas movement…”

Endnotes:

[1] Al-Watan (Kuwait), June 3, 2010. It should be noted that, at a June 4, 2010 rally, Hizbullah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah said that some papers in the Gulf had published papers supporting the IDF raid on the flotilla, but their authors were a minority that would be taken care of by people of honor. Al-Safir (Lebanon), June 5, 2010.

[2] The full message of the Israeli navy was as follows: “You are approaching an area of hostilities, which is under a naval blockade. Gaza coastal area and Gaza Harbor are closed to maritime traffic. The Israeli government supports delivery of humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Gaza Strip and invites you to enter Ashdod port. Delivery of supplies will be in accordance with the authorities’ regulations and through the formal land crossing to Gaza and under your observation, after which you can return to your home ports.” The reply was: “Negative, negative. Our destination is Gaza.”

8 Replies to “Kuwaiti Journalist: The Flotilla Was Violent; Israel Has a Right to Defend Itself”

  1. Will wonders never cease?

    How long will this journalist live after posting the truth, I ask?

    Should the rest of the MSM understand the truth, then maybe articles like this would not garner much attention, since it would reflect what the public knows.

    Until then, this is a welcome break from the anti-Israeli garbage that passes for journalism today.

  2. How long will this journalist live after posting the truth, I ask?

    I once read a piece called “Blaming Others”, by an individual from Porkistan named Farooq Suhleria. Most of it addressed mahoundianism’s self-inflicted horrors and called them so. One of the comments at Jihadwatch was something along the lines of It was nice knowing you, Farooq Suhleria. You sure will be missed.

  3. Even the Saudis and the Kuwaiti governments fear the radical Islamists because they might be next on the hit list. It’s just a damned shame they never loose their loved ones , Uncle Sap is sending his youth to protect them. All the while the Saudi funded Wahabbi Mosques grow all over the US and Western Europe. How foolish and wasteful that is. It’s as if we are prepaying our own funerals.

  4. His name is Abdullah Saad Al-Hadlaq, actually. He heads a Zionist organisation over in Kuwait. Not sure why people are acting like Kuwait is some sort of evil place–it’s richer and in many ways more free than the good ol’ US of A itself. Nothing like Iraq/Afghanistan/whatever. At any rate, Al-Hadlaq is regarded as a crackpot across the board (not for this particular article–for his other views) so I would caution against giving him much of your attention.

  5. Israel has the right and obligation to defend its citizens

    The brutal slaughter of a family of 5 in Itamar just shows that we are dealing with a barbaric mentality.

    It is a known fact that any country if attacked, its citizens kidnapped, rocket bombardment on a daily basis.
    Has the right and obligation to defend its citizens.

    It is sad that innocent civilians are hurt, but that is the cost of war and conflict.

    Any government and its citizen who do not resist terrorism and let terrorist organization entrench themselves in their country and utilize those countries as bases of armed terrorism against a neighboring country. Eventually pays the price for permitting such actions.

    If you gave the Arab population a vote in Israel and the west bank and Jerusalem the option to vote freely and without intimidation, you would find out, that they would rather be living under Israel’s government. They derive more stability more benefits, pensions, welfare, etc.

    If the United States or any other government were to be attacked from across the border on a daily basis, have its citizens kidnapped, rockets launched at them on a daily basis, the citizens would demand that immediate military action be initiated with no holds barred, collateral damage or not. That is the fact of life.

    Terrorist and those who support them do not know what peace is, they thrive on violence. That is the only way they control the masses. Any negotiations or compromise only strengthen those terrorist organizations. When a poison strikes the human body, the only way to address it, is to remove it and destroy it completely.

    That is the way the terrorist organizations should be treated.

    “Like all sovereign nations, Israel has not only a right, but moreover, an obligation, to ensure the safety and security of her citizens”.

    As quoted in a statement “the only time of a chance for peace is, when the Arab mother would love her children more than she hates the Israelis.

    The big mistake is that people are missing the economic benefits for Israel and its neighbors. That is if there was a true peace, you take the Israeli Technology and know how, add to it the Arab labor and natural resources – and you have an economic prosperity beyond your widest dreams.

    YJ Draiman

  6. To all those liberal-leftists who despise israel!
    My only wish is that they should suffer the same fate as some of those Israeli families have suffered by those barbariian Islamic fundamentalists.How would they like to have had their married sons and daughters families all be subjected to their throats being slit while they are in their beds.
    This is what happened to a family in Itamar. The Arab Muslims are taught from the cradle to the grave to despise,hate and kill all Jews, whether Israeli nationals or not. These liberal leftists are nothing but the re-incarnation of Nazis. They disguise their Jew-hatred by being ant-Zionist. They forget that many countries have their national liberation movements, it’s only the Jews which somehow they somehow are totally against having their own national freedom movement.

  7. To hell with you all. You are the damned people by the Lord of Heavens and Earth… Enjoy your miserable life as long as you can. Your days are numbered, and your end and punishment for all your evil actions will be celebrated then.