[Jerusalem Post] Dan Kosky - The "Free Gaza" voyage was an expensive publicity stunt. The activists estimated that the voyage cost in excess of $300,000, yet the only genuine humanitarian cargo consisted of several hundred hearing aids. One wonders how much genuine aid could have been purchased at this cost. The Free Gaza organization is one of the clearest examples of a radical agenda masquerading as human rights. Free Gaza is a coalition of several groups, including the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Israel Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). In 2003, terrorists from the UK used ISM as a cover to attack the Mike's Place bar in Tel Aviv, murdering three people. The EU, under its Partnership for Peace program, awarded ICAHD a two-year grant of 473,000 euros in 2005, comprising the majority of ICAHD's 2006 annual budget. Recently the Spanish government deemed ICAHD a worthy recipient of its funds. Thus, European governments have placed themselves in the midst of a stunt orchestrated by extreme groups and endorsed by Hamas. The writer is communications director of NGO Monitor.
2008-08-28 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive