This was my response which I sent in, but was not published by the paper.
Re: McQuaig: Partner in Flotilla ‘Farce’
June 15, 2010
For those who enjoy fiction more than fact, your newspaper is a wonderful read. For one of your columnists to confuse right with wrong, fact with falsehood, with such unabashed enthusiasm makes me wonder in what world she lives.
The Palestinians of Gaza made a poor electoral choice some years ago when they overwhelmingly elected Hamas to rule. Following that election, Israel found itself under the attack of thousands of rockets coming from Gaza. Due to the situation, Israel placed a blockade on the Strip to try to stem the weapon flow into the area.
However, despite the blockade, Israel still continues to allow 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza each week. I am quite interested to understand how this compares to the Palestinians throwing the wheelchair-bound 69 year old Mr. Klinghoffer off the Achille Lauro without mercy in 1985.
The “peace activists” of the ships bound for Gaza included 40 Al-Qaeda members as well as Hamas members. I have no doubt why Al-Jazeera whom Ms. McQuaig was quick to quote neglected to mention these upstanding members of society. I do wonder, however, how carefully Ms. McQuaig researched her article.
Let us be clear. An accomplice to a murder may as well be a murderer. Those “peaceful activists” providing supplies to a terrorist organization may as well be card-carrying members themselves, and some of them were. Hamas is recognized by the world as a terrorist organization, and those truly concerned with peace would be best served staying far away from being their accomplices.
