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Ear to the Ground

BBC Reporter Freed

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Posted on Jul 3, 2007
BBC Reporter
news.bbc.co.uk

Alan Johnston, a correspondent in Gaza for the BBC, has been released to Hamas by his captors after they held him for roughly four months. Hamas said Johnston’s release was a sign that it was restoring order to Gaza, which it recently seized from rival faction Fatah. Johnston says he stayed on top of the news of his captivity by listening to the BBC World Service on the radio.


BBC:

He said it was “fantastic” to be free after an “appalling experience”. TV footage showed Mr Johnston, 45, leaving a building accompanied by armed men.

He was received by Ismail Haniya, a Hamas leader in Gaza. The group had vowed to spare no effort to free him.

Rallies worldwide had called for Mr Johnston’s release. An online petition was signed by some 200,000 people.

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By freespeechlover, July 4, 2007 at 1:48 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

I’m glad that Dahlan is out of Gaza.  The level of discourse here—if you acknowledge that Dahlan is a thug, someone else has to say “Hamas are thugs,” is like children in a sand box.  “I know you are but what am I.”  Hamas has restored order to Gaza.  At what price down the line for society in Gaza we don’t yet know.  As for the ridiculous people around Abbas like Abed Rabbo who are trying to implicate Hamas in the kidnapping to win political points, Fatah really has blown it, since the Hamas takeover of Gaza would not have occured if they had shared power in the first place.  Yes, yes, I know Abbas was under all kinds of pressure from the U.S. but that didn’t mean he had to go along with the U.S. agenda with such precision.  THAT was not necessary.  But then who does Fatah really represent anymore?  There are a gazillion Fatahs, and that’s not Hamas’ problem, that’s Fatah’s problem.

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By lilmamzer, July 4, 2007 at 1:21 pm #

#83896 by nefertiti:

Excellent News . Im very happy for Mr Johnston and his family . im glad Gaza has lost many of Dahlan thugs by now

And Hamas aren’t thugs?

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By nefertiti, July 4, 2007 at 12:36 pm #

Excellent News . Im very happy for Mr Johnston and his family . im glad Gaza has lost many of Dahlan thugs by now . those who kidnapped him will be arrested , said the PM .

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By No Longer At Ease >> Finally, Alan Johnston relea, July 4, 2007 at 10:01 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

[...] I was ecstatic this morning when I heard the news that Alan Johnston was finally released. For four long months, he was held by a group calling themselves “The Army of Islam” [...]

- Abdurahman

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