US peace envoy slams ‘reverse flotilla’ trying to break Gaza blockade
‘Hamas must stop with deadly theatrics needlessly putting lives at risk,’ Jason Greenblatt says, hours before Al-Hurriyah fishing boat set to attempt to leave the Strip
Raphael Ahren is a former diplomatic correspondent at The Times of Israel.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Jason Greenblatt, on Tuesday slammed the “reverse flotilla,” an effort by Palestinian activists to break Israel’s naval blockade of the coastal enclave, set to get underway later in the day.
In a series of early morning tweets, Greenblatt condemned Hamas, which has ruled the Strip since 2007, for what he termed “deadly theatrics” that needlessly imperil the lives of innocent civilians.
“Shame on all involved in inciting the so called ‘reverse flotilla’ today. Hamas treats this like a play being acted out for a live media audience. But these are real lives Hamas is cynically risking in a grim bid to hold on to power,” Greenblatt wrote.
“There is no shortcut for a better future for all people in the region. Hamas must stop with deadly theatrics needlessly putting lives at risk and begin the process of building better lives for the Palestinians of Gaza and their neighbors,” he went on.
According to organizers, a fishing boat called Al-Hurriyah (Liberty) will attempt on Tuesday to sail from Gaza to an undisclosed destination. The vessel is said to carry 35 Palestinians who are either are injured and seeking treatment or want to study abroad.
“Protest organizers have warned potential passengers it is likely the Al-Hurriyah will be attacked by the Israeli navy and they could be arrested as well. Still, [wheelchair bound Abdul Menim] Aabed and others are lining up to register for this first attempted voyage or for others that will follow,” according to a website close to the organizers.
“While we do not support any particular party or faction in Palestine, Freedom Flotilla Coalition salutes this humanitarian mission and calls on the governments and the peoples of the world to act to ensure safe passage of these boats and the civilians on board,” the group said Tuesday.
But Greenblatt, who in the past has attacked Hamas, indicated that he holds the terror group running the Strip responsible for any violence possibly resulting from the “reverse flotilla.”
https://twitter.com/jdgreenblatt45/status/1001250780752556032
“Each life Hamas jeopardizes represents a family and a community. The loss of one life would be awful enough, but through their cynical ‘leadership’ Hamas is risking many lives and is extinguishing an entire generation’s future,” he tweeted.
“Hamas was elected by the Palestinians in 2006 and since then Gaza has spiraled into one of the worst places on earth yet Hamas leadership has blamed everyone else for their problems. Gaza will only turn around when there is real leadership,” the US envoy went on.
“Hamas has misappropriated billions of dollars of aid and bought missiles instead of food and built terror tunnels instead of schools and hospitals. This Flotilla is one more step backwards for Hamas, and their leadership is dragging the Palestinians of Gaza with them.”
Israel maintains a security blockade on Gaza to prevent Hamas, the Islamist terror group which rules the Strip and seeks to destroy Israel, from importing weaponry.
