Kia Ora Gaza is a New Zealand group taking part in the latest Viva Palestina convoy for Hamas.
This photo adorns one of the latest posts on its blog. It is from the Syrian welcoming ceremony for Viva Palestina. By now readers will recognise the swastika flag of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. The other flags are the banners of the terrorist groups Hamas (green), Palestinian Islamic Jihad (yellow, red and white) and the PFLP (red).
It seems Kia Ora Gaza is actually proud of its associations with racists and terrorists.
So it is no surprise to read this in the post:
Following the media conference, convoy delegates share lunch with Khaled Mashal, the Damascus-based chair of Hamas, Gaza’s governing party.
After welcoming the convoy, Mashal says: “Don’t feel disappointed that the siege still exists. Politically it is already finished due to your efforts. The siege will continue to be broken.”
He hopes the convoy will make it to Gaza and “stand alongside our people and give them hope”.
Back in the Hamas camp in Latakia, Syria, the Viva Palestina groupies are waiting to sail to Egypt. Hamas is doing its best to make them feel welcome. Here is a lovely sign – “Viva Palestina – Hamas applaud your effort to Palestine and the besieged Gaza”.
Some of them do appear to be enjoying themselves. Here they wave Hamas banners on a “cultural night”.
What I would like to know is when Hamas will invite Dame Suzi Leather and other Charity Commission worthies for lunch in return for services rendered. You can read the Commission’s latest report on its compliance work here (pdf). It has the gall to boast about its abysmal record in counter-terrorism. On Viva Palestina, it has this to say:
We also became aware of media coverage which gave rise to concern that the charity may have acted in breach of the financial sanctions required by the UK government and the European Union. From the material the Inquiry examined we found no evidence that the charity’s property or money was provided in breach of such sanctions.
Ho ho.
Hamas might also express some gratitude to the Co-operative Bank’s William Edward Newby, the compliance officer, and James Anthony Sellers, the money laundering officer. It is illegal to fund Hamas from the UK but the ‘ethical’ Co-operative Bank continues to provide banking services to Viva Palestina.
