As many of you discovered before me (due to the fact I just woke up), Arrigoni’s body has been found.
Hamas condemned the murder, on the grounds it harms the palestinians goals (not on moral grounds).
Hamas’ Interior Ministry called a special press conference following the recovery of the Italian peace activist’s body in Gaza.
The ministry denounced the act: “This is a heinous murder which does not represent our religion, values and costume,” it said in a statement, adding the act “harms the Palestinian people’s goals.” Hamas police have launched a full inquiry in the case.
Their costume consists of balaclavas, gun belts and bomb belts. I think the murder is completely consistent with this.
The PA’s Mahmoud Abbas also condemned the murder…for not serving the palestinian cause, but harming it.
While he has been murdered by the people he dedicated his life to supporting, I cannot bring myself to celebrate his murder like others have.
I found Rusty’s comments interesting:
When I first wrote this post, I thought everything would turn out fine. A few bruises, some lessons not learned, etc.
But now that he’s dead? My comments on the irony of it all aren’t so funny.
There is nothing funny about jihadis murdering an innocent civilian. Dumb and mislead or not, full responsibility for the man’s murder lie with the committed Islamists who murdered him.
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Part of me wants to LOL this. I mean, how can someone be so stupid as to not know what kind of people are walking around in Gaza? The other part of me thinks it’s just tragic and is ashamed that any part of me would blame the victim.
I guess I’ll just have to remain conflicted.
I am not so conflicted, and see it slightly differently. I don’t see Arrigoni as merely stupid. He burned with hatred for Israel, and actively worked to undermine the security of me and my fellow Israeli citizens. He was in bed with the terrorists, as it were. So while I won’t be celebrating his murder, I won’t be mourning him either.
Updates (Israel time; latest from top)
5:02PM: So predictable: Hamas has blamed Israel for engineering Arrigoni’s killing.
Hamas indirectly accused Israel on Friday of engineering the killing of an Italian Palestinian peace activist in Gaza in order to intimidate other foreign activists hoping to sail to Gaza as part of the next flotilla.
“Such an awful crime cannot take place without arrangements between all the parties concerned to keep the blockade imposed on Gaza,” Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said at a rally held by the group to honor executed Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni.
4:05PM: Another damning photo of the “peace activist”, this time posing with Hamas arch terrorist Ismail Haniyeh.
3:55PM: Other pictures from his Facebook page indicate the “peace activist” clearly advocated a peaceful solution to the conflict, with two states living side-by-side in peace and security.
Just joking.
3:48PM: Another one from his Facebook page.
That’s some peaceful looking artwork behind him.
3:45PM: Another picture from his Facebook page.
Peace activist?
3:12PM: More irony: Here’s a cartoon from Arrigoni’s Facebook page, which I was the first to post about yesterday.
Look like the ending of anyone we know? (hat tip: Elder)
3:00PM: Yet another photo of Arrigoni, this time with his buddy Ken “KOK” O’Keefe.
KOK is the guy who used extreme violence against IDF navy commandos during the Mavi Marmara raid.
2:46PM: Another photo of Arrigoni, this time smiling happily alongside Hamas “security officers.”
2:32PM: Here’s a photo taken from the ISM website. Anyone know the meaning of the Arabic of his tattoo?
2:25PM: I received this from the Free Gaza mailing list:
A message from Mary Hughes Thompson, one of the activists on board the first boat into Gaza,. Vik was on that boat, and we are all devastated with this news. Greta
Throughout the day we prayed this would have the best kind of endings. The kidnappers had given a deadline several hours away. So this latest terrible news has devastated all of us who knew Vik. He and I were on the FREE GAZA when it sailed to Gaza in August 2008. He stayed behind in Gaza, and two months later he was kidnapped and arrested on a fishing boat near the coast of Gaza. He was abducted to Israel, jailed in Ramle Prison and deported home to Italy. Within days he was back in Gaza, where he stayed throughout the massacres of December 08 and January 09, leaving only briefly for Cairo where I last saw him during the Gaza Freedom March.
Words can’t express the shock and sense of bereavement at the loss of this beautiful man, who considered himself Palestinian. The videos we saw of him bloodied and blindfolded were chilling, nothing like the Vittorio we knew and loved, always smiling, always wearing a skipper’s hat and holding his beloved pipe. After Juliano Mer-Khamis, this is just too much. May they both rest in peace
There’s some further irony for you. He considered himself to be palestinian. They considered him to be worm food.
11:45AM: The ISM has posted this video of Arrigoni, which you’ll be glad to know has English subtitles.
11:40AM: Contrary to the previous update, Ha’aretz reports he was found hanging in the home of a palestinian terrorist (although they call him a militant)
11:30AM: The multi-lingual Biodegradable informs us that Spanish state TV reported the body was found “in the street” dead from “asphyxia.”
8:42AM: According to “Il Manifesto” (the paper for which he wrote), he died in a Hamas raid gone wrong (hat tip: Biodegradable)
8:36AM: Words of “sympathy” from the vile Ken “KOK” O’Keefe (hat tip: Walt)
Notice how KOK:
- Saves most of his anger for Israel, way more than he shows against the murdering terrorists.
- Compliments Hamas’ work despite some “problems”
