Alan Johnston

On reflection I think the title of my last post was a little vague. If Johnston is dead I think it might be the beginning of a new dark chapter because it would be the first time as far as I am aware that a foreign hostage in Gaza has been willfully murdered. Hitherto hostage taking has been used to garner international media attention on the situation in Gaza. It has not been used as a device to punish Western interference as has occurred in Iraq and occasionally elsewhere.

Of course none of this excuses the kidnapping of Alan Johnston. But it ought not be used by the Israelis and the West as a licence to continue to condemn the population of Gaza to a life of military occupation, death and poverty. The sad irony is that because of the Israeli occupation - which involves Israel's exclusive control of the airspace, coast and borders around Gaza - it is impossible for the Palestinian Authority to maintain law and order.

The first step towards ending the chaos is ending the embargo on the Palestinian Authority and ending the occupation.