{"id":720,"date":"2011-07-02T23:24:59","date_gmt":"2011-07-02T22:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/?p=720"},"modified":"2014-05-22T20:42:54","modified_gmt":"2014-05-22T19:42:54","slug":"europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/2011\/07\/02\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\/","title":{"rendered":"Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/london2gaza-soeren-kern.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-721\" title=\"london2gaza soeren kern\" src=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/london2gaza-soeren-kern.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/london2gaza-soeren-kern.jpg 600w, https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/london2gaza-soeren-kern-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>The Gaza Strip has become an obsession in Europe, where Socialists have joined arms with Islamists in a \u2018Red-Green Alliance\u2019 aimed at isolating and delegitimizing Israel.<\/em><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Soeren Kern | <a title=\"Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla\" href=\"http:\/\/pjmedia.com\/blog\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\/\" target=\"_blank\">PJ Media<\/a> | July 2, 2011<\/p>\n<p>The Gaza Strip has become an obsession in Europe, where Socialists have joined arms with Islamists in a \u2018Red-Green Alliance\u2019 aimed at isolating and delegitimizing Israel.<\/p>\n<p>The so-called Freedom Flotilla 2, a convoy of about ten ships hoping to break an Israeli naval blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, has been off to an inauspicious start. With two vessels disabled due to alleged \u201csabotage\u201d and other boats held up in a port in Athens by the Greek government, the flotilla will not set sail for at least another few days and may be called off altogether.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever its fate, the flotilla has considerable public support in Europe, where <a href=\"http:\/\/pajamasmedia.com\/blog\/anti-semitism-sweeps-europe-in-wake-of-gaza-operation\/\" target=\"_blank\">opposition to Israel often crosses the line into anti-Semitism<\/a>. Although a handful of Americans, Canadians and Middle Easterners (as well as a few Aussies and Kiwis) are among the 500 pro-Palestinian activists hoping to sail with the flotilla, the majority of its organizers, supporters and actual participants are from Europe, which has become \u2018ground zero\u2019 in the global campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.<\/p>\n<p>The Gaza flotilla is, in fact, an integral part of a growing <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hudson-ny.org\/2172\/europeans-boycotts-against-israel\" target=\"_blank\">European movement to delegitimize the State of Israel<\/a>. It is rooted in the program of political warfare to achieve the \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/academic.udayton.edu\/race\/06hrights\/WCAR2001\/NGOFORUM\/Palestinans.htm\" target=\"_blank\">complete international isolation of Israel<\/a>\u201d that was launched at the UN World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa in 2001.<\/p>\n<p>European charities linked to left-wing and pro-Palestinian causes have raised an estimated \u20ac10 million ($14.5 million) to fund the flotilla. Many European politicians and members of the European Parliament as well as media outlets have expressed strong support for it in public. The flotilla has been organized from Britain and the main operational hub is in Greece.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/basque-country-spain-gaza-soeren-kern.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-724 size-medium\" title=\"basque country spain gaza soeren kern\" src=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/basque-country-spain-gaza-soeren-kern-233x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"233\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/basque-country-spain-gaza-soeren-kern-233x300.png 233w, https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/basque-country-spain-gaza-soeren-kern.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Eight out of the ten vessels comprising the flotilla are European. They include the \u201cDignity\u201d and the \u201cLouise Michel\u201d from France, the \u201cSaoirse\u201d (Gaelic for freedom) from Ireland, the \u201cStefano Chiarini\u201d from Italy, the \u201cGuernica\u201d from Spain, the \u201cJuliano\u201d from Sweden, and two Greek cargo ships carrying 3,000 tons of supplies. The two other ships are the \u201cTahrir\u201d from Canada and \u201cThe Audacity of Hope\u201d from the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.freedomflotilla.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\">European Freedom Flotilla<\/a> website has pooled information on flotilla campaigns in the various European countries. Some of these include: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.belgiumtogaza.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Belgium to Gaza<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.freegaza.dk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Free Gaza Denmark<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shiptogaza.gr\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ship to Gaza Greece<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.freedomflotilla.it\/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom Flotilla Italia<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nederland-gaza.nl\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ship to Gaza Netherlands<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shiptogaza.no\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ship to Gaza Norway<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/freegaza-scotland.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Free Gaza Scotland<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shiptogaza.se\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ship to Gaza Sweden<\/a>, and so on.<\/p>\n<p>Other pan-European groups directly or indirectly involved in the flotilla include the Brussels-based <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eccpalestine.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine<\/a>, the London-based <a href=\"http:\/\/www.prc.org.uk\/newsite\/en\" target=\"_blank\">Palestinian Return Center<\/a> and the Oslo-based <a href=\"http:\/\/ufree-p.net\/eng\/\" target=\"_blank\">European Network to Support the Rights of Palestinian Prisoners<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Britain has hosted much of the organizing apparatus of the flotilla, which is being coordinated out of London by <a href=\"http:\/\/jcpa.org\/JCPA\/Templates\/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=0&amp;DBID=1&amp;LNGID=1&amp;TMID=111&amp;FID=378&amp;PID=0&amp;IID=7745&amp;TTL=Who_Is_Behind_the_Second_Gaza_Flotilla\" target=\"_blank\">Mohammad Sawalha<\/a>, a senior Muslim Brotherhood operative closely linked to Hamas and who was granted asylum by Britain in 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Sawalha \u2013 together with Zaher Birawi, another Hamas activist living in Britain \u2013 is a director of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.britain2gaza.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Britain2Gaza<\/a>, a coalition of leftwing and Islamist organizations participating in the flotilla that includes groups like: the British Muslim Initiative, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foa.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Friends of Al-Aqsa<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palestinianforum.co.uk\/en\" target=\"_blank\">Palestinian Forum in Britain<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palestinecampaign.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Palestine Solidarity Campaign<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/stopwar.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Stop the War Coalition<\/a>. Sawalha is also the Vice Chairman of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ECESG?sk=wall\" target=\"_blank\">The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza<\/a>, a British-based group that coordinates the Miles of Smiles land convoys to Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>Britain is also home to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bigcampaign.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/palestinecampaign.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Palestine Solidarity Campaign<\/a> (which is working to \u201cbuild a mass anti-Apartheid movement for Palestine\u201d), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.interpal.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Interpal<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.waronwant.org\/freedomoneworld\/\" target=\"_blank\">Freedom for Palestine<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.justpeaceforpalestine.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">A Just Peace for Palestine<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stoparmingisrael.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Stop Arming Israel<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oxford-ramallah.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Oxford-Ramallah Friendship Association<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/readingpsc.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reading-Palestine Solidarity Campaign<\/a>, \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivapalestina.org\/home.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Viva Palestina<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.map-uk.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Medical Aid for Palestinians<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scottishpsc.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Scottish-Palestine Solidarity Campaign<\/a> and many more.<\/p>\n<p>British Foreign Secretary William Hague says the flotilla is unwise and has advised Britons not to participate in it. But he himself has contributed to the BDS campaign against Israel by his failure to honor a long-standing promise to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hudson-ny.org\/1671\/uk-universal-jurisdiction-law\" target=\"_blank\">amend British universal jurisdiction laws<\/a> in a way that would make it safe for Israeli leaders to visit Britain without the risk of detention on frivolous allegations of war crimes.<\/p>\n<p>In France, a fundraising campaign called \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.unbateaupourgaza.fr\/\" target=\"_blank\">A French Ship to Gaza<\/a>\u201d collected more than \u20ac600,000 ($865,000) for the Gaza flotilla. The campaign was launched in October 2010 under the combined leadership of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.plateforme-palestine.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">French NGOs for Palestine<\/a> and a \u201cRed-Green Alliance\u201d of leftists and Islamists called the \u201cNational Collective for a Just and Lasting Peace between Israelis and Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nationwide, <a href=\"http:\/\/flottille.blog.lemonde.fr\/2011\/06\/25\/flottille-pour-gaza-ii-embarquement-imminent\/\" target=\"_blank\">more than 70 French organizations<\/a> including political parties and trade unions have been involved in mobilizing activists and raising funds for the flotilla. Some 40 French nationals, including one French MEP, are on board the two French vessels that are participating in the convoy. More than 300 French politicians have signed a petition in support of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Germany is sending more than 20 activists in participate in the flotilla, which is being coordinated by the <a href=\"http:\/\/germany-gaza.de\/\" target=\"_blank\">German Initiative to Break the Gaza Blockade<\/a>, a coalition of more than a dozen pro-Palestinian organizations, including: the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.falastin.de\/home.html\" target=\"_blank\">Palestinian Community in Germany<\/a>, the Palestinian-German Federation for the Right of Return, the German-Palestinian Union, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.djp-info.de\/\" target=\"_blank\">German Youth for Palestine<\/a>, the Committee for a Democratic Palestine, and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pgd-online.de\/\" target=\"_blank\">Palestinian Society for Human Rights<\/a>, which in May 2011 held the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palconference.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\">9th Annual Conference of Palestinians in Europe<\/a> titled \u201cThe Return Generation Knows its Way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Ireland, the flotilla is being coordinated by <a href=\"http:\/\/irishshiptogaza.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Irish Ship to Gaza<\/a> under the direction of Caoimhe Butterly, a pro-Palestinian activist who in April 2002 spent 16 days as a \u201chuman shield\u201d in Yasser Arafat\u2019s compound in Ramallah. Other pro-Palestinian activist groups in Ireland include: the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ipsc.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sadaka.ie\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Alliance<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.derryfriendsofpalestine.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Derry Friends of Palestine<\/a>. About 25 Irish nationals were planning on sailing with the \u201cSaoirse,\u201d including Irish MEP Paul Murphy of the Socialist Party and United Left Alliance. But the vessel dropped out of the flotilla after being \u201csabotaged\u201d while docking in Turkey.<\/p>\n<p>In Norway, which hosts <a href=\"http:\/\/ufree-p.net\/eng\/\" target=\"_blank\">The European Network to Support the Rights of Palestinian Prisoners<\/a>, some $250,000 was raised to send 20 activists to Gaza. In neighboring Sweden, the campaign <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shiptogaza.se\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ship to Gaza Sweden<\/a> has been selling \u2018nautical miles to Gaza\u2019 for \u20ac100 ($145) each.<\/p>\n<p>In Spain, the flotilla is being organized by \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rumboagaza.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rumbo a Gaza<\/a>\u201d (Course to Gaza). Despite massive unemployment in Spain, the group managed to raise enough funds to send 45 Spanish activists to Gaza on a boat called the \u201cGuernica,\u201d which also happens to be the name of a small town in the Basque country that was bombed by Adolf Hitler during the Spanish Civil War.<\/p>\n<p>In Switzerland, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thelocal.ch\/national\/20110525_229.html\" target=\"_blank\">more than 200 NGOs are supporting the flotilla<\/a>. It is being coordinated by a Geneva-based group called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.droitpourtous.ch\/index.php?language=en&amp;page=15&amp;homepage\" target=\"_blank\">Droit pour Tous<\/a> (Right for All), which in March 2011 sponsored \u2018The First International Conference on the Rights of Palestinian Prisoners and Detainees.\u2019 Three members of the Swiss National Council, the lower house of the Swiss parliament, want to sail with the flotilla.<\/p>\n<p>If Gaza has become an obsession for many ordinary Europeans, so too for Europe\u2019s political class, which rarely misses an opportunity to rebuke Israel for a blockade the latter says is necessary to prevent weapons for reaching Iran-backed Hamas militants.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk\/news\/middle-east\/2217-austrian-foreign-minister-enters-gaza-through-rafah-border-crossing\" target=\"_blank\">Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger<\/a> visited the Gaza Strip in April 2011 and demanded that Israel its blockade. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/politics\/2010\/jul\/27\/david-cameron-gaza-prison-camp\" target=\"_blank\">British Prime Minister David Cameron<\/a> said Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a \u201cprison camp\u201d and at least <a href=\"http:\/\/www.britain2gaza.com\/2011\/06\/parliamentarians-add-their-support-to-the-flotilla\/\" target=\"_blank\">14 British parliamentarians<\/a> have publicly backed the flotilla. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as several members of her government, has insisted that Israel end the blockade and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.faz.net\/artikel\/C31325\/resolution-im-bundestag-israel-muss-gaza-blockade-beenden-30285638.html\" target=\"_blank\">German Bundestag<\/a> in July 2010 passed a resolution condemning Israeli policies in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>In Ireland, which recently needed a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/2010-11-28\/ireland-wins-eu85-billion-aid-germany-drops-threat-on-bonds.html\" target=\"_blank\">$113 billion bailout<\/a> to save it from financial collapse, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kildarestreet.com\/debate\/?id=2011-06-29.102.0\" target=\"_blank\">Prime Minister Enda Kenny<\/a> is closely following the events in Gaza. \u201cI have every sympathy with the people of Gaza,\u201d Kenny told the lower house of parliament. Even tiny Luxembourg has something to say about Gaza: In February 2011 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mae.lu\/fr\/Site-MAE\/Actualites\/Jean-Asselborn-en-tournee-au-Proche-Orient-du-22-au-26-fevrier-2011-Quatrieme-etape-Visite-de-travail-dans-la-Bande-de-Gaza-25-fevrier-2011\" target=\"_blank\">Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Assleborn<\/a> visited the territory and demanded that Israel lift the blockade.<\/p>\n<p>In Spain, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.minutodigital.com\/noticias2\/3006.htm\" target=\"_blank\">kaffiyeh-wearing<\/a> Socialist Prime Minister Jos\u00e9 Luis Rodr\u00edguez Zapatero, whose often toxic anti-Israel rhetoric has contributed to a <a href=\"http:\/\/pajamasmedia.com\/blog\/spains-jewish-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\">notable rise in anti-Semitism in Spain<\/a>, has called for a \u201cstrong, joint EU position\u201d on Gaza and Israel\u2019s blockade. Hamas militants recently gave European Union \u201cForeign Minister\u201d Catherine Ashton an opportunity to do just that when they welcomed her to the Gaza Strip by <a href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/2\/hi\/8573715.stm\" target=\"_blank\">firing a rocket into southern Israel<\/a>, killing a man working in the Netiv Ha\u2019assera kibbutz. Rather than condemn Hamas for the killing, the European Union, which takes pride in being the largest contributor of aid to the Palestinians, berated Israel instead.<\/p>\n<p>A notable exception has been Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, whose government has prohibited eight boats participating in the flotilla from leaving Greek waters. Previously, Papandreou had described an Israeli commando raid on a similar flotilla in May 2010 as \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ana-mpa.gr\/anaweb\/user\/showplain?maindoc=8775605&amp;maindocimg=8679363&amp;service=6\" target=\"_blank\">condemnable and unacceptable<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The irony of all the Gaza activism in Europe is this: The European single currency is on the verge of collapse. Many European countries are on the brink of bankruptcy. The European social welfare state is crumbling. Millions of Europeans are out of work and many are losing their homes. Europeans are losing the war they started with Libya. Muslim immigration to Europe is out of control. Islamic Sharia law is becoming increasingly common (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hudson-ny.org\/1656\/creeping-sharia-britain\">here<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hudson-ny.org\/1799\/europe-goes-halal\">here<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hudson-ny.org\/1857\/europe-fatwa-factories\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hudson-ny.org\/2130\/islamic-shariah-compliant-banking-europe\">here<\/a>) in many parts of the continent. Considering all the problems besetting Europe today, the issue many Europeans care about most is \u2026 the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.soerenkern.com\/\">Soeren Kern<\/a> is Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estrat\u00e9gicos \/ Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on <a title=\"Soeren Kern Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Soeren.Kern\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a> and on <a title=\"Soeren Kern Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/SoerenKern\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Link to Original Article:\u00a0<a title=\"Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla\" href=\"http:\/\/pjmedia.com\/blog\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/pjmedia.com\/blog\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\/ <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Gaza Strip has become an obsession in Europe, where Socialists have joined arms with Islamists in a \u2018Red-Green Alliance\u2019 aimed at isolating and delegitimizing Israel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[98,101,107,111,148,147,109,17,106],"tags":[180,44,59,52,54,55,56,57,177,58],"class_list":["post-720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-european-anti-semitism-2","category-eu-israel-relations-european-union","category-france-islam-in-europe","category-greece-islam-in-europe","category-ireland-islam-in-europe","category-norway-islam-in-europe","category-spain-islam-in-europe","category-spain","category-switzerland-islam-in-europe","tag-britain","tag-european-anti-semitism","tag-european-anti-zionism","tag-france","tag-gaza","tag-greece","tag-ireland","tag-norway","tag-spain","tag-switzerland"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla - Soeren Kern | Geopolitical Perspectives on Europe, America and the Middle East<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/2011\/07\/02\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla - Soeren Kern | Geopolitical Perspectives on Europe, America and the Middle East\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Gaza Strip has become an obsession in Europe, where Socialists have joined arms with Islamists in a \u2018Red-Green Alliance\u2019 aimed at isolating and delegitimizing Israel.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/2011\/07\/02\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Soeren Kern | Geopolitical Perspectives on Europe, America and the Middle East\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-07-02T22:24:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-05-22T19:42:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/soerenkern.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/london2gaza-soeren-kern.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Soeren Kern\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Soeren Kern\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soerenkern.com\\\/web\\\/2011\\\/07\\\/02\\\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soerenkern.com\\\/web\\\/2011\\\/07\\\/02\\\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Soeren Kern\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soerenkern.com\\\/web\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/398976192ef9b41439530e643f131b36\"},\"headline\":\"Europeans Are Major Force Behind Second Gaza Flotilla\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-07-02T22:24:59+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-05-22T19:42:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soerenkern.com\\\/web\\\/2011\\\/07\\\/02\\\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1661,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soerenkern.com\\\/web\\\/2011\\\/07\\\/02\\\/europeans-are-major-force-behind-second-gaza-flotilla\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/soerenkern.com\\\/web\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2011\\\/07\\\/london2gaza-soeren-kern.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Britain\",\"european anti-semitism\",\"european anti-zionism\",\"France\",\"gaza\",\"Greece\",\"ireland\",\"Norway\",\"Spain\",\"switzerland\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Anti-Semitism &amp; 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