A BBC journalist kidnapped in the Gaza Strip appeared on a
videotape, denouncing Israel
and U.S. and
British policy in the Middle East.
Alan Johnston appeared healthy in the video broadcast Friday
on Al-Ekhlaas, a website used by Islamist groups.
It was not immediately clear when the video was made or what
kind of pressures if any were used to get Johnston
to speak. Johnston has been held,
apparently by the “Army of Islam,” for nearly three months.
“In three years here in the Palestinian territories I
witnessed the huge suffering of the Palestinian people, and my message is that
the suffering is continuing and it is unacceptable,” he said. He said that
Britain,
through its role in Israel’s
creation,” was “the cause of all the suffering of the Palestinian
people.”
He also denounced U.S.
and British policy in Iraq
and Afghanistan
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