A former European Union envoy to Gaza has come under fire for allegedly authorizing Hamas to use paragliders, a tool used by Palestinian terrorists to attack Israel and kill more than 1,400.
Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, a German diplomat, crowed in a video in July that he was making “the first Gaza paragliding flight in history” as he hovered over the Gaza coast shouting, “Free Palestine!”
The EU envoy at the time told Palestinians in the recording that once they were free, “You can do the same.”
But instead of seeing Palestinians enjoy recreational paragliding as he advocated, such gliders were instead used by Hamas to kill Israelis on Oct. 7.
Israel has since declared war on Hamas and launched devastating airstrikes on Gaza, prompting von Burgsdorff to condemn the Jewish state, claiming it “doesn’t matter what Hamas does,” Israel Hayom reported.
“It is impossible for Israel to have carte blanche because a terrible act, a brutal and shocking act happened to 1,000 or 1,200 Israelis,” von Burgsdorff said during a recent radio interview. “This is not an excuse you can use to flatten Gaza.”
Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, the former European Union envoy to Gaza, flew the “first Gaza paragliding flight” in July shouting, “Free Palestine!” @BenCaspit / X
The former diplomat found himself at the center of the raging debate surrounding the Israel-Hamas war after a video resurfaced of him taking to the skies over Gaza in July, claiming Palestinians could enjoy activities such as paragliding and kayaking if Israel lifted its blockade.
Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the spectacle at the time as a form of “provocative” propaganda that only served to empower Hamas.
“The European diplomat has long forgotten that he represents the European Union and its member states,” the ministry said in a statement.
Von Burgsdorff said he wants Palestinians to enjoy sports like paragliding once their conflict with Israel ends. @BenCaspit / X The flight of diplomats over the Gaza coast was condemned by Israel as propaganda. @BenCaspit / X
“[He] continue to represent the Palestinian narrative and become a propaganda tool in the hands of the terrorist organizations that control Gaza.”
A representative of the EU delegation to Palestine told Reuters that the paraglider used in the stunt belonged to von Burgsdorff.
Von Burgsdorff left his post in Gaza in August but continues to voice his opposition to Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories, most recently involving its airstrikes.
Paragliding was not used by Palestinian civilians after the diplomat’s video at the time but instead, it was used by Hamas terrorists to attack Israel on October 7 and kill hundreds of innocent people. AFP via Getty Images
With more than 4,700 Palestinians killed since October 7, the diplomat said in a radio interview that nothing justifies “the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of lethal force as far as the Palestinian population in Gaza is concerned.
“It is impossible for Israel to threaten to bomb corridors and shipments carrying humanitarian supplies. Impossible. It’s another war crime if it happens,” he added.
Von Burgsdorff did not condemn the Hamas attacks in Israel that targeted hundreds of innocent civilians, mostly women and children, and also involved the kidnapping of more than 200 people, including at least a dozen Americans.
Von Burgsdorff could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
