The real story behind the Alan Johnston kidnapping

The BBC's John Simpson reported this morning on the kidnapping of his colleague Alan Johnston and gave the impression that almost everyone in Gaza deplored the abduction. His desire to emphasise just how much support there is for Mr Johnston was understandable, but also risks obscuring the real story.

Mr Johnston's kidnapping is not merely a criminal act, it is a political move. In order for listeners and viewers to understand it, the full extent of the in-fighting among Palestinian factions must be explained.

Mr Johnston's kidnappers are thought to be the Durmush clan, who also played a key role in the kidnapping of Gilad Schalit, the missing Israeli soldier.

The links between the various groups are complicated:

Until recently, the Durmush clan had been considered an ally of Hamas. However, roughly two and a half weeks ago Hamas militants killed two Fatah members from the family. In response, the members of the Durmush family killed three Hamas militants and abducted four more, and published leaflets accusing the Hamas-led government of being anti-Islamic.

Members of the clan have also fired on Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar's home on a near-daily basis, who as a result no longer sleeps at home.

Johnston's abduction is a violent power play and, as with Schalit, the clan is holding out against Hamas as part of their feud.

This explains why the BBC emphasising that Johnson is a "friend of the Palestinians" isn't cutting as much ice with the kidnappers as one might hope.

I know that the BBC is an impossibly difficult position as both reporter and employer, but the story is the link between Johnston's disappearance and the feud, civil disorder in Gaza since Israel's departure and Schalit. The BBC has a responsibility to report it.

Comments

[Debbie]

It's a tricky situation. I remember when the Fox employees were taken in Gaza. Fox was very careful in choosing their words when reporting. Yes they need to get the truth out, but if we were the one that was kidnapped, wouldn't we want our employer to do everything possible to secure out safe release?

[loucapetown]

so what lies should we propogate to get him freed?