Free Republic

Here is a tale of two hostages, one British, one German...Both are Arabic-speaking and Islamophile, both on self-appointed missions to "help" the Palestinians and the Iraqis respectively. Both were initially treated as heroines by the British and German media; both ended by colluding with their kidnappers, and both gave Islamism a propaganda coup. 'snip' Faced with this hullabaloo, the new coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel panicked. A ransom, believed to be as much as $5 million, was paid, thereby rewarding blackmail and offering an incentive for future abductions. But the kidnappers wanted more...One of the most notorious terrorists in...

Kate Burton, the British aid worker freed by her Palestinian kidnappers says she regrets endangering her parents, who were abducted with her while on a visit to the Gaza Strip last week. Burton said most Palestinians had few opportunities for education and economic advancement. "They've got no choice, so they (the kidnappers) think that fighting in this way is the only way." The kidnapping had made her "love the Palestinian people even more," she said, adding that the majority were peace-loving and disapproved of violence.

KATE BURTON, the freed British hostage, yesterday vowed to go straight back to her human rights work among the Palestinian people. Burton, 25, who was held captive with her parents for nearly 60 hours before their release late on Friday, dismissed the abduction as “just one incident” in the chaotic Gaza Strip. She said she was sorry her parents had had such a “desperate experience” during a Christmas visit to see her and that they were tired after their ordeal. But she said she “remains committed and passionate about working alongside the Palestinians to improve their external image”. The Palestinian...

GAZA CITY -- A British aid worker and her parents were released from captivity late Friday, two days after gunmen seized the family in the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said. Palestinian mediator Kamal Sharafi gave no further details, including where the family was released or who had kidnapped them. Kate Burton, 25, a worker with the Al-Mezan human rights group in Gaza, was kidnapped with her parents Wednesday by Palestinian gunmen in the southern town of Rafah. There was no claim of responsibility, and officials did not say what demands the kidnappers had made. Jamil Sarhan, Mezan's executive...

Key points • Fears grow over Kate Burton and her parents after abduction in Gaza • Former UN employee and human rights activist kidnapped over 36 hours ago • Latest in series of abductions following Israel's withdrawal from area Key quote "There are two scary things about this - nobody has made a claim of responsibility, and in most cases people are released within hours. We are really praying for Kate's release." - UNDP SPOKESPERSON Story in full FEARS were growing last night for a British human rights worker and her parents, more than 36 hours after the family were...

A Palestinian police chief has vowed to find three kidnapped Britons and says he will use force if necessary. But police chief Alaa Hosni said there had been no contact with the unknown group responsible for abducting Kate Burton, 24, and her parents in Gaza. Palestinian militant groups have condemned the kidnap of the British human rights worker and her parents. Roadblocks are in place around Rafah where the Britons were taken and house-to-house inquiries continue. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Hamas - both responsible for suicide bombings in Israel - have called for the release of Ms Burton and...