Jailed Hamas official decries abduction of BBC journalist - Haaretz

Last update - 20:28 21/04/2007

Jailed Hamas official decries abduction of BBC journalist

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent

Jailed Hamas official Sheikh Hassan Yusef on Friday called for the immediate release of British journalist Alan Johnston who was abducted by unknown gunmen in Gaza over a month ago.

Yusef, who is one of the prisoners Hamas wants in return for captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, said the abduction was "morally wrong."

Also on Friday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas told Dutch television station RTL-4 that Johnston's captors did not have political motives but rather wanted "personal demands" met in exchange for the journalist.

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Haniyeh did not offer any details about what these demands might entail and said the British government had made clear to the Palestinian Authority that it should not use force to free Johnston because it could endanger his life.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that intelligence services have confirmed that kidnapped British journalist Alan Johnston is alive.

"Yes, I believe he is still alive," Abbas told reporters in Stockholm. "Our intelligence services have confirmed to me that he's alive.

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1.	Hamas has a human face..	00:02	\|	Turk	21/04/07

2.	Clickfool et al	00:37	\|	Avrum	21/04/07

3.	BBC and palestinian militants	02:01	\|	Paulo2005	21/04/07

4.	#2	02:11	\|	Chris Linthwaite	21/04/07

5.	Number 4	03:12	\|	Alon	21/04/07

6.	#1, so salute Hamas, but why do it HERE?!	03:53	\|	McQueen	21/04/07

7.	Once again, who gives a damn about Johnston?	03:54	\|	McQueen	21/04/07

8.	Vrumi: you are unkind	06:30	\|	Star of David	21/04/07

9.	the BBC & HAMAS = like 2 teenage lovers...	06:36	\|	amir	21/04/07

10.	Lintwat: u still on that?	06:38	\|	Star of David	21/04/07

11.	THIS IS REDICULOUS!	07:48	\|	Dan	21/04/07

12.	SECRET DEAL ON THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!1	10:17	\|	SETH	21/04/07

13.	CHRISTMAS IS COMMING!!!	10:30	\|	SETH	21/04/07

14.	Number 4.	11:10	\|	David Nigel Braham	21/04/07

15.	This reminds me of	12:50	\|	Nerys	21/04/07

16.	#14	14:01	\|	Chris Linthwaite	21/04/07

17.	advice to progressive Haaretz readers	14:24	\|	Leon Rosgarten	21/04/07

18.	Oh. wisest Rosgarten! You surpassed wisdom of `Dutch` and VIPER	17:16	\|	People of the World	21/04/07

19.	McQueen - Sheik Yassin was the ugliest man known.	17:36	\|	Barry	21/04/07

20.	Alan Johnston	17:41	\|	Osama	21/04/07

21.	C.LINTHWATE.You really need to check your sources.	18:22	\|	PETER. S.M	21/04/07

22.	Turk # 1 - Hams`s human face showed in Malatya	18:26	\|	David Israel	21/04/07

23.	Leon Rosgarten	18:45	\|	SETH	21/04/07

24.	#19 Peter SM	19:49	\|	Chris Linthwaite	21/04/07