I understood where Ken O'Keefe and his politics were coming from once I had read a few things about him. So far he has come across still as the real thing, never disappointed. That is so very rare in these nasty wars the human race address these days.
Of course such people as Ken draw enemies because natural leaders, let alone those full of integrity and charisma, are not loved by, let's just call them "the bad guys" and as a result nasty stuff happens. Character assassination is one of the most common techniques used as I have said time and time again in the past.
Once I found a site that had over 500 hate comments to KOK and I had to read them through. All I could figure was that KOK was doing something right because these commentators were pretty whiny and crude.
And so they try again to bring Ken O'Keefe down, yet again.Those who know him won't be going anywhere. Here is Ken's rebuttal to various slanders and allegations made against him in the past few weeks. I also need mention that I am NOT the Noor referred to in these writings.
Tim King
Salem News.com
August 1, 2011
One of the human race's leading activists addresses baseless allegations that thwarted an Overland Convoy to Gaza.
(SALEM, Ore.)
Nobody ever said approaching life honestly or fairly would result in an easy game, and our writer Ken O'Keefe, one of the world's most well known activists for Gaza, is constantly fighting snakes. Regardless, 'undeterred' still addresses this champion for human beings who fights the most crucial battles against the very worst odds.
Ken has been taken advantage of by people who obviously always planned to subvert his latest overland convoy for Gaza. (Convoy of trucks loaded with food and supplies for the people of Gaza- to be driven all the way from London). He has a small number of enemies who turned on him in the most devastating way, and their actions can be compared to the Six Day War itself; they struck when nobody was looking or expecting it, and like that conflict, they scored a decisive victory for Israel's apartheid government.
Their actions thwart and seek to destroy the movement to see Palestine liberated, and they work for Israel. The two primary characters in this story are Catherine Myles, hired as Ken's assistant, and Saeb Shaath is the second person. Shaath didn't even show his face as Ken explains below, until after the hostile takeover of his humanitarian project to aid Gaza.
BACKGROUND ON GAZA
Control has moved around over the years; today the elected government in Gaza is Hamas, though the other remaining parts of Palestine; West Bank and the Golan Heights, are under the control of the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Hamas has fought a battle against Israel off and on, though Israel has vastly superior military capability and weaponry, to the point that there is no competition at all.
Hamas at one time was behind suicide bombs, but they officially ended the practice. The other thing they are noted for frequently is the firing of unguided rockets into Israel. These have killed 28 Israeli citizens over the years. Israel by comparison, targets and attacks Gaza every single day. In 'Operation Cast Lead' that took place over the winter of 2008 and 2009, they killed more than 1400 people, mostly civilians with over 400 children among them, and left thousands upon thousands permanently wounded physically and psychologically.
Israel uses jet fighters and drones to drop bombs right on family homes, on medical facilities, and on the tunnels that are Gaza's only alternate connection to Egypt. Civilian targets are almost the only results seen, and as Ken demonstrated through our reports in Gaza, what Israel does, and what is says it does, are almost always dramatically different.
Shaath is apparently associated with Middle East online that carries plenty of news about Israel and the rest of the region. In an interview I just watched on YouTube, he talks casually about how he "went to Gaza two weeks ago" and I have to wonder how a Palestinian who speaks out against Israel on TV, can just go to the closed area of Gaza any time he wants to.
The BBC's Jane Corbin has the same unique ability to go to Gaza when she wants to.
Corbin's husband works for Israel and is a staunch ally, and her bias toward Israel stands out like a sore thumb in her reporting, so we reason that must be why she can enter Gaza at will, while other people, Gaza residents and activists; Ken O'Keefe included, sometimes have a very difficult of a time getting in or out. It is interesting that Mr. Shaath apparently can also cross the border at will like Ms. Corbin.
Shaath has also appeared on Press TV and presents himself as a strong advocate for Palestine. How and why he became involved in an attack on Ken is not known, since he wasn't in the picture until the takeover was underway. When you listen to Shaath talk, he can't say 'American' ~ he can only say 'American Imperialists' and while that is fine; I can hear Ken saying the same words... it occurs to me that he could be against Ken because of the simple fact that he is American by birth.
Ken is actually a citizen of Ireland today and Palestine, where he was issued a Palestinian passport after being part of the first Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza in over 40 years, in 2008. Ken has been there every step of the way in regard to the current effort to free Gaza.
Another steadfast person in the movement to free Palestine in Ireland, Anna O'Leary, like myself and so many others, is puzzled by the actions of Shaath.
She wrote:
"Saeb, why if you are a good human being did you not start a convoy....you and Catherine Myles could have organised a convoy............you are both capable operators. You could have done what others did and joined the Flotilla. Oh My God man you have done such harm to Palestine...and you a Palestinian. You have wounded Palestine as surely as if you were an Israeli IDF soldier. You make me cry for the fact that you stopped a much needed aid convoy. We all know how they desperately need our convoy.
"YOU, a Palestinian, have STOPPED THE CONVOY".
As for the woman Cathy Myles... she is the one who came to Ken in good faith and professed to be a dedicated and faithful person working to help him reach his goals. She carefully planned a takeover and smear campaign to take place simultaneously. It is the second smear campaign against Ken in the last year. People have tried desperately to bring him down by criticizing his resistance of Israeli soldiers on the Mavi Marmara and making statements that are untrue.
Ken is a diehard activist who has committed his life to Palestine. It is no secret. He has risked his life time and again and our viewers have seen Ken standing in Gaza among thousands, as bullets fly by and Ken doesn't duck. We have in fact published video at least twice where the viewer sees Ken and people from Gaza and other activists directly fired at by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF
He's a tough as nails ex-Marine but he loves people with so much intensity that you feel it in your gut when he talks about what he has seen in his life fighting corruption and crimes against humanity, particularly for the people of Gaza.
Here is the thing though; people like Ken are trusting, that is their nature. It carries a devastating potential but the opposite is becoming jaded and cynical, which does no one any good.
Ken is a human but he is also a Timex among men and the most devastating scoundrels in the world aren't going to stop him, and I am among those here to lay it out and set the record straight on his behalf. I sincerely hope that collectively, we never forget what the real motives of Myles and Shaath have to be, because they hurt the people of Gaza more than anyone.
MORE BACKGROUND ON KEN O'KEEFE
Long before Ken was working for the people of Gaza, this former U.S. Marine who fought in the first Gulf War before becoming an activist for peace, helped the people of Iraq with his human shield operation that saw many sites in Iraq escape US bombs in the early part of the war, in 2003.
Vital aspects of Iraq's infrastructure were spared the hail of bombs because Ken and other American and European people were standing in front of power facilities and they made their presence known.
The US and UK didn't want Caucasian blood flowing through the alleys as that would be hard to explain. This dynamic, where white people can get press attention from groups like The BBC, when Middle eastern people would not, has been a big part of what makes Ken so effective.
If there were a lot more people with his level of understanding and application, his uniqueness would not exist, but it does.
In truth his personality and drive are so effective that he becomes a threat to people who also claim to care about Palestinians and their associated Human Rights, yet give not a hundredth of what Ken has already given. The perceived threat is never against the individuals in a real way, it is against their egos.
A natural leader like Ken easily clashes with others who are not leaders but do seek to be controllers. Ken O'Keefe is proven, tried and tested, so they can all give this little effort up. In fact they've cried wolf one time too many.
From the Mavi Marmara incident, where Ken and other unarmed activists were attacked by the IDF aboard their Turkish ship in international waters with 9 killed and scores injured, to the debacle in Greece that saw a ship's captain thwart a mission to Gaza by ripping away from a dock without having the ropes untied (major damage), that ultimately, inadvertently allowed Ken to reach Gaza, where he stayed for 6 months, to this current convoy that has been literally seized and stolen by Myles and Shaath, Ken is non-stop for Gaza with no exceptions.
While there he revealed and exposed damage from Israeli attacks with video that we were able to compare to IDF press releases, underscoring the absurdity of Israel's lies in the political arena. He restored faith to the Samouni family which is one of Gaza's hardest hit, showing in detail the pain they have experienced strictly as a result of Israel's war crimes.
While people try to bring Ken O'Keefe down by casting horrible lies about his character about, it is most important to note how Myles and her partner in crime, (literally) Saeb Shaath, placed human lives in danger in Gaza in order to damage Ken's character and ambitions.
They did this intentionally; they did it to hurt Ken in ways that go beyond their silly easily disproved assault on his character.
The only benefactor is Israel, this cannot be said enough times, and it is a simple logical conclusion with no other possible answers.
Regardless of who they claim to be, or who they once may have been, they are most clearly the deceptive face of the enemy and when I say that, I mean it in the broader sense; because humanity's cause is a single minded one.
Ken is a world citizen; it is unfortunate that people on this planet have such terrible motives and character that they would undermine his genuine efforts to aid the helpless. The video from Press TV on the left is an extensive interview with Ken O'Keefe recorded just one day ago in London.
Introduced and always regarded by this respected news agency as a sincere activist for Palestine, the program proves that while in monetary terms the Myles/Shaath escapade is damaging, in to Ken's credibility, his years and years of steadfast devotion to humanity stand like the Rick of Gibraltar.
All the while as Ken worked in Gaza, Hamas watched and monitored what he did, and never interfered with his activism that benefited their own families and loved ones. Hamas well knows who Ken is and what he does and where he went and who he saw.
There are no questions from anyone in Gaza, all of the problems Ken is dealing with are coming directly from Israel via Myles and Shaath and their network, and while they won't admit it, it is still the case.
Israel has deep pockets, endless resources and the willingness to kill or hurt anyone they believe they need to, on whatever nation's soil they choose. Ken's status as a celebrity makes their thoughts on terminating him become very bad ideas, and that is why these people working to subvert Ken are trying to take him out with slander and libelous claims, and we are here to put a stop to it and we can back it all up.
Again, anyone so sincere and so complete in dedication to humanity, is naturally the enemy of others. Israel has apartheid laws and they created a Palestinian Diaspora that has ruined the lives of millions for more than six decades now. In Gaza alone there are more than 800,000 children being forced by Israel to live in the worst of conditions.
Ken has dedicated his life trying to help them, and his former assistant Cathy Myles and her cohort Saeb Shaath are here to hurt the children of Gaza and their tools are treachery and deceit and their master is Israel. Anyone familiar with Salem-News.com knows that we are the only American news agency that carries unfiltered stories from Palestine, period. We have carried thousands of stories relating to Middle East news, much of it delivered from our own teams on the ground.
There are many blogs and there are specialized news sites that cater to Veterans, Middle eastern people, Muslim people, etc., that carry these stories... but we are the news that many people know and count on every day for an endless variety of subjects and we work tirelessly to deliver the truth.
There is no shortage of advocacy for Ken. One of the people who recently came on the scene and began hurling baseless insults toward Ken is named Jo Ann Westcott. It isn't even clear if this is a real person, or a person using the name to slander Ken, but that is the result. Facebook does not help very much in my book, it is a breeding ground for contemptuous, anonymous character slayers and they don't have to answer for crimes they commit with a proxy IP and a fake name.
So many people are supportive of Ken, they could not be counted, though the people against him, at least the primary ones, can be counted with one hand.
Huriya Farwa:
"WOW I've been looking through Jo Anns facebook and all her accusations are baseless to even me who has no clue what the rift is about! They sound like Zionists trying to muscle in, will get people to report her profile so online bashing can stop from her InshAllah..."Akashma Web Blogs:
"Ken brother, I'm with you. i m really sorry that all this is happening. Is any way that you make another trust team in UK, so the Sammouni project keep moving, and let them (Cathy and ??)for now, take those truck to Gaza. If they do not take them in due time then we start a legal campaign to recoup all the money?"
And lest we forget that Ken was very close to the late activist Vittorio 'Vik' Arrigoni who was tragically killed in Gaza and it was Ken who identified his body.
These rats in London destroying Ken are disgusting, they disrespect not just Ken, but Vik and Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall, all activists killed while working as activists in Gaza, trying to protect the people from Israel's deadly bullets and bulldozers.
Ken is of their spirit, these people trying to hurt him are reduced scale human beings. They should be fined and jailed for their insubordinate actions and false sincerity used to steal equipment and destroy the mission to Gaza.
It is inconceivable that an activist with Ken O'Keefe's background and motivations and love for the beleaguered Palestinian people would do anything that was not for them.
Therefore every single word that ever comes out of the mouth of Myles of Shaath negative toward Ken's character, are fully untrue. They have been reached, they are working for Israel either directly or indirectly, though I can't imagine the latter scenario being the case; they are not working for humanity, they are not honest human beings by their own admission, and they are outed. There is no room in the operation for people of this ilk.
This is from Ken, it is his response to the terrible slanderous remarks issued by Catherine Myles. I will not publish her remarks, nor will I publish reconstituted versions of them in our comment section.
Lisa Atwill:
"I want the money I donated returning a.s.a.p. I would never ever have donated anything to a cause Catherine Myles was associated with. Catherine Myles has blocked me and will not communicate with me on this matter".
Ken O'Keefe:
"Ultimately I will have to eat humble pie and apologise to you and everyone else over having trusted Catherine to not only be my "PA", but to do the accounting. In my defence I was in Gaza when she took this role and really needed support in the UK to make things happen, but my decision to bring her in was horrible. I am sorry Lisa".
Lisa Atwill:
"It is not your fault you are not the thief Ken, you have no need to apologize to me. Cate will not acknowledge any communication or discuss this matter. I think that the minutes she has posted today are disgraceful and a clear indication as to the extent of how devious these criminals are".
Majd F. El-Wahaidi:
"What the Hell. Unbelievable . I'll share the 'Truth' Ken & I'll delete those bastards from my friends list. Shame on Them. Stay Strong".
Maryam Zahraa Hussain:
"Ken. You are Gaza. Anyone who says otherwise is just weird. I'm still kind of confused, is she saying Hamas is protecting her and their trying to get you banned from Palestine? I wish I could help. I burst out into tears as I read this. Is Noor alright? I pray you are well. Inshallah, the truth shall be revealed to the world. Stay safe my brother". ♥
Bonnie King:
"Infuriating! We are ALL insulted on behalf of our brother, Ken. We stand together- absolutely. She/they clearly do not know you. These ridiculous, baseless lies are beyond belief. How bizarre, and embarrassing for her gang of thieves. This will not end well for them, especially in the public eye. TJP"
David Evans:
"Shared, my Brother. As you know all too well, our enemies wear many masks. Those of us who know you will stay the course with you. I am sorry that with every waking minute you spend on this cause, you now need to contend with this evil. You've done SO much already for the good people in Gaza! And you will continue to do so much more for Gaza. We all know this".
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Again, what Ken O'Keefe needs is a real legal team to prosecute all of the slanderers. Catherine Myles is in the UK so this will be much, much easier, Ken believes, adding,
"What is written here is not just slander for me, but reckless endangerment for some in Gaza.
The Samouni family are also being hit directly with these lies, if this campaign succeeds, then the trust will be gone and I will step away. But this is out of my hands, what I need is legal help, real legal help and if a free lawyer cannot be found then I need a legal fund".
RENOUNCING US CITIZENSHIP
RENOUNCING US CITIZENSHIP
You can see Ken's full report here: Ken O'Keefe ~ on Being a World Citizen
MARCH 22, 2011, ISRAEL BOMBS RESIDENTIAL GAZA
You can see Ken's full report here: Time to add Palestine to the 'No-Fly Zone
WITNESS TO ISRAELI MURDER ON THE MAVRI MARMARA
Witness to Israeli Murder from Tim King on Vimeo.
Agron Belica's Song: 'History' from Tim King on Vimeo.
Gaza Medical Facility Attacked from Tim King on Vimeo.
Update on Violence in Gaza from Tim King on Vimeo.
Ken is a champ, one we can trust, I believe, always. I like reading Salem News, also. A source I trust.
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