Diplomat paraglides over Gaza for ‘Free Palestine,' drawing ire

German diplomat Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, who represented the European Union in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip for the past four years, went paragliding off the coast of Gaza this week to raise awareness for a “Free Palestine,” possibly in violation of Israeli regulations. “The first Gaza paragliding flight in history. What does it tell us?,” the envoy told the Palestinian Authority's Wafa news agency following the event. “You can fly here. You can kayak, you can horse ride, you can swim, you can surf; everything is possible in Gaza. Once you have a free Palestine, a free Gaza, you can do exactly the same thing.”

In response to the terror organization's attempts to misappropriate materials intended for civilian use, Israel has instituted additional restrictions on the import of so-called dual-use items. “Parachutes, windsurfers and model airplanes,” as well as “other flying vessels [that] are not powered by engines,” usually require a special permit to bring into Gaza.

Amid a wave of deadly attacks, Von Burgsdorff seemingly blamed Israel for Arab terrorism. “What do you think a [Palestinian] child who sees the houses of their parents, their brothers and sisters demolished because he or she was a suspected or real terrorist will feel?” he reportedly said at a conference in Jerusalem. “What kind of hatred will burn in this child? What do you think will happen?” During a reception at the PLO headquarters in Ramallah on Sunday, P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas awarded Von Burgsdorff the “Star of Jerusalem” medal. Abbas specifically lauded Von Burgsdorff's efforts in “supporting the Palestinian people and their just struggle to achieve their freedom and independence,” a statement said.

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