(CAMERA) Gun-Running Bishop In Flotilla

"On a symbolic level, the appearance of a man of the cloth at a protest rally gives the protestors an aura of credibility. The logic is that members of the clergy are responsible to God, and theoretically to the churches they serve, and therefore would not endorse an unworthy cause, much less a violent one.

It is for that reason that the Free Gaza Movement was lucky to have retired Melkite Bishop Hilarion Capucci participating in its most recent effort to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip. To the uninformed, Capucci's presence in the flotilla gives credence to the notion that the flotilla's intentions were peaceful and innocent. Consequently, Capucci was on board a boat that was intercepted on its way to Gaza in in 2009. It was also why he participated in the flotilla that was recently boarded by Israeli soldiers in 2010. After his expulsion from Israel, Capucci told Reuters that the Israeli raid was 'unwarranted.'"

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