“You have had to live with the missile threat from Gaza for fourteen years now. But now you face a new threat, the tunnels Hamas have built running here from Gaza. How concerned are you about that?”
Incredibly, that really was a question asked by BBC journalist Stephanie Bell of an Israeli man, just broadcast on BBC1. So far over 600 Palestinian civilians have died compared to two Israeli civilians (one of whom was a Bedouin who as a matter of policy are denied air raid shelters). Yet the BBC continues to pump out the narrative that the “problem” is Hamas attacks on Israel.
There are many other more interesting questions Stephanie Bell might have asked. Here are some:
“Do you ever wonder about the lives of the Arab families who lived here before they were removed by force? Whether any of them are now living in Gaza and under those bombs and shells”
“Do you honestly believe that this land is yours because God said so?”
The BBC had also been reporting as credible Israel’s appalling denials that it massacred those families in the UN school, and completely unsubstantiated claim it was stray Hamas fire that did it. The UN have confirmed that Israel has regularly been hitting UN schools and medical facilities.
The problem is not the BBC per se, but senior managers & politicians, who set the agenda
It is worth reminding ourselves, because the media never do, that Hamas rockets are home made variations on the garden shed recipe known to school children.
Here’s an article from Der Speigel about a Palestinian rocket builder.
When Mark Thompson was photographed with the BBCs marching orders on view it was more than obvious which way the BBC would be spinning.
The rockets are a side issue, which is why the Israelis concentrate so hard on them. The central issues – the continuing annexation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem for Jewish settlements, and the continuing blockade of the Gaza prison camp – both illegal – remain unaddressed. And will continue to be so unless the tacit and material support our governments give Israel’s policy of becoming a monotheistic apartheid state are withdrawn.
Interesting.
http://www.richardhowittmep.com/index.php/all-news/598-24-07-2014-new-centre-left-foreign-affairs-chief-s-deep-regret-at-eu-abstention-in-un-vote-for-human-rights-inquiry-in-gaza-conflict
Tony Blair is willing to share his experience in development with Vietnam:
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/108237/tony-blair-pledges-to-share-development-experience.html
And it was doing so well before he arrived….
Next stop Guangzhou. Not Cairo, not Jerusalem. Guangzhou.
Baal
“Interesting”
Or not. An insignificant MEP makes the mildest of rebukes on his web site. Is this the legendary “finer than you think” balance? Entirely predictable. Entirely meaningless.
Ineffective dissent is an essential part of sustaining the murderous status quo. It changes nothing but keep reformers dreaming.
While I’m with you on all the points you make about this conflict and it’s deplorable that the BBC (and other media) doesn’t ask the questions you propose, i believe the question is still justified. Who wouldn’t feel threatened in their place? I think (or sincerly hope) that most Israelis and Palestinians just want to live in peace without being endangered by the actions of radical groups and governments.
Also, I feel your continued comparisons of casulties doesn’t help your arguments. The violence needs to end not matter how many and whose lives are lost.
This interview is pretty bad Sakur seems to repeat Israeli assertions only.I can fin no record of UNRWA saying that rockets were hidden in an empty school,did they?http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04bn6pj/newsnight-24072014
Rockets still being fired from Gaza. So Israelis have right to defend themselves (just like Russian murderess in Ukraine). I trust JPost. Why would I NOT trust their broadcast of the conflict?
http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Rocket-barrage-fired-across-central-Israel-rocket-hits-home-in-Ashkelon-368907
Mary,
Please note I have never insulted you (at least directly) or supported an insult towards you. And you just did so. You of course translated and understood the words butthole brained bagger wrote to me and supported them. Not good.
My trust of JPost broadcast is out of desperation (and in protest) of may narrow minded mad western lefties on this blog trusting and quoting RT broadcast of Russian Ukrainian conflict. I do have heart but when dealing with heartless (and mindless) one needs to turn into a heartless wolf.
Hamas’ leader expressed legitimate wishes for Gazans – not only a ceasefire but the right to build ports and airports, a proper economy, freedom to deal with the world freely.
I believe that bringing about all this is in Israel’s interest as well. But firing rockets into Israel, even to express genuine grievance, won’t help.
Sakur, more like sucker upper!
The appalling dog and pony show, carries on the path of the zionists decrying; “I didn’t do it”, while the Palestinians are subject to and under an imposed by guns, helicopter gunships, submarines, and and an array of air assets ranging from nuclear capable fighter bombers to missiles. This is compounded by the tacit international acceptance that this medieval siege is an acceptable and civilised concept to be practised by the zionists.
The exceptionalism extended to the zionist fraudsters include the acceptance that Hamas was hiding rockets in the school that was subject of the massacre, that is post the earlier revelations that it was a Hamas mortar that fell short of hitting its target and fell onto the school! There have always been the prevarications of; “I didn’t do it” by zionist scum many times before, zionists shoot Palestinians kids because their parent push them into the path of the bullets, or under the tanks, or ………
This is the sad realities of the 21st century, for the benefit of whomsoever from the future who can read this, we the people strongly opposed the polices of genocide, land theft, and apartheid in Isreal! Alas it was our corrupt, undermined and blackmailed political leadership whom carried on supporting this aberration in human history.
Alexander
Had that been the answer to a question like “How do you feel about recent events?”, it would have been legitimate to broadcast. But to spout the entire government narrative dressed up as a question is not legitimate.
Abe Rene
“But firing rockets into Israel, even to express genuine grievance, won’t help.”
Nobody seem to care, even people on this blog who pretend to care (except Mr Murray of course). All these people need is another reason to moan on US hegemony and seemingly oppose it. They (these people) give no toss when people die in other places AS LONG AS US is not involved in these killings EVEN IF ANOTHER POWER IS INVOLVED BUT that power happens to be opposing US, just like these people. It is well played masquerade aimed at calming down their own underachievements (personal or otherwise). Hate US, Hate Tories, Hate Necons. It is all them. Not us. Despite the very ideology they pray to historically inspiring the largest (in quantity) number of mass killings. BUT WHO cares? As Long as it was NOT US involved in these mass killings.
Well said, Uzbek.
Yesterday’s Today in parliament had Lord Sachs moaning on about Gaza and anti-Semitism. Their lordships want to make William Hague Anti-religious-extremism Tsar. For a moment I thought he was going to say Blair. He hovered and settled on Hague.
For a man who has just signed for and sworn in ISIS/ IE The Israeli Emperor, he would be the ideal choice.. He can sit grinning in a short gown in the House of Lords in front of the cameras and elegantly cross and uncross his untighted legs – all in the best possible taste.
The BBC are completely disreputable, and have been for an exceedingly long time. However, that doesn’t mean all their reporters are – who actually get out to where it is actually happening – and record detailed witness evidence. Sometimes this actually gets Broadcast – say once very late at night…and someone actually copies it – and uploads it to youtube. This happened just after the latest death of Osama Bin Laden, and it has also happened in the Ukraine…
Then that report is buried and all efforts made to delete it from youtube. But completely deleting stuff from the Internet is very difficult – because many cache copies, can still linger on numerous different servers…
This is well worth a click
“The Catastrophe of #MH17: BBC in the Search of the “#BUK” – The Video Report Censored by BBC”
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-catastrophe-of-mh17-bbc-in-search.html
Slightly off topic but Martin Sherman who writes opinion pieces in the Jerusalem Post has called for Gaza to be ethnically cleansed and taken over by Israel.
“The only durable solution requires dismantling Gaza, humanitarian relocation of the non-belligerent Arab population, and extension of Israeli sovereignty over the region.”
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Into-the-fray-Why-Gaza-must-go-368862
@Tony_0pmoc
Here is another version (originated in the Lubyanka basements) ignored by western media.
“The plane was shot Americans. There is evidence. But there is one problem. On Board was not living people. It was missing earlier in Malaysia the plane with bodies of passengers! Be cursed America! Damn Americans! Washington is ready to destroy half of the world for natural resources of Russia! Europe awake! You are a slave of the Americans! You are nothing!”
there is only one solution to this problem in two steps. Israel understands force, because it has never understood peace, they even assassinated their own president who wanted peace with arabs. So, a buly will never stop until he gets punched. These rockets, tunnels are nothing compared to what Israel has in its arsenal. So, 1st step of the solution is, all arabs and muslims, should get united and build a strong army, even with nuclear arsenals. Only then, when Israel knows it can get knocked out, only then it will listen to all UN resolutions and wil go back to 1967 border. I am very sorry to say this, but there is no other option. Second step: all countries, especially in the west, should ban lobbying by any groups for any other country outside their countries. This is a main problem in today’s world. an israeli or arab should not be alowed to meddle with politicians in another country to lobby the interetsts of their groups back home. why should a politician in my country who is paid by may taxes sgould listen to the particular interets of israeli groups to promote their interest outside my country? If they want things changed in their country they should get hell out of here to their country and work hard in their country with their people and politicians to lobby their own interetsts. Ban on lobbying has to be made a crime by international law. Israel is so powerful today because of lobbysts meddling with the politicians in America, Europe, Russia, etc. This has to stop. Israel is now a cancer on the planet. It needs treatment.
Totally agree Komodo @ 9:29 – To strip the US/UK insulation around Israel means the diametric intention I hold sets me out on a limb. –
Fcuk it I cannot bring to mind another way. Time will tell.
I would love the native populations of Amerika and Australia to invoke the right to exist and the right to return.
Of course in Amerika, they have allies in this regard, AIPAC. All the native indians need to do is occupy members of AIPACS houses, what could they say?
Tony_Opmoc – The vineyardsaker piece seems to support a known snare stratagem that maneuvers the drawing fighter jet from below the target to above it immediately the active missile homing radar alarm sounds off.
Israel is so powerful today because of lobbysts meddling with the politicians in America, Europe, Russia, etc.
Lobbying in Russia? Really? There is no such thing as lobbying in Russian political lingua. Corruption however is another matter and it exists in Russian by very large and especially in Kremlin or Russian White house (Russian government office). Just for your information; corruption is illegal in Russia but it does not stop it from being the main source of income for most of Russian politicians and government officials.
Uzbek
Russia is very precious to the MWL on here, so your excellent observations will be ignored, denied or avoided with whataboutery. Credit to Craig, he does criticicise Russia and is roundly castigated for doing so because the MWL find it impossible to view an adversary of the West with anything but complete adulation.
So going back to the beginning:
One group of people (Uk Balfour agreement & the UN) took the land from another group of people (Palestinians) and gave it to another group of people (Jewish/Israeli’s).
You just cant make this shit up, can you.
The Palestinians should be suing the UN and UK for crimes against humanity.
Uzbek in the UK, 11:47 am: I tend to criticise “my side, the West” myself…
…different things upset different people. Personally, I get very upset about being deceived, and I suspect that this is the motivation of some of the people you criticise. The ongoing propaganda that “ours” is the “good side”, that “the West” only ever attacks countries for the good of “their” populations rather than “our” commercial interests – people resent the repetitive, dishonest brainwashing. “Other sides” also propagandise and deceive, but their outpourings are not all over the news stands of every newsagent, they’re not repeated hourly on our radio and TV, they’re not interwoven into our entertainment. Essentially, we’re force-fed propaganda, and people come to identify the entity deceiving them, “the West”, as their personal enemy.
Uzbek, I can understand that you value highly the free speech in the UK compared with Uzbekistan, and it probably seems to you that us anti-“Western” commenters don’t know how lucky we are – and you’re right; most of us have known nothing else, so how could we?
But Uzbek, criticising “the West” while failing to criticise other governments does no direct harm, and the “West” could do far more good for the people of those other governments if it put its own house in order first; without that, it lacks moral credibility.
Also, the ways our “Western” governments deceive us cause us to be wary of criticising other governments that the “West” opposes, because such criticism is usually recycled to justify war upon those countries – “humanitarian intervention” and the “responsibility to protect”.
@Uzbek …
Isn’t a lot of lobbying just a sophisticated form of corruption?
Uzbek, personal enemies have more emotional effect upon someone than abuse and oppression of others. Being deceived personally invokes a stronger emotional reaction than the murder of someone far away to whom we have no direct connection. It’s a sad aspect of human nature, but to be expected. It’s far from ideal, but it isn’t insane or evil.