Sorry, but still with the Pope, this time from Honest Reporting, on the BBC’s Tim Franks and the “reason” he gives for the decline of Bethlehem’s Christian population. Tim Franks uses the usual technique of evoking sympathy by recounting a personal story, and he follows the plight of “Jonny” and his difficulties with the security walls.
Honest Reporting:
“Franks quoted several Palestinians who claim that Christians are leaving the city because of Israel’s security barrier. However, Franks also acknowledges that there could be another reason for the exodus.”
So while Franks does admit that some Christians are motivated to leave by fear of radical Islam but are afraid to put their views on record, he concentrates on the walls, once again mentioning the obligatory:
“Israel says the system of barriers it is building around the West Bank, sometimes cutting deep into occupied territory, is a security measure, although Palestinians call it a land grab.”
From Justus Reid Weiner, who has researched the plight of Christians in the Palestinian territories extensively:
“There are many examples of intimidation, beatings, land theft, firebombing of churches and other Christian institutions, denial of employment, economic boycotts, torture, kidnapping, forced marriage, sexual harassment, and extortion.”
“Many Palestinian Christian leaders accuse Israel of these crimes rather than the actual perpetrators[. ………]Others who are aware of the human rights crimes choose to remain silent about them.”
Plea from Honest reporting:
“The media has an obligation to report the truth. Insist that reporters tell the whole story when they cover the plight of Christians in the Middle East.”
Here is the tragedy, a victim is only visible to the rite on comrades IF they happen to fit the narrative and they are the right kind of victim.
I really started hating the beeboid scum when one sneered at a poor Cuban who was trying to tell the comrade what pure hell living in the peoples paradise really meant, sneering and sniggering like a nasty b*****d you could almost smell the utter contempt from the beeboid that anyone could be less than happy in the workers paradise.
If you happen to be right kind of victim then the BBCs corporate heart will bleed for you whether you deserve it or not, if you happen to be the wrong type of victim then you are invisible to them.
BBC reporters make themselves look ridiculous when they suggest that Christians are not under a lot of Muslim harassment in the Middle East. They are telling porkies that everyone with any sense of history and current reality recognises as porkies.
Trying to suggest that Jews are worse than Muslims in their dealings with Christians makes it doubly ridiculous.
But trhe BBC still tries to parade these lies.
Two vignettes of the BBC’s attitude to Israel.
1. Katya Adler (I think) on the 6pm news on Radio 4 making it clear that Israel’s RIGHT WING Netanyahu Government is now the only opposition a 2 state solution. Is that correct? Or is it more shoddy journalism from Al-Beeb? In the paint-by-numbers world of the BBC Israel is now the only member of the axis of evil. The USA and the Pope have left the axis (certainly since the election of the One in Washington and the statement by the Pope of support for a 2-state solution). I can’t ever remember under the Bush Presidency the BBC ever NOT grouping the USA and Israel as the terrible twins of world politics, but things have changed. Pity those Jews can’t just see reason, isn’t it Beeboids?
2. World Have Your Say 11th May edition asks “Are Christians oppressed in the Middle East”? Of course they are is the answer as more than one caller rings in from that region to assure us that Arab Christians are oppressed mostly by the policies of the Zionists. In other words not by Hamas or by any of the poisonous regimes in the region. It would have been good if the lame Beeboid hosting this could have pointed this out just once or twice. Instead it was left to the brave Arab Christian in the studio to make this point. Of course he had to remain anonymous, which actually nicely settles the question set by the programme without the need for discussion.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/whys
Melanie Phillips is an expert on Middle Eastern affairs. Her authoritative articles on the subject have consummate credibility because they’re based on her knowledge of history and meticulous analysis of current affairs. Unlike the outpourings that pass for journalism excreted by the BBC.
Yes we know that she is a staunch supporter and defender of Israel, and we know that to her critics that fact alone discredits her altogether. They believe that the very act of christening her ‘Mad Mel’ will embarrass her admirers enough to put them off.
She constantly despairs at the damage being done to Israel and the western world by the BBC which relentlessly delivers a diet of biased reporting to its worldwide audience and perpetuates the persistent myths and falsehoods that misrepresent and smear Israel and Jews.
This article is a fine example, and at the end the BBC gets a name-check.
The BBC conflates the Middle East with Israel. The Christian community is facing problems all through North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East. Israel can hardly be realistically blamed for Morocco and Iraq. The fence doesn’t extend that far.
Part of the reason for the drop is that Christians tend to be better educated than Muslims and generally have an established network of coreligionists so successful emigration is possible. In addition Christians tend to smaller families than Muslims. Even without leaving their proportion of the population drops.
The Beeb is right about one thing. No matter where Israel builds its fence the Arabs, Christian and Muslim will move mountains to stay on the Israeli side. Who can blame them.
The BBC’s Evil Empire ALWAYS refer to the Israeli Prime Minister as Right Wing leader Benjamin Netanyanu.
Why?
They do not describe Hamas as Islamofascists.Or Brown as UK’s left wing Prime Minister. Or Sarkozy as the Right Wing President.
It’s not only disrespectful to an elected leader of all his people but clearly designed to damn him and his people.
Good to see Israel hating Clare Short caught out fiddling the system.
The hypocrisy of these people is palpable. They sit in judgement of others and then…..
“and shot at BBC reporters”
doing something right then
Anon, did the evil jooos hit the bbc reporters?
Damn shame if they didnt.
Mailman:
A 5.56mm round costs nearly £1 to produce.
A beeboid isnt worth THAT.
I wonder how many lives have been lost in the M.E and wider afield as a result of the BBCs criminally irresponsible and incompetent “reporting” – i.e incitement and tacit encouragement – to mussie terrorist nutjobs over the years?
Makes you think, donnit?
As usual, more repugnant dishonesty from the BBC when it comes to reporting Israel. The implication that the main cause of decline of the Palestinian Christians was because of Israel’s policies, especially the security wall, is laughable. After all, we all know that the Christian minority would positively thrive if only an Islamist regime like Hamas controlled their destiny rather than open democratic Israel. Why, just look at how well “moderate” Egypt treats its Coptic Christian minority. In every single Muslim country on the face of this planet, with the possible singular exception of Albania, Christians are a cowed an oppressed minority, barely tolerated and with limited rights. I look forward to the BBC’s new Muslim head of religious broadcasting to start addressing this fact; I’m sure the irony of his position is not lost on him.
The article mentions the threat posed to the area’s Christians by radical Islam, but balances this with other reasons for the decline (see side bar in particular). Seems balanced to me.
And Sue, I agree there is much to admire in Melanie Phillips (I’m with her 50% of the way on the ME, and loved her dismantling of a BNP goon on Moral Maze a few months ago). But her views on ID and MMR are “mad”. See the comments section on her recent speccie pieces about ID. A shame to see someone with much to say on a range of issues, so discredited by her hatstand views here.
Anyone notice the toady show ‘thought for the day’ rant by the resident islamist mullah of Cambridge?
Did he get cut off when he tried to spew his islamist lies about the anti suicide bomber wall?
His defence of the pope in regard to him joining the Hitler youth and the nazi forces was disgusting and dishonest, lots of brave young people made the honourable choice NOT to join the Nazis and they paid the highest price, the pope caved in and joined freely and even gave an oath before God to serve Hitler.
Did the islamist preacher condemn the muslims cruelty and racism toward the other residents of the holy city?
Just compare Sri Lanka (where more civilians were killed) and Gaza coverage. Sri Lanka is never top news but more importantly where is the gutsy antisemitism (sorry antizionist)-inspired passion shill and squeal?
Anonymous 9:44 pm May 14.
(Welcome back, the Date!)
You are Jeremy Bowen and I claim my £5.
____________
Anonymous 8:06 am May 15th
“The article mentions the threat posed to the area’s Christians by radical Islam, but balances this with other reasons for the decline (see side bar in particular). Seems balanced to me.”
Don’t think the article is balanced by any stretch of the imagination. Bear in mind also the context and cumulative effect of biased reporting over time.
And Sue, I agree there is much to admire in Melanie Phillips (I’m with her 50% of the way on the ME, and loved her dismantling of a BNP goon on Moral Maze a few months ago). But her views on ID and MMR are “mad”. See the comments section on her recent speccie pieces about ID. A shame to see someone with much to say on a range of issues, so discredited by her hatstand views here.
I don’t agree with her either on those subjects, but I don’t think that discredits her at all on the ME. The eloquence and logic of the arguments she sets out stands alone, and it is up to the reader to make up their minds as if, say, one was a member of a jury.
“Melanie Phillips is an expert on Middle Eastern affairs. Her authoritative articles on the subject have consummate credibility because they’re based on her knowledge of history and meticulous analysis of current affairs. Unlike the outpourings that pass for journalism excreted by the BBC.”
What utter nonsense. Phillips is an attack dog for the israeli spin machine much in the same mode of Dershowitz. She deems any criticism of Israel either anti-semitic or if it originates from jews calls them ‘Jews for Genocide’. She is a hack and a poor one at that. She merely uses the tired old tactic of playinmg the man and not the ball where genuine and warranted criticism of Israel is concerned. Anyone who believes her to have ‘consummate credibility’ has absolutely none themselves.
Shall we assume you are Michael Neumann again?
Coming onto this blog is pointless for you.
Stick to your own blog please.
She can be my puppy anytime. :p
‘Coming onto this blog is pointless for you.
Stick to your own blog please.’
Typical of the pro-Israel cabal to try and stifle debate. Whats wrong, truth hurt too much?
Typical of the pro-Israel cabal to try and stifle debate. Whats wrong, truth hurt too much?
7:32 PM, May 15, 2009
I don’t see any sign at all of debate in any of your drivel. I’d like to stifle you though. (and if you keep on trolling on ‘my’ threads, I can.)
Now, back to your “Israel-Palestine” Page.
Wow i take it you don’t like conversing with jews?
MN
Kindly go and talk to yourself somewhere else. It’s futile to do it here.
Cassandra,
To be fair to the Pope, I doubt he had a choice when it came to being in the HItler youth. Imagine your childhood and the peer pressure you were under to conform with what your friends are doing.
There is no doubt there were those who refused to join, but lets not blow that out of context and make it in to more than it is. The Pope could not have known that he was going to become the Pope nearly 70 years later, nor would he have been fully aware of the evil that was the Nazi’s.
Mailman
In its website article ‘Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visits Jordan' the BBC claims something that seems wrong to me:
“A two-state solution based on independent Palestinian statehood is a goal strongly backed by the US and by Jordan and Egypt, Israel's only allies among Arab states.”
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8049724.stm)
Sorry Sue & co, I’m really not very clued-up about Middle Eastern affairs and I could be dead wrong , but surely neither Jordan nor Egypt can be said accurately to be “allies” of Israel, can they?
Yes, they have peace treaties and diplomatic relations with Israel and are no longer its enemies (unlike almost every other Arab state),but having peace treaties and diplomatic relations with a country doesn’t necessarily make you its ally. Far from it.
Jordan and Egypt may talk to their tiny neighbour, but relations could never (to this casual observer) be called warm -lukewarm at best and often hostile.
I’ve never seen the two countries described as “Israel’s allies” before (except maybe by Al Qaeda!). Have you?
Am I wrong, or is this another case of BBC inaccuracy? And if it is, what are the Beeb up to?
Craig,
I am not an authority, but I would say that Egypt and Jordan can be considered to be Israel’s allies pragmatically if not ideologically. For one thing, they share a fear of the threat of expanding Islamisation, something the BBC finds hard to acknowledge alongside their reluctance to recognise what is happening on their own doorstep.
Israel’s problems are a sort of litmus for our own.
Of course it’s far more complex than that. Economic and political factors and maybe the considerable benefits of Israel’s intellectual and cultural presence in the area are covertly acknowledged by ‘westernised’ Arab countries.
What is the BBC up to? I wouldn’t give them credit for much more than superficiality.
I could be wrong about any of this, I hope someone with more expertise will help, but this thread seems to be reaching its expiry date.
Thanks for that Sue.
You’re doubtless right that this thread seems to be reaching its expiry date – especially as it’s been such a long thread, given that some gargantuan troll cut and pasted that irrelevant, Tolstoy-length (but not depth) article right into the middle of it!
Whoops, my last comment was about a different thread of yours! Please ignore it.
I really do doubt that Jordan and Egypt can be considered allies of Israel nor would those countries see themselves in such a light. There is no common purpose.
Jordan and Egypt have certain pragmatic interests in common with Israel in particular a fear of Islamic fundamentalism and Palestinian nationalism and an economic appreciation that peace with Israel has led to American subsidies, without which their economies might collapse and the investment that would not be possible if they were still at war. That occasionally leads them to do things that also benefit Israel.
We should ask ourselves these questions: If Israel was attacked would Egypt or Jordan come to Israel’s aid or join it? The answer is no.
If Israel was attacked in an international body such as the United Nations or the Arab League would Egypt or Jordan defend it? The answer is still no.
I’m inclined to agree with Craig 6:51 AM, May 16, 2009 the BBC made a bad choice of words in this case.
‘I am not an authority’
Evidently not, as cheering the hack Melanie Phillips attests to. I take it that it annoys you that not all jews share your sectarian worldview sue?
Mr. Neumann,
You know next to nothing about me or my worldview. Take it how you want – whether or not you share my worldview – I. aint. bothered.
If you were interested in a debate about BBC bias, that would be different. Even if you were interested in discussing the views of Melanie Phillips who I admire, that would be okay. Or, though I’ve never heard him express any views about the BBC, I wouldn’t rule out listening to your criticism of Alan Derschovitz. (or whether to spell his name Dershowitz.)
But you don’t want any of that. You just want to make gratuitously personal taunts with no discernible substance. Trolling.
So for that reason, as they say on Dragons Den, I’m out; I’m regarding your latest reappearance on this defunct thread as a dead-cat-bounce.