It was inevitable that I’d have to return to this story for the third time, now that things have come to the boil in such an unfortunate manner.
It is always difficult for defenders of Israel to make their case in an atmosphere of such overpowering hostility. When Israel’s actions appear disproportionate, unreasonable or excessive, both to the casual listener or viewer and the downright antisemite, everything reaches a horrible crescendo.
In this case Mark Regev has another monumental task. He faces disrespect, discourtesy and ignorance. Indignant, disbelieving hostile questioning and from BBC News 24, a kind of interrogation with underlying insinuation and cynicism.
On Today, an unusual interview with heroic apostate Ayaan Hirsi Ali preceded the report about the flotilla. Her comments about Islam were apposite. Yet no-one on the Today programme was honest enough to make the connection.
The media is playing its own not insignificant part in whipping up the situation, and the more we hear about Angry Muslims Rising Up, the more they will do so.
I often complain about the BBC’s ignorance. If anyone is interested in how Israel came into being and the legality of its presence in Jerusalem, I suggest they watch this. It’s long, but persevere, because you’re worth it.
Hi Sue,
Interesting that the BBC not only interviewed Hirsi Ali, but did so in a mild, almost sympathetic fashion.
Funnily enough, on May 22nd on The Editors blog I challenged the BBC fan club to find evidence of a right wing BBC (since they were denying it was left wing) by showing BBC support for the following:
*Fox hunting
*The death penalty
*The Con/LibDem alliance
*Pro-lifers
*Capitalism
*Small government
*Right wing political parties
*Global warming sceptics
*Right wing born again American Christians
*The War on Terror
*Ayaan Hirsi Ali
*Gert Wilders
*George W Bush
*Israel
Needless to say, nobody rose to the challenge. But it could just be that the message got through to someone in charge of something there who realised the BBC had in fact virtually ignored Hirsi Ali and decided to do something about it.
Could also be that I’m dreaning.
Just heard Danny Ayalon, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, on IBA radio on the flotilla clash. He was quite impressive, pointing out that those were not “peace activists” and some of them in fact had links to Al Qaeda.
Hi TT,
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was on because of her new book, but yes Evan was gentle with her.
We had Danny Ayalon on the Beeb too. On News 24. He was given time to make his case.
Mark Regev was given short shrift in comparison, early this am. The BBC woman was trying to make him say that he thought ‘peace activists’ might be armed, with the obvious insinuation that such a thing was unthinkable.
Later, when it seems they actually were armed, the insinuation has become ‘Israel is lying.’
Jon Donnison is reporting straight from the Palestinian rule book. No holds barred.
I like the idea of dreaning. (to sneep, perchance?)
How are your probs with commenting? All better?
The times when Lord Tebbitt whipped up a bit of momentum against BBC bias lo and behold there would be some ‘report’ that had blatant conservative bias. What vividly sticks out is a report on the integration of Asian immigrants in Luton. My jaw was wide open on how biased it was in favour of the Tebbitt line. It ended with an Indian restauranteur passing the ‘cricket test’.
They throw out these occasional sops to head off complaints and provide ‘plausible deniability’, but what these sops actually prove is just how conniving and calculated BBC bias is.
Did you catch the headline at the begining of the 8am bulletin on News 24 this morning? It ended with the words “Hamas has urged Muslims to rise-up against Israel” To me that is grossly irresponsible on the BBC’s part – especially as the story was still effectively Breaking – and not mention hugely inflammatory.
Yes I thought it came across as a sort of challenge. Not that they need any more incitement.
Read the thread on CifWatch for a pro-Israel angle, including some more of the antisemitic bile that is permitted in the comments on the Guardian’s CIF.
The Guardian is a sewer of knee-jerk Jew hate. Not ALL of it, of course, but plenty.
Mind you, so is the Daily Mail.
Of course, they mask it by pretending to be “anti” Zionist. But it’s just code for sanctimonious creeps who call themselves “tolerant”.
Sue better thanks. Gotta run.
Of course, that expert on Islam, BBC’s ‘gay’ EVAN DAVIS, presumed, wrongly, in his introduction to Ms. Hirsi Ali, the moral equivalence of Bible and Koran, in terms of their incitement to violence.
Clearly, BBC’s Davis has not researched this:
“Bible and Qur’an: equally violent?”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/03/bible-and-quran-equally-violent.html#more
A good BBC interview with a spokeswoman of the Free Gaza Movement:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10196804.stm
News 24 female newsreader just referred to the overall blockade itself as “the deadly crackdown”. Jews around the world will pay for this. Violent attacks against Jews and Jewish property in Europe is going to be at an all time high before the week is over.
All that great diplomacy with Turkey seems to have worked out well.
No matter how much evidence emerges as to who initiated the violence, the world isn’t interested. International condemnation of Israel abounds.
The BBC has given up broadcasting statements from Israel, and is bombarding us with ever more outrageous snippets and speculations from its enemies.
Jews around the world will no doubt pay for this, as you say.
So far every anti-Israel talking head – from Alexi Sayle to that activist from Syria – has been allowed to spout the most extreme viewpoints unchallenged by the BBC. Even when the woman from Syria said that Hamas hasn’t been shooting all those rockets, it’s really been the Israelis doing it, her statement was allowed to stand. Only the mildest “devil’s advocate” rebuttals from Beeboids today.
The opinions from various interviewees have been massively weighted against Israel today. Only two clips from the Israel side have been shown, contrasted with an ever-increasing amount of condemnation. I have no problem with the BBC reporting lots of condemnation, as of course that’s the reality. But the extremist, pro-Hamas viewpoint has been overwhelming any chance for Israel to explain itself.
As for the old “proportionate response” meme, I just wish the BBC would get someone to say how many Israelis must die before they’re allowed to respond. If we’re going to get math involved, let’s be honest about the numbers already.
So. We’ve got a protest outside Whitehall by the usual crowd.
Free Palestine /support Hamas.
We’ve had a condemnatory statement from William Hague. We’ve had reports of international condemnation. Requests for inquiries, calls for this and that from the same old same old.
Israel’s explanations are dismissed as lies. ‘Peace-loving humanitarians’ hang on the words of Islamists and terrorists in the name of justice and freedom. Statements are twisted and manipulated, innuendo and heresay are scattered willy nilly. Assumptions are made and conclusions leapt to.
All evidence is cast aside in the rush to vilify the Jews and Israel. We are all Hamas now.
Good old BBC. Believe the liars and doubt the truthful. Trust the insincere and distrust the honourable. Go BBC!
Carry on. Keep right on till the end of the road.
“A Peace Activist”
“It is becoming ever more clear that Islamist terror attacks like this are fiendishly staged theatrical events in which the western media – and beyond them, western governments — play an absolutely essential role in the drama. If those media and governments refused to swallow the lies and instead called operations like this and the players behind it for what they actually are, such terrorist operations would not happen.”