As we all know, Israel never gets a fair chance on the BBC. With Israeli PM Netanyahu visiting Obama today, it was predictable that the BBC would use the opportunity to get stuck in and so they did! Just listen to Jeremy Al Bowen here — quite stunning in the tone and substance. Bias incarnate.
SO, WHEN DID YOU STOP BEATING YOUR WIFE?
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It’s probably me being a bit slow, but what precisely was Bowen’s point? Just maintain the mood music that the bbc uses to surround all things Israel? And notice that humphrys can’t even be bothered to clearly pronounce PM Netanyahu’s name.
Has Israel become a liability? Yes it has. It’s about time its best mate comes clean and tells it that it stinks. Mr. Netanyahu must be punished for not freezing settlement building – which is illegal under international law. Which is illegal under international law. Which, in case you didn’t catch it the first million times, is ill-bloody-legal. Under-Inter-bloody-national. Law.
David Petraeus said if Israel gave up and went home there would be peace among all mankind and man unkind. Stop playing around; go home and take your ball back to Poland. That’s more or less Jeremy Bowen’s point.
I love the way for Bowen it was all about Israel’s attack on Iran, not the other way round
I keep reading that Obama is heavily losing support among Jewish people in the US who traditionally vote Democrat. This damages the Dems in important states like New York and Florida – and coupled with endless attacks on Wall Street has led to sharp reductions in fundraising. Obama is out of step with general US opinion in trying to berate Israel – they see both sides, not just the Bowen/Palestinian narrative.
I heard Bowen’s piece twice on the Today prog. – once in the statement posted here, and then most of it was repeated within the 8am news.
On and on goes the BBC obsession. Bowen et al get Israel made as first or second main news item endlessly – when it is not headline news in most of the UK press or on ITN or Sky. Today is an example. Bowen is determined to portray Netanyahu and Israel in a bad light. Never ever any suggestion that the Palestinians need to do things to facilitate moves towards any (mythical) peace process.
Obama looks likely to do a climb-down today. He is being forced to, through internal US politics, with large numbers of Congressment and Senators criticising his earlier stupidity. Bowen HATES Obama being pushed into a corner – he wants Israel pushed around, he wants Israel to crumble.
Bowen’s performance on the Today programme struck me as petulant. Meanwhile on the World Service we have a daily dose of Jon Donison reporting on a suffering Palestinian factory owner/shopkeeper/yada yada yada, every day a new one.
The BBC is truly pathetic in its venom.
John,
Well said. I posted on another thread about Bowen’s piece on
” From our own correspondent ” last Saturday on the same topic. The hate for Israel and Netanyahu was blatant. Bowen almost spitting his words out. He really is a vile piece of garbage.
There is a very interesting contest in Chicago Illinois 9th district between Reform Jew/Obama/ J Street supporter/ Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Orthodox Jew/Republican/AIPAC supporter, Joel Pollak,
Will the Jews desert their traditional home in the Democrat Party over Obama’s Israel stance (and other issues like competence)? How will the BBC report it if they do?
Illinois’ Ninth District: For Jews, a Choice Between AIPAC and J Street
Israeli sniper faces Gaza manslaughter charges
The Israeli military has announced it will charge an army sniper with killing a person during the Gaza offensive, when hundreds of Palestinians died.
It said there were grounds for trying the staff sergeant for manslaughter in a military court.
Evidence was found that the soldier had opened fire as the victim walked with a group of people waving a white flag.
Well, you’d think that in a sane world this story was evidence that Israel is a democrtic state which demands high standards of its military, but you’d be wrong, as the next sentence shows:
So far, Israel has only punished two other soldiers for their actions during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09.
Gosh, only two other soldiers!
In a sane world that would make one think that the IDF is in fact a highly profesional and humane military… but no, the BBC thinks that many more soldiers should be tried!
How many Hamas “operatives” have been tried? How many of the accusations of war crimes that even Goldstone hinted at have been investigated by Hamas?
The BBC’s Wyre Davis in Jerusalem says that the Israeli offensive against Gaza, which began at the end of 2008, was notable for its severity and the fact that, according to the UN, more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed compared to fewer than 20 Israelis.
Well screw Wyre Davis and the camel he rode in on! I expect he’d be happier if more Israelis had been killed.
What complete and utter vermin the BBC are. How about this a critical observation the BBC will never make: ‘So far the BBC has only had one complaint partially upheld against it for Jeremy Bowen’s reporting’.
And how many terrorists have Hamas punished for their crimes ?
Hamas builds murals to people who commit atrocities against Jews.
Just caught a truly awful report on the News Channel about Netanyahu’s meeting with the US President. The whole piece focused entirely no whether or not Israel was behaving. “The President believes that Israel really is serious about peace.” The question was whether or not Israel can be trusted or actually wants peace and is willing to finally do something positive.
Not one single sentence about whether or not Hamas or Fatah or the rest of the Palestinians are serious about peace. In its Charter, Hamas still calls for the destruction of Israel and the removal of all Jews from the region. Yet the BBC’s focus is still – still! – on whether or not Israel can be trusted.
There’s no excuse for this, BBC.
The BBC is an up-market version of Der Sturmer. It’s coverage of Holocaust remembrance these days rings so hollow its like being stuck in a church bell tower of hypocrisy when it starts ringing.
Hippie,
Down-market version, surely ?
David P,
Quite right. Do the BBC and Obama think the Israelis want war ? These people are nuts !
Yes, they do, Grant. Their childish world outlook leads them to believe that all the Arabs are really victims of white imperialism, and have had war thrust upon them.
Unless Bowen is peculiarly stupid he must know that Obama has really toughened the sanctions against Iran .No aviation fuel for one thing and despite protestations from BP they have had to go along with it, given the parlous state of BP in the USA. This latest round of sanctions is serious and will hurt Iran as it looks as if it is being backed up by increased military presence in the Gulf.
Is Europe now in range of Iranian missiles and has Iran already got nuclear weapons ? This is the real nightmare and this might be driving US policy. Israel is not threatening Europe and will never do so. I suspect much secret talking behind the headlines and Bowen spouting on endlessly about the Palestinians and bad Israel is not of any real imkportance. Iran is a failed rogue state that threatens Europe, Japan and the US. Israel is not and the US knows this full well
Perhaps war is coming but I doubt if the hand wringing liberals fixated on Gaza are even going to be consulted let alone listened to. The survival of Europe might be at stake.
Unfortunately Obama is not yet a failed rogue President. He’s doing all he can to tilt the USA to the cause of barbarism. He’ll do all he can to sell Israel down the swanny, let’s hope the US mid-term elections stop him.
I’m pretty sure Bowen knows that The Obamessiah is turning up the heat on Iran. Bowen forgets Rule No. 1 in The Obamessianic Age: If it threatens His rule, makes Him look bad, it’s an enemy.
Having thin skin means one is extra sensitive to pressure on it. The President is well aware that Iran is making Him look like an idiot. I mean, everything that has gone wrong was predicted six months before the election by numerous critics (including this blog). So now He gets that He needs to appear to kick Iranian ass.
Don’t get me wrong: He doesn’t care either way. Iran and Israel and foreign policy in general is an inconvenience to Him, and nothing more. The domestic scene was always His only interest. Anything that seems to weaken His grip on power – the oil spill, BP, Israel, Chrysler’s shareholders, Russia – must be dealt with, regardless of any previous behavior. So now Iran is making things difficult for Him to flex His domestic muscles, ergo Iran feels the “boot on the neck”.
Aside from all that, if Bowen dared to criticize The Obamessiah, he’d be censored and censured by his BBC bosses. Justin “Farcical Man” Rowlett made one post cricizing The Obamessiah about having “lost his bottle” regarding some environmental issue, and is probably still smarting from the reprimand as he hasn’t done it since. Ever seen or heard another Beeboid look askance at Him?
Didn’t General Petraeus deny he had made the statement that Israel was a liability? Bowen should have known that yet he still broadcasts it as fully credited fact.
Yes I noticed that back in March when on the same day the BBC were repeating the lie at the same time that the JPost had published Petraeus’s denial.
I just can’t believe that the Jerusalem correspondent, or somebody at the BBC, didn’t know. It’s wilful misinformation and a complaint should be lodged.
Was it Churchill who said, “A lie gets half way round the world before the truth can get its boots on”?
He even manages to make the word ‘Israel’ sound like an insult (@ 2:59).
Al-Bowen – the world’s most biased reporter since William Joyce.
I am one of those Jewish Americans who has always voted Democratic. I have voted in every election since 1972, and always for the Democrat, including Obama. I do not live in a state which has a lot of Jews, but I do live in a large Midwestern state which is considered a “swing” state.
I will not vote for Obama again. Not just because of his position on Israel, but because he has been a huge disappointment on domestic issues as well. I have also stopped my usual donation to the Democratic party organization, although I will donate to individuals whom I consider to be worthy of election.
He’s looking to topple ‘Jimmah’ Carter’s record as World’s Worst US President. Ever.
Meir Dagan never said “liability”. The BBC invented that word. As usual, they quoted a Ha’aretz (lefty Israeli daily) news report which itself had added the word “burden” to Dagan’s actual statement. After this game of Chinese Whispers, the BBC finally managed to make Dagan look as if he was criticising Israel. Yet another BBC distortion, a.k.a. Liberal Interpretation of English – or “LIE” for short!
Bowen is a jew-hating piece of scum