Old films are very popular. We love nostalgia, the costumes, the funny accents, lots of smoking, and we can observe with the benefit of hindsight, people going about their business in the 20s and 30s. We know, as they do not, of the tribulations to come. We particularly relish seeing everyone pooh-poohing the threat of Nazism, and we empathise with the frustration felt by a lone voice expressing alarm. We understand the complacency and innocence that made people miss the obvious signals, if only they would spot them, of the gathering storm.
Even when war became a reality, obstinacy and blindness persisted. We know all that now.
Last night on BBC World service “The Strand” I heard Egyptian novelist and political and cultural commentator Adhaf Soueif talking from Tahrir Square. She’s one of Egypt’s liberal female writers, and was breathlessly enthusing about the uprising; the diversity, the creativity, the unity and the spirit of the people in Tahrir Square. All marvellous, until her final words – “we must stop pandering to the interests of America and lsrael.”
In the same programme there was an interview with German photographer Kai Weidenhofer who has an exhibition in London. Images of the human cost of war. (Gaza) He cited the Goldstone report to justify using such voyeuristic subject matter.
The bout of insomnia wore off and I woke up to the dulcet tones of William Hague complaining about Israel’s belligerence. According to Hague, Israel must reinstate the settlement freeze and abracadabra there will be Peace in Our Time. Actually, I saw the same interview on the telly, and he did mention that the Palestinians should also make a concession or two, but that was omitted for the purposes of Today.
Then there was a shameful interview with Sir Sherard Cowper Coles, who echoed Hague’s sentiments, and said in no uncertain terms that all the region’s problems are Israel’s fault. James Naughtie disgraced himself by confusing PaliLeaks with WikiLeaks, and then repeating the Guardian’s and Polly Toynbee’s face-value interpretation of them: ‘Israel was offered everything, turned it all down, offered nothing in return. Swaggered.’
Does he actually think it was WikiLeaks, and not Qatari Al-Jazeera’s malicious “release” of selected spin, designed to undermine the PA, Abbas, Israel and the entire peace process?
Where was Israel’s point of view? Oh I forgot. We don’t need that. Because we’re well into the olden days. The days when, despite some lone voices expressing alarm, everyone’s happily missing the signs if only they would spot them, of the gathering storm.
Great post Sue!
Exactly why must Israel be “flexible” and what does this flexibility consist of exactly?
In other words Israel must give in, she must accept the dominance of the Arab negotiators who would walk out at the drop of a hat anyway but the Arabs are not interested in a final peace settlement anyway, all they require is a constant giving way by Israel until the Arabs can step in with the boot on her neck.
Its a cunning approach, they waste as much time as possible while relying on the useful idiot appeasers in the West work to weaken Israels position. The gullible weak West really has no conception of the tactics at play and the real narative that the Arabs and their useful idiot collaborators are using.
The BBC eagerly plays a very essential role with its continous anti Israel propaganda, its ever present poisonous racism and its policy of delegitamization and demonization. The constant stream of negative stories and the hypocrisy of allowing one side unlimited free forgiveness and understanding while picking on every tiny inffraction both real and imagined by the other.
Gay Billy? That treacherous little poison dwarf follows his mistresses direct and detailed orders. The words the disgusting little troll utters are not his own but come directly from his boss in Brussels. As he is legally obliged by treaty to work for EU interests he will not be saying anything unless every last word has been placed in his mouth by Ashton first. You can take it for granted that when the ugly little queen opens his mouth it is in fact Ashton who is speaking.
“we must stop pandering to the interests of America and lsrael.”
I lol’d. Conveniently forgetting that the US was instrumental in training and supporting leading individuals in the demonstration; furthermore that it is $2 bn of US funding and numerous “War on Terror” diplomatic connections with the Egyptian Army that is preventing them surpressing the demonstrations.
If the US was the least bit belligerent towards Egypt, or cared the slightest about Mubarak, there would have been .50 cals discharged in Tahrir square months ago
Accepting that Hague is known for his pro-Palestinian views but I did wonder when I heard the Today programme if I was hearing a fair reflection of Hague’s comments or if they had been carefully edited. The BBC should understand that their constant distortions dilute everything we hear from them.
Sue, I hear the anguish and very palpable fear in your post. Believe me, most of us on this site feel it too. It would be an act of supreme wickedness (worse than that but I can’t think of any words that fully describe it) if our governments and broadcasters allow Israel to be wiped off the map and their citizens slaughtered. Once in living memory should surely be enough for these bigots.
What makes it even worse is that the militant islamism and clever propagandising will be redoubled with the confidence the destruction of Israel will give these evil people. The West will be next – they’ve already started (with the help of the left-wing nazis like the UAF) as they think they are approaching the end-game in Israel. The UAF and Labour Party allies will find it’s too late, and their socialist utopia (aka marxist enslavement) will never take place as it will have been smashed by a militant islamic state (aka medieval barbaric enslavement).
Sorry for the rant but this situation is going too far and our government needs to sort it out NOW before it is too late.
I fear it is already too late for The Netherlands, France and the UK. The US is not that much safer and a second term for Barack Obama could well see them in the same boat as us.
sue
I presume you noted Sir Sherard’s warning to the Jewish Diaspora not to be as uncompromising as Israel. Nice eh! Sir Sherard’s clear implication is that the Jews in Britain (and elsewhere) are apparently, preventing peace in the Middle East. If only those pesky Zionists would take 5 minutes off from ruling the world and give peace a chance in Palestine, Sir Sherard would be happy.
The old hatred is clearly alive and well at the Foreign Office (as well as at the BBC). It’s odd though that the BBC journalists and chosen commentators are always trying to tell me that Islamic terrorism here is nothing to do with the “majority of moderate” Moslems here . But all Jews here are indirectly responsible for terrorism by Hamas and Hezbollah there.
I mentioned it yesterday on another thread.
Soueif’s breathless eulogy on inclusivity, fraternity, liberality of these wonderful folk from all walks of life.
The German language has a beautiful word to describe such new dawn emotions….Revolutionsromantiker……from bitter experience of how new awakenings often presage nightmares to come.
I doubt her privileged status cuts much ice with the fellahin.
But two points upset me particularly….the lingering of Al Jazeera on caricature posters of Mubarack with fangs and a Star of David engraved into his forehead held aloft by these womderful, caring sharing folk. Not good.
Another detail, which shows she is so remote from reality , to me at least, was the statement that Copts held ‘Masses’ in the Square. A liturgical impossibilty. Some Copts might have held prayer meetinss but that would have been quite outside liturgical sanction given Pope Shenouda’s clear statement, supported by his bishops, that Christians should not attend or participate. Masses can only take place in consecrated locations. The Square is not one of those.
Did they mention that the “diversity” of the protesting crowds meant that it was mostly men with the women wearing the hijab or niqab and standing off to the side, totally segregated? That’s the kind of diversity the BBC doesn’t normally celebrate when other religions do it.
And then there’s the anti-Israel aspects of Egyptian protestors, mentioned here several times, which the Western media finds unobjectionable
“Anti-Semitic Imagery at Egypt Protests Draws Yawns from Western Media”
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/anti-semitic-imagery-at-egypt-protests-draws-yawns-from-western-media/?singlepage=true
Well I confess to be ignorant of the intricacies and history of these affairs, I have to say that I feel that the Israelis are downtrodden and vilified merely for protecting themselves and their territory. In that respect, there’s a lot that WE should be learning.
Personally, I feel that there will be serious problems in the area before too long, and consider Hisbollah, Hamas, and all these militant (and stupid) organisations mean only harm to Israel (and the rest of us, inevitably), and should be stopped rather quickly. They’re not interested in peace or peace talks, they are hell-bent on the destruction of the west and western values. I think they’ll succeed, too, unless we sort ourselves out and act against this Islamification of everywhere, and lend some support to Israel who, it seems, are our only defence in the front line due to their unwillingness to give in.
The current Egyptian uncertainty will not help matters either – funny how after a loud and vociferous kick-off, it seems to have melded into a Monty Python sketch – “what do we do next?” More strength to the Israeli elbows, I say.
Sue. I agree with you 100% and Melanie expresses it far better than I could: http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/6684255/with-friends-like-this-who-needs-enemies.thtml
I was invited to a drinks party by a retiring Foreign Office chap. I was the token “Common Man”. When I managed to have a word with him he seemed like a very charming and knowledgeable man, until I mentioned Israel.
He gave me a lecture on the evils of Israel and the Jews. Needles to say we had a heated discussion which caused a crowd to gather, unfortunately he had more killer facts than I.
It was a shocking experiance, but Arabists still rule the Foreign Office and Hague is mouthing the F.O mantra.
I still don’t understand why!
The FO has been holding a grudge since 1948. I wonder if they have the same animosity towards Sinn Fein these days, considering the number of British soldiers killed by the IRA versus the number killed by the insurgent Jews.
I thought the FO would be on Israels side during the Suez Crisis. Seems not.
Nah, Camel Corps.
Charlie,
The FCO have been Arabists and anti-semites for at least a hundred years. Some people say it is because they are fond of Arab boys.
They were against the UK , France and Israel at the time of the Suez Crisis.
The FCO was, at least, ambivalent about the Nazis.
Don’t trust the FCO on anything. And little Willie Hague will be a pawn in their hands.
Even the ludicrous storyteller, Matt Frei, is sanitizing the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood is also playing a cautious game. They may well have become tamed after years in opposition. They look reassuring in their suits. But will they really insist on honouring the Camp David agreement?
The jury is surely out on that one.
Perhaps this award-winning “journalist” is so ignorant that he’s simply unaware that the MB states on their website – openly, in English for all to see – that Israel is their enemy.
Is Matt Frei this ignorant, or simply a biased liar? I do hope whichever lurking defender of the indefensible who runs to various Beeboids when we call them out gets in touch with Matt Frei on this one. I’d love to hear his explanation about how he’s not a liar.
Perhaps a better question? If Egypt renounces the treaty with Israel will America stop sending them $2.8 billion p.a.?
It is not quite that dire. Hague is a nonentity representing a country that now has no influence in that part of the world. The BBC/Guardian malignancy is just that. A malignancy that will consume itself.
Israel will survive. It looks dangerous now that Egypt is maybe about to fall under Iranian influence but I am sure Saudi Arabia will not be at all happy if that happens. There is not exactly a meeting of minds there.
Israel’s fate may have to be decided upon the battlefield if the surrounding nations attack and although such days are always uncertain at least Israel will be able to fight for survival without worrying about the liberal media’s wailings. I would rather be in Tel Aviv than Damascus,
Sue,
A very powerful (and concerning) post.
Adhaf Soueif is a name that keeps cropping up across the BBC’s coverage. The BBC clearly likes what she has to say.
Here’s a gross example of the anti-Israel/anti-Semitic BBC: present the Israelis as lazy, greedy, lusting after gold and living in a fool’s paradise, and the Palestinians as nobly demanding the end to “occupation.” As always, BBC reporters look for whatever suits their biased agenda. To hell with objectivity, balance and background to the news. In fact, as this sly propaganda piece demonstrates, To hell with the news itself:
Tel Aviv is like a new Miami but does it help talks?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11294445
Of course, if Rupert Wingfield Hayes had any intention of drawing an accurate comparison between Israelis and Palestians he could, for example, look at the freedom to protest enjoyed by Israel’s numerous and vocal anti-establishment group and contrast them with the near-total absence of dissent among the Palestinians.
But that would require actual journalism.
Sue, I love your first two sentences – simple, clear and oh so true.
Melanie has well and truly nailed this abomination on her blog today. I’d love to see you both on Question Time or Today rebutting the outright pro-Palestinian lies, for which the BBC is a willing conduit, and setting the record straight.
“We understand the complacency and innocence that made people miss the obvious signals, if only they would spot them, of the gathering storm.”
Indeed Sue. There’s this other huge elephant in the room that the world seems determined to ignore. I recommend everybody watches this.
IRANIUM
Thanks for all the supportive comments. I really appreciate them.
The Iranium film is chilling. I think it’s doing the rounds, I hope so. Someone emailed it to me too.
Melanie Phillips has turned her attention to Sir Sherard Cowper Coles, just in case anyone hasn’t already read it: here.
Sir Sherard provides a typical example of the way certain people try to make something true by saying it over and over, even though it’s the exact opposite of the truth. They can never make it true, but they can make people believe it, especially if they’re given a platform on the BBC.
“Muslim Brotherhood Spins The New York Times” – and Islam Not BBC (INBBC).
http://www.thejewishweek.com/blogs/gary_rosenblatt/muslim_brotherhood_spins_new_york_times
Shame, poor BBC “journalists” – so disappointed at the announcement that Mubarak will stay in power till September. I’m contrasting the tone I’m hearing now on the World Service with the excitement in their voices as they waited for what they thought would be at least be a radical change (for the worse for Israel and the US) with the departure of Mubarak.
Meanwhile some BBC hack was talking today on the World Service about Netanyahu’s “belligerence” as he mentioned the situation in Egypt. I guess he must have been listening to William Hague. It’s a fine example of the BBC’s leftie anti-Israel agenda blinding them to what’s actually going on. I followed some of Netanyahu’s statements and didn’t detect any belligerence. Why would there be?