What is the Arab Spring? People think the uprisings in the Arab world denote a kind of dawning of the age of Aquarius.
Sympathy and trust abounding”
they chirrup delusionally.
But the Arab Spring is….. a spring. Coiled, tense, and poised to uncoil in an explosion of hatred for Israel, and perhaps the West as well.
The BBC have lost interest in Egypt, but the Muslim Brotherhood is in the ascendant, and Jupiter Aligns with Mars, Diplomatic relations have been re-established with Iran.
And love will steer the stars.
Right.
The BBC’s Kevin Connolly acknowledges that if democracy emerges from the Arab Spring it will be the kind of democracy that grants the people, by popular vote, the one thing that unites them. The freedom to give full vent to their anti Israel sentiment.
Popular sentiment in Egypt appears to run strongly against Israel and sooner or later if the largest country in the Arab world is to become a democracy, then it seems reasonable to assume that will be reflected in the attitudes of future parliaments and governments.
Connolly appears to find nothing wrong with that, and I gather he’s saying that the Arab uprisings will empower the ill informed, uneducated masses to scapegoat Israel for all their very own failings, corruptions and incompetences, and it’s up to Mr. Netanyahu, the instinctive prevaricator, to deal with it as best he can.
Tunisia. Egypt. Libya. Bahrain. Yemen. Syria. Iraq.
Death and violence abounding
Only falsehoods and delusions
Darkly dying dreams of visions
Cryptic twisted revolution
Stifling true liberation.
Aquarius! Aquarius.
I wonder if Kevin Connolly has the faintest idea of the value of Israel as a staunch, vital and enormously useful ally of its fellow Western countries – of the U.S. as well as the UK, not to the mention the entire NATO alliance.
The BBC marks Israel’s 63rd birthday with a report about the protest against the government by Gilad Schalit’s relations because it ‘mars Independence day event.’
The Palestinians attack Israel. Israel imposes sanctions. Hamas syphons off aid leaving poverty and deprivation in Gaza. The Palestinians blame Israel. The Palestinians attack Israel. Israel retaliates. The Palestinians still blame Israel. Gilad Schalit is kidnapped by Hamas. Hamas demands the release of hundreds of Palestinian criminals in exchange for his release and denies him access to the Red Cross. Everyone blames Israel.
I can’t wait to see how the BBC will report the forthcoming Nakba Day.
“The Palestinians attack Israel. Israel imposes sanctions. Hamas syphons off aid leaving poverty and deprivation in Gaza. The Palestinians blame Israel. The Palestinians attack Israel. Israel retaliates. The Palestinians still blame Israel. Gilad Schalit is kidnapped by Hamas. Hamas demands the release of hundreds of Palestinian criminals in exchange for his release and denies him access to the Red Cross. Everyone blames Israel.”
Nicely put, Sue.
It is typical BBC to report only on the atypical.
It is typical BBC to report Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organisation. As if the EU, the USA and most importantly the UK have a different opinion.
It is typical BBC to point out others have a different narrative about Israel lest anyone doubt the BBC always supports that other narrative.
Is Yolande Knell the latest BBC useful Jew? Or has she simply learnt language manipulation perfectly at the BBC School of Journalism?
I was going to comment this morning that there was zero coverage of Israel’s Independence Day, a search of the website for “Israel, Independence” showed nothing. Of course they were waiting for an excuse to cover it in a any kind of negative way.
“Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organisation”
Once upon a time the BBC even reported that Hamas was not just “viewed” but was officially on the lists of terror organisations of the USA, the EU and the UK.
Now it’s just “Israel views Hamas…”
Nobody else, just Israel?
Disgraceful!
“Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organisation. It opposed the pact that should lead to the setting up of an interim Palestinian unity government tasked with preparing for new elections.”
About those “new elections”:
Fatah delays local elections
Bit of course it’s all Israel’s fault…
It looks as if this form of words is becoming standard BBCpractice. Jon Donnison’s latest report uses it too:
Israel regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
I can understand, although I disagree with, the BBC’s excuse for not calling terrorists by their real name and calling them instead “militants” or “insurgents”. But this goes beyond the pale as an example of bias by omission and anti-Israel bigotry. It’s simply biased, and bad journalism, not to give all the facts.
Fact: The US government regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Fact: The European Union regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Fact: The British Government regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation, although at time you’d never guess.
The BBC only choose to highlight Israel’s rejection of the “deal” between Hamas and Fatah to further the narrative that the Palestinians really want peace while it’s the nasty Jews who see all Muslims as terrorists.
Fact: The BBC does not regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Bio,
The British Government regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Hamas form some sort of “alliance” with Fatah ( maybe ? ). Cameron expects Israel to negotiate with people dedicated to its destruction.
Oh, I forgot. The British Government negotiated with the IRA.
Perfidious Albion, perfidious Cameron.
I am ashamed to be British.
Bastards.
Plus they know, they write, they edit, they KNOW they are twisted bastards. They actually love skewing the news, love bending the truth
Maybe my faith in the Israelis is misplaced, but I still back them to survive.
Democracy in Arab countries is greatly over-rated. They are too immature to use it responsibly. That’s why we don’t allow under 18s to vote here.
A brilliant piece of writing Sue.
Everyday is Nabka Day on Planet Guardian. The BBC provide the megaphones and processional flots gratis!…well with our money anyway! It`s THEIR BBC for this cornerstone objective for the useful idiots that infest the upper echelons in both these Twin Towers of banality and malevolence.
Doubtless there`ll be falafels and hummous on offer on Sunday for the dupes that have already had their scripts written for then. No booze though-Jenni Murray has finished that,but that won`t stop her telling us all about the “binge drinking/obesity epidemic” on Womans Hour tomorrw-if she`s sobered up enough to read her script by then!
Connolly is saying that nasty old Israel will no longer be able to hide behind the smokescreen of being the only democracy in the village.
He seems to be reporting from the perspective that the anti-Israel sentiment in the Arab countries which are staggering towards some form of democracy is deserved. Why else would he say that Netanyahu isn’t going to “grab history by the scruff of the neck”? This clearly implies that surrendering to all Palestinian demands (the only true way to Palestinian statehood, of course) is the correct action, the direction in which history is headed according to right-thinking people like Kevin Connolly.
Bias plain and simple. Of course, this is no surprise, as Connolly also lied about the Tea Party movement and insulted all of us on air with a sexual innuendo, back when he was a biased US correspondent.
Meanwhile as Israel celebrated 63 years of independence, this is what Zionism is really all about:
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/05/this-is-zionism.html
“Israel” seems to me the universal arab distraction to mask the deficiencies of arab culture. A culture in which a modern dressed man escorts his wife trussed up as a nun “to preserve her modesty” , whilst elsewhere men think they should gang rape a relative for becoming “too Westernised”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/sep/13/guardianobituaries.france
This is what the BBC fawns on? Inside the BBC echo-chamber they hear only themselves, the vile chattering claque of West London.
I saw my first Al Jazeera poster on a London tube train the other day. BBC News staff’s hope for the next career move. Why not cut out the middle man and hand over Middle East reporting direct to Al Jazeera? Save a lot of the cost of BBC “cut and paste” journalism.
It would be more honest as well!
Al Jazeera is often less agressive than BBC in its interviews with Israeli spokesmen
Glenn Beck is in Israel, supporting Israel
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/update-from-israel-glenn-sends-special-message-from-garden-tomb/
I’m a BIG Glenn beck fan
Intriguingly Israel’s Independence Day moves relatively to the Gregorian calendar because it is determined by the traditional Jewish calendar. The Palestinian Nakba Day is always on May 15, ignoring the Muslim calendar.
Heard yesterday.
“Israel Independence Day and Nakba Day should be celebrated on the same day”.
“That’s OK. I am perfectly willing to celebrate Israel’s independence and Palestinian nakba on the same day”! 🙂
Anybody else notice how the bBC continues to promote Hamas as ’Militants’ not only that but I get the impression that they are amused somewhat by how Israel is somewhat biased in how they say Hamas as only terrorists:
“Gilad Shalit, was captured by militants from Gaza in a cross-border raid near Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing in June 2006.” And “Israel views Hamas as a terrorist organisation.”
And for anybody who has just landed on Planet Earth:
Hamas is an organisation which took control of the area it controls by killing off (read murdering) the opposition, it refuses to recognise its much larger neighbour by launching missile, rocket, gun and invasions of larger neighbour and then plays the victim card when that neighbour strikes back. It enforces a strict religious code on the peoples of the land it controls and it does so by threatening violence if it is disobeyed. In other words it terrorises people be they the neighbours, its own people or even the people next door, it instils the fear of death onto others. That people is the description of a terrorist who unable to get his own way will do so by the way of threats and fear.And yet for some strange reason the bBC cannot call a spade a spade instead it beats about the bush by referring to terrorists as: Plumbers, misguided criminals, religious, peaceful and militants.
pounce,
I remember some years ago seeing a film clip of a wedding reception in the Gaza strip where music was being played. Hamas arrived and bust up the party and killed the groom. They shot him dead in front of his bride. Of course, the clip may have been fake.If it was , it was a very good one.
Trying to remember where I saw it. There is one broadcaster I know which would never show it !
Here’s the video:
Talking of weddings:
Mass Hamas Wedding in Gaza With Girls 6-9 Years Old! Obama sent Hamas 400million!
Bio,
Yes, that is the one. And I saw the second one too. Unbelieveable.
And Dickhead Dave says Israel should negotiate with these animals.
Prat !
Not to mention http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hamas+child+human+shield&aq=f
Agitprop dumbed down for the children.
Egyptian children tell revolution tales
Some interesting bits. The film was a joint BBC/British Council production. Does this mean unqualified support for the Egyptian Revolution is officicial Government policy?
It’s all very Christians and Muslims love each other but the example that a Christian let my mother go to the toilet seems more than a little forced. Is the implication that before the ‘revolution’ he wouldn’t have done it?
I’m not sure why this was labeled UK Education and Family. Any suggestions? Perhaps we are supposed to believe that if cute children in hijabs (f) and with beards (M) say it it must be true?
Thousands of Egyptians took to the street because they were unhappy with how the country was run. They wanted to get rid of this man. President Hosni Mubarak. For thirty years he had ruled Egypt with an iron fist. Under Mubarak’s regime poverty, unemployment and corruption were rife. Exactly the way I would describe it … to a ten year old.
sue, Sorry I came to this thread a bit late. You’ve hit the nail on the head here, with some real gems like the coiled Arab Spring. And the whole Age of Aquarius bit was precisely how the BBC reacted to Egypt’s revolt. Chloe Tilly on World Have Your Say was a prime example of the hushed wonderment of the BBC as she hosted guests and callers who promoted the revolt and sat back and let them direct and control the programme.
Ros Atkins, also of WHYS, was pretty much a lone voice, bringing some perspective and balance to the coverage, for example by tough questioning of the Muslim Brotherhood on a subsequent programme. The Tilly approach dominated. BBC “journalists” who had not voiced their disapproval of Mubarak all those years apart from the occasional polite murmur of disapproval and who had remained silent about the curious fact of Egypt’s closed border with Gaza while bashing the Israelis for the “blockade” had been transformed into starry-eyed cheerleaders of the revolt. Amazing.