BBC falls for Israeli propaganda again
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The BBC’s “This World” documentary ‘Inside Israel’s Jails’ (BBC2, 22/3/05, 9pm) was another saddening example of pro-Israeli propaganda paid for out of our licence fee. As someone who has lived and worked in Palestine and Israel I have met with representatives of Israeli human rights organisations who operate within the Israeli jails and continue to testify to the harsh conditions in operation there.
While some brave Israelis speak out against Israel’s abuse of Palestinian political prisoners Britain’s 2 million Muslims continue to allow their license fee to be spent on PR for the Israeli government! We have the power to ensure the BBC tells the public the truth about Israel’s crimes – please take 2 minutes to complain to the BBC using the following points:
- ‘This World: Inside Israel’s Jails’, BBC2, 22/3/05, 9pm presented a grossly distorted portrayal of Israeli treatment of Palestinian political prisoners by failing to provide essential context. E.g. the condemnation by Israeli human rights groups such as Bt’selem and Physicians for Human Rights of Israel’s use of torture and abuse of human rights against political prisoners.
- The program failed to mention that Israel has not signed the Geneva Convention.
- The program failed to mention that children as young as 12 can be imprisoned in Israeli jails for periods up to 9 months for throwing a stone!
- The program failed to mention that since the beginning of the second Intifada 40% of Palestinian men have been imprisoned in Israeli jails.
- The conditions the programme was filmed under seem destined to result in Israeli propaganda – the Israeli Authorities had granted the film crew their access and the Palestinians were not free to talk without fear of reprisals from their Israeli captors. Why was such a flawed project undertaken by the BBC? Why did the BBC not film anonymous released prisoners who could have discussed the torture they suffer?
- This programme is part of a wider pro-Israel bias in BBC reporting. Research by the Glasgow University Media Group has documented the BBC’s failure to objectively report this conflict – what is the BBC doing to address this problem?
Complain to the BBC Now!
Call: 08700 100 222
or Complain online
or E-mail: info@bbc.co.uk
[Via: PalestineBlogs.com - Source: MPACUK]
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10 Comments on “BBC falls for Israeli propaganda again”
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“Israel has not signed the Geneva Convention?”
That’s quite simply a lie. And for your information, Haitham, there are four of them, not one.
Kind of makes me wonder about the accuracy of rest of your “talking points.”
As a wise man once said, you have the right to your own opinion, but you do not have the right to your own facts!
Bill, maybe the article did not mention exactly which Geneva Convention, but please check your resources before claiming that it’s a lie.
The Additional Protocol of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions (Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1)) was not signed by Israel. This is just an example more below.
On the other hand, the biggest lie is saying that Israel isgned all or respects any of Geneva Conventions and UN resolutions. For example, Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Social and Cultural Rights, Civil and Political Rights, Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Rights of the Child, etc…
Although Israel signed the conventions, but they don’t respect any. And that’s the biggest joke.
Bottom line, trying to show that Israel is a country that abide by international laws is a lie.
Here is a list of SOME conventions that Israel did not sign:
Occupational Safety and Health? You cannot be serious. You made the charge that Israel had not signed “the Geneva Convention.” Now that you’ve been caught in a lie, you twist the terms of debate, as if I or anyone else had ever claimed that Israel has signed ALL UN conventions, including the later protocols to the Geneva Conventions.
And for your information, there are many countries that have refused to sign those same protocols, and there are legitimate disagreements with them. They do more than protect civilians — they also allow certain groups the right to engage in combat, without wearing uniforms, while still maintaining status as “protected persons” (i.e., noncombatants) while they are not actively engaged in violence.
If I wanted to cherry-pick among every UN resolution ever passed on any issue of human rights, just to use as a propaganda weapon against any particular country, I’m sure I could come up with a bigger list than you did.
I am also critical of many things Israel does, and DO NOT support it’s settlement activities. But to attempt to compare it unfavorably to its neighbors in terms of respect for human rights is simply absurd. And as anyone who cares about human rights per se, and not simply for political propaganda purposes knows, no country on earth abides by these conventions and agreements perfectly.
And again, after living in Bahrain for nearly a year, I find it comical that you would bring up the Occupational Safety and Health thing up as a criticism of Israel.
Ok. It is clear that you are trying to twist facts and pick on something irrelative to the main subject here which is prisoners of war. So, you picked the first example and failed to notice the conventions that Israel did not signed which is what the above article is pointing to, which are those related to:
Protection of Victims of Armed Conflicts, Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
So, I see your twist of the discussion here towards pointing to “Safety and Health” is the comic one. It was simply an example of many. Plus, trying to cover Israel failure in these areas by pointing to those who didn’t sign, or the neighboring countries, or Gulf, is simply not the topic here. Simply I’m a Palestinian and my first priority is Palestine and the crimes of Israel. Human rights in other countries is not my main concern although I touch on them from time to time, and if you follow my blog you can find that yourself. Therefore, claiming that I compare Israel to it neighbors is not my job and simply a joke. Nothing is compared to Israel crimes. If you feel like comparing, please do some where else.
And again, wither other countries abide to these conventions or not is not my main concern. My concern is my mother country, Palestine! And no one has the right to stop me from adding to the anti-Zionist propaganda.
Last but not least, I don’t see what stops you from cherry-pick among UN resolution and coming up with a bigger list than I did and use it as a propaganda weapon against this topic (Palestinian War Prisoners) if you can!!
PS. Pro Israel-Zionist notes/comments are not welcome in this blog and will be cleaned up without any respect. Simply this is not a forum for the dogs (zionist) propaganda. I have the right to judge what is pro-zionist and what is not!
I would like to state that my complain is the BBC are very much Palestinian biased. Just returning from a few months of travelling around Israel, and spending much time around both Israelis and Palestinians; I would say Israel shows great restraint in their dealings with the Palestinians. I am not Jewish, and stayed in the Palestinian part of Jerusalem for some time. I was dismayed by the attitude of the Palestinian people, and surprised by the attitudes of Israelis, who really do long for peace. This is never reported in the media.
Maybe if it were YOU living under the vicious fist of occupation by a “peace loving nation” you would feel a wee bit different. Wouldn’t it just be so nice if the world could wrap the “Palestinian problem” up in a nice little package with a pretty bow on it and put it in the attic? Well Mel, and all others that think they are dismayed by the “attitude of the Palestinian people”, I suggest you all take off your wing-tips and walk in the worn-out thread bare shoes of the Palestinians who have been told for years they should just play nice and everything will work out fine. Zionists have NO RIGHT to wish the Palestinians away. They WILL NOT GO AWAY and they have JUST AS MANY rights as any racist Zionist wishing to steal away their lives. The longer the occupation lasts, AGAINST INTERNATIONAL LAW and the Palestinians are denied their rights as a nation the more people are going to have to deal with their bad “attitude”. Being “dismayed by the attitude of the Palestinian people” DISMAYS ME!!!!