My Fight with the BBC
Here was my first subtle note to them:
Your coverage of the Palestinians setting fire to the temples in Gaza was vile. You justified it? You have been accused for a while now of being morally bankrupt in your coverage of the Middle East. You're obviously very comfortable with that. I'd like to see how you'd cover it if that happened in Northern Ireland or something like that. You get hit by suicide bombs and have learned NOTHING about terrorism. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.
They responded with this charmer:
Thank you for your e-mail regarding a report on our News Website from our Middle East Correspondent, Orla Guerin, on the Palestinian return to the Gaza settlements.
Orla Guerin was in no way trying to "justify" the actions of Palestinian mobs in this report. Her reference to the Palestinians' sense of having time stolen from them was an attempt to give context to their actions - not to justify them.
As I am sure you are aware, the UN believes that settlements - to which Orla Guerin was referring to in this report when she used the word "stole" - have no legal validity and obstruct the peace process (e.g. Security Council Resolution 446, 22 March 1979). Many governments also hold that Israeli settlements contravene the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that 'The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies. '
The British Foreign Office gives this statement on its website:
"Our policy on settlements is clear: settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace ... continuing illegal Israeli settlement activity threatens the prospects for a two-state solution and is an obstacle to peace."
In United Nations Security Council Resolution 465 (1980), the Security Council demanded that Israel "dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction or planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem."
Accordingly, we do not agree with the assertion that this report sought to "rationalize the Palestinian mob violence". The use of the word "stole" was a reference to Israel's occupation of this land for the previous thirty-eight years following the 1967 war.
Regards
BBC Information
So I decided to write them back, but it bounced, saying I needed to resubmit in a form. I say screw that at this point and figured I'd just post it here for you guys:
You are still appearing to me to be morally bankrupt. How did Israel "steal" the territory? Who had it before? The Palestinians? Nope. Egypt had Gaza. How did they lose it? THEY attacked Israel and then LOST. I don't see YOUR country giving back any land. By expecting Israel to do so (which they frankly are willing to do if they ever were promised to be left alone and not killed on a daily basis), you are showing a penchant for anti-Semitism. You are holding Israel to a standard even your own country isn't willing to live up to.
As for this...
"As I am sure you are aware, the UN believes that settlements - to which Orla Guerin was referring to in this report when she used the word "stole" - have no legal validity and obstruct the peace process"
Where to begin on this jibberish. They are not an obstacle to peace. What is, you ask? The fact that Palestinians refuse to acknowledge Israel's right to be in that part of the world, period. Even more surprising, you're going to use the UN's actions to justify something? Are you on crack? The UN also doesn't think the deaths of hundreds of thousands (or is it up to millions?) in Darfur is genocide. They're a toothless lion and even more useless. Next thing you know, you'll be quoting your dangerous misfit twins, George Galloway and Ken Livingstone, as paragons of right thinking. If you do that, you'll simply be proving yourself a joke and dangerously ignorant.
Sincerely,
Esther
posted by Esther @ 12:13 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Whooo! Girl you rock! Great stuff! Thanks for writing and posting.
Thanks Rachel Ann. :)
Rory -- their reasoning is pretty dispicable. The scary part is how a lot of the world gets their info from them! And we wonder why anti-Israel sentiment is raging.
Write On!, Sista'!
It's not just the beeb - it's all of the main stream media.
Back in the early 60's - I'd like a time machine - was it just the opposite? Like it was on college campuses? I'm wondering if we're on the cusp of a pendulum swing? We're already seeing "radica" talk radio become more and more main, and big, liberal cities like New York and Philly now have successful conservative papers.
If i were a Brit, the thing that would peeve me most is that in order to have a TV, I have to pay a license which pays for this tripe.
(*)>
Came here from another site...excellent reasoning and you were right on target! A lot of common folk in the world are so sick of the news media we refuse to listen to TV anymore...unless over the internet in some cases, such as hubby listens every day to Israeli TV. Any sane person would find it incredible to even consider that those settlements were in any way infringing on anyone at all...after all, it was barren wasteland until Israel went in and began growing things, correct? And if a country attacks another, then what follows ought not to be the concern of any organization that did nothing to stop the attack in the first place. In what way has the UN contributed anything positive to any place? I fail to see it. Know you are not alone! We wish Israel was large enough to hold the sane people in the world...and let the rest of the crazies stay everywhere else! It is becoming the only country we know of with any reason to it! We are very sad to see them pull out of Gaza etc. But prophecy will come to pass...not much we can do about that either!
Elizabeth
Haha, thanks Sarge!
BW, that would peeve me beyond words too!
Elizabeth, thank you so much for visiting, reading and commenting! Thanks for the kind words -- and agreeing. You made excellent points. :)
the BBC sucks and should be wiped off the face of the earth. need i say more? you pretty much killed them, esther. nice work.
They disgust me (BBC).
Thank you for this.
Esther! Well done, girl. But it's useless, I'm afraid with the BBC (Better Be Careful).
As for Orla Guerin - why Israel does not expel this unspeakable BITCH is beyond me.
We have written many letters to the BBC. Nothing avails.
And here we go with "International Law" (ref. British Foreign Office) again! WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL LAW? WHO ELECTED THE "LAWMAKERS"? Or is it just the usual sickening UN cabal of anti-semites and arabists who get together in their little covens and make it up as they go along?
Rory - please be assured that the British people are not their government and we have plenty of reservations about all sorts of things they do. Though I can well understand your feelings, mate!
Rory, thanks for your lovely comment. Of course I understand. There are times I get anglophobic myself, though I am constantly pleasantly surprised at how resistant the ordinary Brit is to so much of this rubbish. There's an awful lot of, "they're not going to tell me what to think!"
As for George Galloway - I once had the very great pleasure of seeing him in the street with the rest of his coven and calling him a "filthy racist" straight to his ugly face. No reply from His Holiness, though his coven replied, "You're the racist!" (They were all white, and I am white, so not very original or effective as a rejoinder, I feel...)
Most people cannot stand Galloway. Livingstone is the more dangerous because his comments are always carefully equivocal. Another nasty piece of work nonetheless!
Very interesting take on the situation, luz! Thanks for dropping by and definitely for commenting. I didn't know about a lot of that. And you're totally right about what side they always choose. Sigh...
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