Two BBC programs
Two recent BBC programs about Israel and the Palestinians warrant comment. For the first time in memory the BBC aired an investigative report that was balanced and reasonable. Newsnight on Jan 19 had Col. Tim Collins trace the conflict in Gaza in a program entitled "Celebrated Gulf War veteran views the Gaza conflict." Not only did he interview Palestinians within the territories, but he also used his military knowledge to subject their reports to critical analysis, something that has been sorely lacking in the BBC and other media, where Palestinian eyewitness accounts are usually accepted at face value as if they were being given under oath.
Collins shows clearly that a mosque that was hit in Gaza,was used as a storage facility for arms and ammunition, as in Iraq, since there was clear evidence of secondary explosions. He also showed that a building that was hit by a tank shell that killed several civilians could hardly be seen from the exact location from where the tank fired. Collin's experience growing up in Belfast made him a particularly sympathetic person to do this report, and his military experience in Iraq made him also an appropriate expert to give informed opinion on the conflict ("not as bad as Fallujah and Ramadi").
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8470100.stm
The other program was entitled "A walk in the park" by Jane Corbin on Panorama on Jan 18, as she traversed the "seam line" between Jewish West and Arab East Jerusalem. She presented a biased account, that heavily emphasized the idea that the Jews are using unfair means to take over parts of Arab East Jerusalem. Although she mentioned the fact that long-term legal cases brought to the Israeli Supreme Court have found in favor of the Jewish litigant in proving legal ownership of properties in East Jerusalem that were in effect stolen from them after the war of Independence in 1948 when Jeruslaem was divided, she failed to give enough weight to these decisions.
The situation was clear, Jordanian authorities gave the buildings to Palestinian refugees, and when Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967, they continued to live there. Once the Jewish ownership was proven they were told they could stay if they paid rent, which they refused to do, in effect they had lived there free for 50 years. Those that refused to pay rent were then evicted. But, of course the BBC showed mainly the Palestinian case, how the poor Palestianin refugees were evicted by the bad Israelis.
The park referred to is the Jerusalem Park that straddles the rim of the Old City, on land that has been in Israel since 1948, yet Corbin made it appear as if most of it had been illegally acquired. Finally she made the excavation at the City of David in Silwan, a most amazing site, appear like an excuse for another Israeli land grab from poor Palestinians, who orignally stole the land from the Jews, which was Siloam in the Bible (long before the Palestinian Arabs existed).
Finally one must consider the point that she made that while Israelis can claim land in formerly Arab territory, Arabs cannot claim land that was theirs inside Israel. First of all this is not true, anyone, including Palestinian non-citizens can use the Israeli court system to validate their claims to ownership. But, they must have the necessary papers proving their ownership, that few of them have. Further, it usually is the case that the winner takes the spoils. Can Catholic Englishmen who were disinherited under the Protestant monarchy reclaim their lands? Can Germany reclaim Alsace-Lorraine? Can Saddam Hussein's henchmen get their property back? Can Japan claim ownership of lands that it conquered in WWII? Is the moon made of cheese.? These biased media liberals seem to know only one historic set of facts, that Israel beat the Arabs, and they remain the losers. Too bad!
Collins shows clearly that a mosque that was hit in Gaza,was used as a storage facility for arms and ammunition, as in Iraq, since there was clear evidence of secondary explosions. He also showed that a building that was hit by a tank shell that killed several civilians could hardly be seen from the exact location from where the tank fired. Collin's experience growing up in Belfast made him a particularly sympathetic person to do this report, and his military experience in Iraq made him also an appropriate expert to give informed opinion on the conflict ("not as bad as Fallujah and Ramadi").
See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8470100.stm
The other program was entitled "A walk in the park" by Jane Corbin on Panorama on Jan 18, as she traversed the "seam line" between Jewish West and Arab East Jerusalem. She presented a biased account, that heavily emphasized the idea that the Jews are using unfair means to take over parts of Arab East Jerusalem. Although she mentioned the fact that long-term legal cases brought to the Israeli Supreme Court have found in favor of the Jewish litigant in proving legal ownership of properties in East Jerusalem that were in effect stolen from them after the war of Independence in 1948 when Jeruslaem was divided, she failed to give enough weight to these decisions.
The situation was clear, Jordanian authorities gave the buildings to Palestinian refugees, and when Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967, they continued to live there. Once the Jewish ownership was proven they were told they could stay if they paid rent, which they refused to do, in effect they had lived there free for 50 years. Those that refused to pay rent were then evicted. But, of course the BBC showed mainly the Palestinian case, how the poor Palestianin refugees were evicted by the bad Israelis.
The park referred to is the Jerusalem Park that straddles the rim of the Old City, on land that has been in Israel since 1948, yet Corbin made it appear as if most of it had been illegally acquired. Finally she made the excavation at the City of David in Silwan, a most amazing site, appear like an excuse for another Israeli land grab from poor Palestinians, who orignally stole the land from the Jews, which was Siloam in the Bible (long before the Palestinian Arabs existed).
Finally one must consider the point that she made that while Israelis can claim land in formerly Arab territory, Arabs cannot claim land that was theirs inside Israel. First of all this is not true, anyone, including Palestinian non-citizens can use the Israeli court system to validate their claims to ownership. But, they must have the necessary papers proving their ownership, that few of them have. Further, it usually is the case that the winner takes the spoils. Can Catholic Englishmen who were disinherited under the Protestant monarchy reclaim their lands? Can Germany reclaim Alsace-Lorraine? Can Saddam Hussein's henchmen get their property back? Can Japan claim ownership of lands that it conquered in WWII? Is the moon made of cheese.? These biased media liberals seem to know only one historic set of facts, that Israel beat the Arabs, and they remain the losers. Too bad!
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:26 PM
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