AC writes:
Amnesty International
is reporting on the ransacking and destruction of Palestinian homes by
the IDF. "Gazans have had their houses looted, vandalized and
desecrated. As
well, the Israeli soldiers have left behind not only mounds of litter
and excrement but ammunition and other military equipment. It's not
the behaviour one would expect from a professional army…"
The report
makes clear that the IDF were occupying and fighting from Palestinian
civilian homes, either after civilians had fled or had been expelled,
or even while they were barred fleeing. "In most cases, the families
had fled or were expelled by the soldiers.
In some cases, however, the soldiers prevented the families from
leaving, using them as 'human shields'." Finally, the report has more
on the messages left behind by the IDF. One read "We came to annihilate you" in Hebrew.
Here, CNN interviews Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch on Israel's illegal use of weaponry; he recently wrote an article on willie pete [white phosphorus] that was published in, of all places, Forbes.
On an unrelated note, Al Jazeera English has produced two documentaries on recent Iranian history, one about the Shah (parts 1 & 2) and the other about Ayatollah Khomeini (parts 1 & 2). They are of value to students of history seeking a visual explanation of the subjects or those with a general interest in international politics or the region. But they are noteworthy alone for their existence on a news channel. Who other than perhaps PBS in America would broadcast such quality historical documentary work (for free access), let alone on a Middle Eastern country whose past and present are made relevant nowadays by a steady campaign to barbarize it with the aim of attacking it? Perhaps an example or two can be found (but where? Cooper? Olbermann? O'Reilly?), but they would still be the exception to the rule. Furthermore, while Americans have lost interest in the two wars their government has ordered and their fellow citizens are prosecuting in the Middle East, Al Jazeera English maintains a weekly program on Iraq and the war's proceedings. Isn't that something?
Related Posts
- I believe Hamas uses civilians as human shields
- Israeli army forces Palestinians to serve as ‘human shields’ in raids
- Farmers cannot harvest parsley crop in Gaza, as Israeli soldiers are firing at them
- Israeli Rabbis Act as Human Shields to Protect Palestinian Olives From Jihad-Jews (Yes We Can!)
- ‘Human Rights Watch’ provides searing evidence of the targeting of civilians in Gaza
{ 6 comments }
You need to cover the Mark Thompson BBC scandal as much as possible:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/mark_thompson/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Thompson
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pandora/bbc-chief-holds-peace-talks-in-jerusalem-with-ariel-sharon-517400.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/24/bbc-gaza-palestine-aid-appeal
He must be forced to change his mind or resign.
I think it's relatively trivial. The BBC is only significant in its own eyes, nowadays.
It has brought some entertaining nutters out of the woorwork, though – this from a comment at a UK Daily Telegraph blog:
You have been had! The BBC are past masters at disinformation. Under the pretext of appearing impartial they have refused to broadcast a request for humanitarian aid to the war-torn region of Gaza. The BBC are not fools, they knew very well what the consequences would be, and the predictable outrage has erupted in the media. It might be said that they promoted the dissent, by issuing hourly bulletins on the growing discord amongst the Guardianistas, whose hearts bleed every time every time a Palestinian rocket falls on stony ground, or an empty Israeli property – such a waste! Since dawn, there has been a stream of Marxist liberals raving, remonstrating and venting their wrath at the iniquity of the BBC and its one-sided support for the Zionist cause. Prominent amongst them was Tony Benn, the Champagne Socialist who looks down from one of his great mansions and pours scorn on the 'right-wing nazi patriots' who dare thwart his vision of a Jew-less Holy Land and a Moslem Britain. By refusing to broadcast the appeal, which would have lasted a few minutes, the BBC has set in train a whole new debate (an industry perhaps) about aid to the stricken Palestinians which has already sucked in government ministers, pop celebrities, outrages liberal do-gooders, and has even suckered some of the Telegraph staff. I am not too surprised at the last because the Telegraph is bulging at the seams with ex and serving BBC Propagandists. As in its support of the Marxist IRA, the BBC has given its considerable world-wide support and expertise to the promotion of the Arab/Palestinian cause, and at the same time duped millions of people into believing that they actually support Israel. You have been had. Never underestimate the enemy – especially the BBC!
Channel 4 beats the BBC hands down. Al-Jazeera English and Channel 4 are so superior to our news channels here that it's laughable.
CBC in Canada used to be that good, but it has fallen under pressure from what Avrum Burg calls 'extremist right-wing Pro-Israel' factions. It started happening when ultra-Zionist Asper bought up the majority of Canadian newspapers.
Hi Phil,
That particular picture that you link to does not say "We came to annihilate you" in Hebrew. It says "Ismail Haniyeh is the son of a whore." Not that that is any less reprehensible, but you probably should correct your post (or change the link), for accuracy's sake.
That particular picture that you link to does not say "We came to annihilate you" in Hebrew. It says "Ismail Haniyeh is the son of a whore."
Quite right, it says "Ismail Haniyeh ben zonah". I can't read the smaller one on the right though.
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