Ray Cook - As I See It

Israel, Zionism and the Media

Tag: demolition

Palestinian homes demolished – by Palestinians

18/05/2010 / / 1 Comment

Well, as they say, you couldn’t make it up. The BBC reports that Hamas have demolished at least seven, and maybe as many as forty, homes near Rafah in the Gaza strip.

So where are the demonstrators? Where the UN? Where Goldstone? Where the outrage in the blogosphere? Where the BBC news headlines? Where the anger of the Arab street or even the Palestinians on the West Bank? Where, indeed, Barack Obama and George Mitchell? Where Human Rights Watch who condemned house demolitions as ‘collective punishment’?

Hamas says the homes were built on ‘government land’ and without permits. Sound familiar? When Israel demolishes homes in Jerusalem because they are built illegally and without permits the entire world condemns Israel.

But it gets even more ironic:

Club-wielding Hamas policemen – and some female police officers wearing face-covering veils – forced people from their homes and then brought in bulldozers.

Bulldozers. That icon of Israel ‘brutality’ used against their own people by Palestinian Hamas.

It seems that Palestinians can do what they like to each other, it’s only when Israel exercises its legal rights that the Muslim world and the world at large is bothered.

Tells you something, doesn’t it?

BBC correct headline – and still avoid the truth

07/04/2009 / / 1 Comment

Following my previous post and complaint to the BBC ( I am sure they had several) they changed the headline to – wait for it – “Police kill Palestinian motorist”.

I almost wet myself. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny. Of course they have to really rub our noses into Israeli disproportion:

A police spokesman said officers shot the man after his car hit three guards, injuring them lightly.

Police responded by firing more than 20 bullets into the windshield

They completely ignore the fact that the car or the man or both may have been booby-trapped and full of explosives. This is the problem with such reporting: people outside Israel just do not realise what police and the IDF have to contend with every day. Are they trigger happy? No. But why should they take any chances when history has shown them that a moment’s hesitation could cost them their life. As in Gaza, so in Israel. It’s a tragedy, but one imposed by a series of ruthless, suicidal assaults. This could have been the next one. Do not US soldiers in Iraq do likewise? Did not UK soldiers in Basra and still in Helmand?

But for the BBC this is little short of murder. Either they don’t understand or they don’t wish to.

Two other attacks by Palestinians using bulldozers have been carried out since Hussam Dwayat’s death, though no Israelis were killed in these later incidents.

And so as with Hamas rockets, so with bulldozer attacks. If they kill no-one then it’s all right because they didn’t intend to kill anyone. Duh! BBC logic.

The bulldozers failed because of the vigilance of Israelis not because they were intended to cause a little mischief.

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