Puppet Masters
"Israeli aircraft, tanks and naval gunboats pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Thursday and rocket salvoes thudded into southern Israel, as terrified residents on both sides of the frontier holed up at home in anticipation of heavy fighting on the second day of Israel's offensive against Islamic militants.
The operation, launched in response to days of rocket fire from the Palestinian territory, kicked off with the assassination of Hamas' top military commander and deepened the instability gripping the Mideast. Israel's already strained relations with Egypt's new Islamist government frayed even further as Egypt recalled its ambassador Wednesday in response to the Israeli military operation.
Just days earlier, Israel was drawn into Syria's civil war for the first time, firing missiles into its northern neighbor for the first time in four decades after stray mortar fire landed in Israeli-occupied Syrian territory."*
Cenk Uygur provides an in-depth analysis about the disproportionate strike back against Hamas, "collateral damage," and U.S. attitudes toward Israelis and Palestinians.
© (Ashraf Amra / APA images)
BBC has shown deference to Israeli government line in its reporting on Gaza in recent days.
BBC has shown deference to Israeli government line in its reporting on Gaza in recent days.
The panel, chaired by Sir Quentin Thomas, a senior figure in the British Home Office, found "identifiable shortcomings, particularly in respect of gaps in coverage, analysis, context and perspective and in the consistent maintenance of the BBC's own editorial standards."
The Thomas Report, as it became known, was quickly shoved under the carpet by the BBC, even though it had originally been commissioned by the corporation's own governors, and business continued as usual ("Report of the Independent Panel for the BBC Governors on Impartiality of BBC Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," April 2006, available on the Internet Archive).
In the last few days, the shortcomings highlighted in the report have never seemed so glaring.
Israel’s Ambassador to Britain, Daniel Taub
Recent scandals calling into question the news-handling skills of Britain's national broadcaster don't seem to have improved matters.
After being treated last night to footage of the slaying of Ahmed Jabari, the military leader of Hamas, by an Israeli assassin flying a drone from his armchair and violating Palestinian airspace, I woke this morning to the kind of crass reporting that has sadly become all too common at the BBC.
BBC Gives Israel's Ambassador free rein
It's flagship news programme Today ran a particularly idiotic item about Israel's unleashing of its latest offensive on Gaza and featured an 'interview' by John Humphrys with the Israeli ambassador to Britain, Daniel Taub. This latest escalation of violence, called Operation Pillar of Defence, had resulted in the killing of 12 Palestinians, including 5 civilians - 3 children, a pregnant woman and a 16 year old boy - and the wounding of dozens more, while 3 Israelis were killed.
Taub, the representative of a brutal occupying power, spoke of 800 missiles fired from Gaza since the beginning of the year but was not questioned about the number of rockets, bombs and tank shells delivered by Israel's high-tech military into the packed humanity of Gaza in the same period.
Taub wanted Israeli citizens to live in peace and quiet but wasn't asked why Palestinian citizens are not allowed to do the same.
Britain's Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, answered a question honestly because he thought he was off the air.
There was a fascinating moment on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning when Britain's Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, answered a question honestly because he thought he was off the air. That was enough to cause a craven BBC (dictionary definition of craven - "cowardly") to apologize for the fact that one of its presenters had caught him off-guard. So what did he say?
He had just completed his on-air (live) contribution to the programme's two-minute Thought for Today slot. He spoke in support of the BBC's annual Children In Need appeal which, as he said, is focused on "the right of every child to be safe and secure and reach their own potential." Given that Israel's leaders have no qualms about impoverishing and killing Palestinian children, I would have been impressed if he had said "every child includes Palestinian children." But he didn't make any reference to them.
When the daily speaker comes to the end of his or her two-minutes, that's it. The presenter says "Thank you" and you hear no more from the speaker. But not this morning. Evan Davis, one of this morning's two presenters said, "Jonathan, before you go, any thoughts on what's going on in Israel and Gaza at the moment?"
After an audible sigh, the Chief Rabbi replied, "I think it has got to do with Iran, actually."
There was a fascinating moment on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning when Britain's Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, answered a question honestly because he thought he was off the air. That was enough to cause a craven BBC (dictionary definition of craven - "cowardly") to apologize for the fact that one of its presenters had caught him off-guard. So what did he say?
He had just completed his on-air (live) contribution to the programme's two-minute Thought for Today slot. He spoke in support of the BBC's annual Children In Need appeal which, as he said, is focused on "the right of every child to be safe and secure and reach their own potential." Given that Israel's leaders have no qualms about impoverishing and killing Palestinian children, I would have been impressed if he had said "every child includes Palestinian children." But he didn't make any reference to them.
When the daily speaker comes to the end of his or her two-minutes, that's it. The presenter says "Thank you" and you hear no more from the speaker. But not this morning. Evan Davis, one of this morning's two presenters said, "Jonathan, before you go, any thoughts on what's going on in Israel and Gaza at the moment?"
After an audible sigh, the Chief Rabbi replied, "I think it has got to do with Iran, actually."
Prime Minister Netanyahu convenes his top nine ministers for special discussion on third day of Gaza op. 'We're going to significantly aggravate the operation,' state official says. Four terrorists killed in IDF strike in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his nine top ministers for a special discussion Friday evening, on the third day of Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser conducted a telephone survey among the government ministers to approve the call up of 75,000 soldiers.
According to a state official, "We are going to significantly aggravate the operation."
© Gil Yohanan
Security forces comb rocket landing area in Gush Etzion.
Security forces comb rocket landing area in Gush Etzion.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser conducted a telephone survey among the government ministers to approve the call up of 75,000 soldiers.
According to a state official, "We are going to significantly aggravate the operation."
© Unknown
Rallies were held in London, New York City, Paris, Sydney, Beirut and Cairo against the ongoing assault by the Israel on the besieged Gaza Strip.
In New York, protesters gathered outside the Israeli Consulate on Thursday, calling for an immediate end to the attacks on Palestinians.
The protesters then marched to the Times Square and called on the US administration to stop supporting the Israeli regime.
© Unknown
People of Occupy Wall Street gather in New York in protest of Israel.
People of Occupy Wall Street gather in New York in protest of Israel.
The Israeli Iron Dome system fires to intercept incoming missiles from Gaza in the port town of Ashdod, November 15, 1012. So far Iron Dome has proved a complete failure, with 80% of Hamas rockets getting through.
Two of the rockets have reportedly hit a commercial district in Tel Aviv, but there was no report of possible casualties. A number of rockets were also fired toward the Israeli parliament, Knesset.
Israeli police, however, claims that only one Palestinian rocket was fired at Tel Aviv, landing in the sea off the city.
Air raid sirens were also heard in the Israeli cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva. There are reports of looting in Be'er Sheva as residents took cover in bunkers.
Palestinian fighters have downed an Israeli warplane flying over the Gaza Strip as
File photo shows an Israeli F-16 fighter jet.retaliatory rocket attacks from the enclave continue to sound alarms across Israel.
According to Hamas sources, the Israeli F-16 fighter jet was shot down on Friday.
Meanwhile, several Israelis were injured after three rockets fired from Gaza hit the Zionist settlement of Gush Etzion in al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Palestinian missiles and rockets have also hit the other Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Eshkol, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Be'er Sheva.
File photo shows an Israeli F-16 fighter jet.
According to Hamas sources, the Israeli F-16 fighter jet was shot down on Friday.
Meanwhile, several Israelis were injured after three rockets fired from Gaza hit the Zionist settlement of Gush Etzion in al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Palestinian missiles and rockets have also hit the other Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Eshkol, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Be'er Sheva.
Comment: From dictionary.com: Interesting choice of words from a psychopathic regime.
Interesting too the language used by the Israeli media to report an aggression on the oppressed ("terrorists", "terror targets").