How the BBC Newsnight and Today programmes unquestioningly help peddle Israeli lies

Youthful, good looking, Captain Elie Isaacson of the Israeli Defence Force (who looks like he should be wearing short trousers) told BBC's Ben Brown yesterday (Tuesday 6th 2008) that the Israeli army wants to "get this thing finished as soon as possible" .. but wouldn't comment on the school massacre of over 40 people UNWRA al-Fakhura girls school Gaza, as they didn't have "accurate information". How right he was.

Some of us were lucky to catch the repulsive the Israeli Government Spokesman Mark Regev with steely gaze and a solid smirk explaining to Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight, much as you might explain to a rather dumb child that the UNWRA al-Fakhura girls school which was the refuge of over 40 frightened (now dead) people had earlier seen the launch earlier mortars - presumably by Hamas - which was a total, blatant, calculated lie. ( Whole Newsnight program from last night available here (probably not available outside UK copyright issues - don't miss the Urban Myth prop. Tel Aviv Media Circus Ltd.,) Watch Mr Regev and his magic "Fog of war".

They had a video of it. (despite the Fog of war)

On BBC4 "Today" this morning the sneering and deeply unpleasant Ron Prosor, Israeli Ambassador the Court of St. James gave exactly the same story.

They had a video of mortars being fired earlier from the school.

So we searched the IDF Spokesperson's Unit You Tube site set up especially to dissemniate their lies and propaganda. No evidence whatever of such a video.

On BBC4 "World at One" at 1300 GMT , all became a trifle clearer, the BBC had pressed the Embassy in London for further and better particulars, there had been a mistake, the Ambassador was misinformed - they had a film but it was over a year old, and it was a different school.

There is however a brief update video today from yet another liar spokesman for the IDF which clumsily explains this clumsy lie.


The video the Ambassador and Government spokesman were refrring to was (handily) posted on January 1st 2009, and is entitled Mortar Bombs Shot from UN School in Gaza 29 Oct. 2007 (view here) and is officially described ..

Terrorists from the Gaza Strip fire mortars from an UNRWA boys' school in Gaza on 29 Oct. 2007. Hamas and other terror organizations in Gaza
make deliberate use of civilians living in populated areas as human shields.

Ah, but ... but ... the IDF were hit by mortars and they returned the fire ( is the partial lie used by Regev and prosor to cover up what happened now) from whence it came and hit the school ... besides the fact that the pinned down refugees were from all reports hit from the air (the UN being categorical about that and certain there were no mortars fired nor Hamas present at the school)... somehow we feel disinclined to believe any of the genocidal maniacs such as the reptilian Ron Prosor, Israeli Ambassador the Court of St. James and the supercilious Israeli Government Spokesman Mark Regev or the lies the BBC have allowed them to peddle.

The BBC should be a bit more careful in believing what the Israeli Government and the IDF say in future.

Maybe we will get an apology from the Editors of Newsnight and Today for having allowed these lies to be peddled....at least praise is due to the "World at One" Editorial team who ferreted out and exposed their grubby lies.

PS : Despite having provided the BBC with all the evidence needed to follow up the tale of Dr Mads Gilbert and the experimental DIME bombs and their horrific effects (Tuesday, January 06, 2009 Israel burning Palestinians to death - like Nazis with flame throwers in Warsaw + testing new highly lethal weapons on civilian populations. ) they haven't been back to ask for further and better particulars.

Pics from this website Rasheed of burials in Gaza yesterday which also has a video from Al Jazeera of grieving father with his hideously wounded and 3 dead children.

UPDATE 1500 GMT : UN News centre

Also in Jabaliya, a boys’ school was attacked but it was empty.

Last night, three Palestinians, who had sought refuge in a small co-educational UN school in Gaza City, died when a missile hit the building’s toilet facilities.

The three men who were killed were “Gazans who had fled their home earlier that day,” the UNRWA official said, adding that they thought “they would be safe in a UN school in Gaza City.”

In a separate incident, seven UN staff were injured, three seriously, along with three patients, when a strike on a nearby building caused significant collateral damage to a UNRWA health centre.

UPDATE 2 : To show true BBC balance we direct you to this fascinating piece in the Murdoch press - well known for it's objectivity and impartiality.

Militant Islam Threatens Us All Hamas rockets have the same terror goal as Hitler's blitz. WSJ by By BENJAMIN NETANYAHU today http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123128827234659279.html

... and pray Mr N what is the "goal" of the terrifying and massive force of the IDF / IAF , the wholesale slaughter of women and children, the descrtuction of opublic services, bombing UN facilities etc ., etc., in Gaza ?