September 13, 2005

BBC's pro-Israel bias not in doubt

I've just been reminded of the BBC's response to a recent complaint of mine about their pro-Israel bias. Towards the end of August just gone, there was a suicide bombing. It came two days after Israel killed five unarmed Palestinians. Three seem to have been innocent teenagers. The BBC didn't mention the suicide bombing in the context of the Israeli attack. I wrote and complained and they wrote back saying that they couldn't put it in that context because as yet no one had claimed responsibility or said why they had done it. Now consider the report on the suspected war criminal, General Doron Almog.
The warrant relates to the bulldozing of more than 50 houses in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, when Maj Gen Almog was head of Israel's Southern Command.

It was seen as retaliation for an assault by Islamic militants on an Israeli Army post that left four soldiers dead.
Does the BBC really expect people not to notice this clear bias in favour of Israel? I'll dig up the Beeb's email to me later and post it.

UPDATE: Here's that letter from the BBC "explaining" why they didn't suggest that the recent suicide bombing was retaliation for the killing of five Palestinians two days previously:
Dear Mark

Thanks for your email. No group has officially claimed responsibilty
for the suicide bombing or declared it as being in retaliation for the
recent deaths in Tulkarm which we reported fully below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4182410.stm

Thank you for your interest in the BBC News website.
Incidentally they knew I had already read their report on the five Palestinians being killed by Israel because I complained that they had run with the Israeli version of events regarding Tulkarm, only adding a Reuters report that all five victims were unarmed and three were innocent teenagers. Also, note the expression "recent deaths", not Israeli killings. Palestinians die and Palestinians kill. So there, Israel can do no wrong.

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