BBC’s Coverage of Palestine/Israel unbalanced

  • Study finds failures in news balance and depth
  • Reports said to show little to suggest deliberate bias

Owen Gibson, media correspondent, Wednesday May 3, 2006

The BBC’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “incomplete” and “misleading”, including failing to adequately report the hardships of Palestinians living under occupation, an independent review commissioned by the corporation’s board of governors has found.

The report urges the BBC to be bolder in setting a policy for using the word “terrorism” to describe acts of violence perpetrated against either side and suggests a senior editorial figure should be appointed to “give more secure planning, grip and oversight”.

The latest of several reports into contentious areas of the BBC’s news provision, it praised the quality of much of its coverage and found “little to suggest deliberate or systematic bias” but listed a series of “identifiable shortcomings”.

Chaired by the British Board of Film Classification president, Sir Quentin Thomas, the review said output failed to consistently “constitute a full and fair account of the conflict but rather, in important respects, presents an incomplete and in that sense misleading picture”.

The panel, which also included former ITN chief executive Professor Stewart Purvis, said the BBC should not let its own requirements of balance and impartiality become a “straitjacket” that prevented it from properly relaying the “dual narrative” of both sides.

In particular, it highlighted a “failure to convey adequately the disparity in the Israeli and Palestinian experience, reflecting the fact that one side is in control and the other lives under occupation”.

On the emotive issue of whether acts of violence perpetrated against either side should be called “terrorism”, the review said the BBC should use the term because it is “clear and well understood” and that once it had decided on a policy for the correct use of language it should be more consistent in applying it.

Like other major media organisations, the BBC regularly deals with a flood of complaints from both sides.

An internal BBC News review, led by senior editorial adviser Malcolm Balen, led to greater resources being allocated to the Middle East and the appointment of a specific editor, veteran foreign correspondent Jeremy Bowen. But the review said more should be done to provide a stronger editorial “guiding hand”.

The BBC should do more to put the conflict in context for viewers, it said. This could include doing more to direct viewers to resources offering more depth and background. Too often, it suggested, news stories were chosen on the basis of the pictures available to accompany them.

The recommendations met with some disquiet among BBC News managers, who felt the appointment of a senior editorial figure to oversee all output on the topic would contradict the findings of a review following the Hutton inquiry.

“We are confident we have the right editorial structures and processes in place to provide high quality, impartial journalism and to ensure we continue to make progress in developing the authority and comprehensiveness of our output,” said BBC News management in a statement.

The Council for Arab-British Understanding said “the panel quite correctly highlighted that there was little reporting of the difficulties faced by Palestinians in their daily lives”.

Daniel Shek, of the British Israel Communications & Research Centre, said: “The report argues that the Israelis and Palestinians are not on equal terms, since the Israelis possess a fully functioning state and the Palestinians do not. It then implies that an imbalance in BBC coverage could be acceptable. If such an argument absolves the BBC from offering balanced reporting then it is a slippery slope towards biased coverage.”

Residents of Shofat Refugee Camp Demonstrate for Freedom of Movement and Religion: Friday 5th May, 10am

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Residents of the Shofat refugee camp will demonstrate at the checkpoint at the camp’s entrance, protesting the brutal behavior against the residents by the Border Police stationed there and particularly against Palestinians attempting to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fridays.

Residents of the camp have been complaining for many months about the behavior of the Border Police in the camp, which included cursing, pushing, beating and throwing concussion grenades. These are common procedures at the checkpoint at the entrance to the camp. The situation deteriorates in particular on Fridays when many worshipers try to go to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Border Police attack those waiting in line with particularly harsh violence. The violence of the Border Police in the camp is not limited only to the checkpoint. In the previous months Border Policemen have injured dozens of residents, mostly children. Among them is Abdel Malek Zalbani, an 8 year old child, who was critically wounded by a concussion grenade thrown during a demonstration against the wall.

The violent behavior of the Border Police in the Jerusalem area is not a new phenomenon. In East Jerusalem the last year alone, Samir Dhari from Essawiya and Mahmood Swara from Noaaman have been murdered by Border Policemen. This violence would not be possible without the agreement of silence by all the parties involved, primarily Marhash (the department for investigating Police), which is not attempting even to pretend to have an investigation in response to the many complaints that have been filed in the last year.

In the demonstration, Israeli and international activists that have been invited by the Camp will also participate.

For more information:

Yossi Bartal 054 770 5048
Ibrahim 054 737 2185

Protest against settler violence in Mt. Hebron

Message from Taayush South Hebron Committee:

Saturday, May 6, we will protest against settler violence.
Please contact us at the two email addresses below for times and locations.

roeemet@yahoo.com
avichay@shovrimshtika.org

We shall protest against their violence and the indifference of the security forces in South Mt. Hebron. Last week, children from Tuba were attacked on their way back from school by settlers from Maon. In spite of the presence of military and police forces, the harassment of the children continued for an entire hour till Ta’ayush activists reached the spot.

Settlers from Avigail, Sussya and its outposts continue to attack and harrass Palestinians living in the region and damage their property. The Israeli security forces always manage to arrive when it is too late to prevent the destruction. Those wishing to join should send their name and phone-number to one of the following

From our experience in this region, the number of participants makes a great difference. Do try to help us.
South Mt. Hebron Committee”

Israeli mayhem in the Jordan Valley

I have just returned from the Jordan Valley – an area that takes up 30% of the West Bank but is almost entirely annexed by Israel. It’s the most fertile land in the West Bank with massive underground water reserves, yet the Israeli Army and settlements control 98% of this water and 95% of the land. Olmert has openly declared that he wants to annex the Jordan Valley and make it part of Israel. Once again, I am using my ‘privilege’ as an International. Palestinians are barred from going to this part of their country. To go there they have to fulfill one of three conditions:

1. They have to live in the Jordan Valley area, in which case they get a Jordan Valley ID – they are not allowed to move there so can only meet this condition if they already lived there before the restrictions were applied.
2. They work in one of the Israeli settlements – in which case the Settlement issues them with a temporary Permit to enter the area.
3. They are issued a DCO permit which has to be authorized by the Army.

We are lucky enough to have a host who lives here and has the right ID. There is a range of mountains between the Jordan Valley and the rest of the West bank, so to get there without passing through one of the many checkpoints you would have to walk over the mountains which takes at least 3 hours. This is also very dangerous as the Israeli Army uses the mountains for ‘exercises’ and they are littered with landmines.

Once we had made it through the checkpoints we drove down the highway, surrounded by settler plantations. We could see the neat white houses of the Israeli Settlements – there are 6,400 settlers in the Jordan Valley. We also saw the homes of the 52,000 Palestinians who still live here. These were in small villages of concrete houses, and others that look more like shantytowns, with houses put together with tin and plastic. This is not because they are poor – although they clearly are – it is because the Palestinians here are banned from building new houses, or even improving or repairing their existing homes. The villages have had all their land stolen from them, except for a few meager fields, and are surrounded by the settlements. There is no public transport here so we had to hire a taxi for the day – of course it had to be a taxi driver with an ID or permit that allowed him into this area.

We were very keen for the taxi to slow down, or stop, so we could take photos, but were told that the army and the settlers control these roads, and in a Palestinian car we were not allowed to stop. When we did persuade him to stop he immediately had to jump out, open the bonnet, and pretend he was filling up with water.

For everyone living here in the Jordan Valley: to exist IS to resist. There is very little health care, education is limited, there are no phone lines or public transport, and often there is no electricity. There are no Universities. If anyone moves out of the Jordan Valley so they can access these services more easily for their family, they will lose their Jordan Valley ID and their right to be here – every time somebody does this it is a small victory for Israel in it’s aim to remove all Palestinians from this area. Every Palestinian we met told us this.

We spent a day here, seeing houses that had been demolished, a school where they are taught in tents, farmers who are struggling to be able to overcome all the restriction Israel places on them so they can sell their produce and survive. We will write more about these soon.

At the end of the day we were in the village of Bardala in the north of the Jordan Valley, and wanted to go to Tubas, the nearest town which is just 20 km away. Our host would be able to make this journey be going through Tayasir checkpoint, and would get home within the hour if the checkpoint let him through. Without the checkpoint it would take him just 20 minutes. However, as internationals we cannot use this checkpoint.

The next best thing would be for us to stay in Jerusalem for the night. But our host is Palestinian and not resident in Jerusalem. He therefore can’t go into Jerusalem. He has the wrong ID.

We therefore set off on a 200km journey. We drove south down the highway towards Jericho. At Al Auja we turned towards the west to go over the mountains. Before long we were in a queue at a checkpoint out of the Jordan Valley. More showing of IDs and passports. We had a fairly uneventful journey as we traveled along many windy roads through the villages and Beir Zeit. Then, at Huwawa checkpoint, we had to get out of our taxi and walk through the checkpoint, but nobody needed to check our passports and IDs.

We got into another taxi, and I thought we were on our way to Tubas. Nothing is ever so simple here. A bit further down, over several very rough bits of road that had been dug up by the army, the taxi stopped. We were on a dark country road with no lighting but our Palestinian host got out of the car as if all was normal. In front of us blocking the road was a mound of soil about 8ft high. We clambered over it, slipping a bit but not getting hurt, walked down the road a bit further, and come to another mound just the same, but this time it was possible to follow a track around it. And there we found several taxis waiting for a fare as if this was the most normal thing in the world. We got a taxi, which, a few more meters down the road, very carefully drove over the tracks that had developed in yet another mound blocking the road, then, at last, onward to Tubas.

We have met a lot of people over the last two days and seen the reality of Israeli Apartheid that is being imposed on the Palestinian people. Despite this we have been welcomed by everybody, and offered more food, tea and coffee that it would ever be possible to consume.

http://brightonpalestine.org/blog/?p=19

Tel Rumeida Journal

Monday, April the 24th

Today was a quiet day. Volunteers doing a lot of work preparing for the press conference on Wednesday. A Press release and open letter to the police and army about rising settler violence are being drafted.

Jerusalem Post visit Tel Rumeida and visit two families who recount stories of settler and IDF violence. I hope their words get through to the journalists because it is obviously painful for the people to tell their stories. While we are with the journalists and international and a Palestinian are spat at and threatened by settler children on Schuhada Street.

Tuesday, April the 25th

The morning school run goes well. Three settler visitors wearing the orange threads signifying opposition to disengagement come to talk to the soldiers.

As we are leaving a soldier comes to check our passports, he grabs our passports out of our hands and tells us we are being detained. We try to reason with him but he is obviously intent on causing us as much trouble as he can. In the end five internationals from CPT and ISM are detained for three hours at the Bab-a-Zawiyye Machsom. After three hours the shift changes and we are released immediately – it is patently obvious that this particular soldier does not like the internationals and wants to cause as much trouble as he can, his peers do not seem to share his animosity.

The Jerusalem Post are here again and watch what we on the school run with interest. Surely they must wonder why so many internationals are needed to watch this group of schoolchildren walking home.

The soldiers stationed near the Tel Rumeida settlement stop three schoolgirls from walking home. The family that these girls belong to has won a court battle for access to the land below the Tel Rumeida settlement. However, today the soldiers are not aware that the family have permission to use the path to their home and they have to wait by the guards post dangerously close to the settlement buildings. A settler child emerges and throws a stone before he is shooed away by the soldier. This exact same situation occurred last week and could be avoided if IDF soldiers were properly briefed.

Wednesday April the 26th

Men doing building work at the school are stoned by settlers and later a large group of settlers come and destroy the building work.