Paddy Goes Peacemaking

For some unknown reason Paddy O’Connell of Radio 4’s B.H. went to Jerusalem and spoke to Saeb Erekat and Gilliad Sher, the chief negotiators ten years ago, at Bill Clinton’s Camp David summit.

Erekat was in negotiating mode: “if I can’t offer the Palestinians the removal of Jewish settlements, Hamas will win” he declared, a tactic which requires Hamas to play bad cop to the PLO’s good cop, adding “I’m being honest” (thus implanting the opposite notion into this listener’s head.)
80,000 – 130,000 Jewish settlers will eventually have to be uprooted said Sher.

The issue of Jewish settlements is the only obstacle to peace that is ever mentioned on the BBC. Nobody brings up the Palestinians’ refusal to recognise Israel or renounce violence. If settlements are *Israel’s* obstacle to peace, the Palestinians’ obstacle to peace is that they don’t even want peace.

Jewish settlements in ‘Palestinian designated areas’ are universally considered an outrage and provocation while a considerable number of Arabs are citizens of Israel, not to mention the fact that entire Arab countries reject any Jewish presence whatsoever, an anomaly that is almost universally accepted without the raising of half an eyebrow.

Jews have evicted fellow Jews and have stated that they’re prepared to do so again for peace, whereas there’s little indication that Palestinians are prepared to accept Israel’s existence or cease attacking Israelis.
Jews have coexistence as their goal. Many Arabs have the elimination of Israel as theirs.

Just let’s have the BBC discuss that situation realistically for a change.
Another gripe I have with such reports is the continual subliminal imagery they carry. This might seem trivial, but if you know how advertising works you’ll admit it’s not.

At the beginning of the item Paddy paints a sound picture. Up close and personal, a Palestinian market trader, stereotypical variety, speaks sadly of his dwindling hopes for peace, for him and his little son, five years old. (aaahhh) The ceramic tiles he sells are decorated with multiculturally religious symbols, denoting that he’s the good guy.
The Israeli counterpart, on the other hand, is an awkward looking bar mitzvah boy, distant and impersonal, not very aaahhh, and not very sympathetic. A mention of CCTV cameras in the background is thrown in for good measure.

See what they do here? They make Palestinians appear sympathetic, hard-done-by and tolerant, and Jews distant, aloof and surveillant. This happens too often for it to be accidental.

I’m paranoid, you’ll say. But just because I am, it doesn’t mean they aint out to get me.

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11 Responses to Paddy Goes Peacemaking

  1. NotaSheep says:

    The Palestinian Authority are no more a partner for peace than Hams… http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/138501 – Israel National News has some recent quotes from Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that shows he’s just as opposed to the continued existence of Israel as Hamas: ‘Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told Arab leaders that the PA is ready to wage war on Israel if the rest of the Arab world does, according to the PA daily Al-Hayat al-Jadida as translated by Palestinian Media Watch.

    “If you want war, and if all of you will fight Israel, we are in favor. But the Palestinians will not fight alone because they don’t have the ability to do it,” Abbas quoted himself as having said at the March Arab League Summit in Libya.

    Arab cities in Judea and Samaria were “completely destroyed” in the Israeli counterterrorism operations that took place during the Oslo War (Second Intifada), Abbas told Arab League members. “We will not agree that it will be destroyed again,” he said.

    Abbas quoted his own statements to the Arab League while in a meeting with the PA’s ambassador to Jordan. The statements were used in explanation of his opposition to the approach taken by Hamas. Hamas pushes for “resistance” – a buzz word used by Arabs to refer to terrorism – and refusal to negotiate with Israel.

    “What we hear from everyone is that the basis is negotiations. At a time that the entire world agrees about this… We are unable to confront Israel militarily,” Abbas told the PA envoy.

    Abbas, who is serving as head of the PA after unilaterally extending his term in office, has made several statements in recent years that have raised concerns as to his true intentions. In 2008, as Israel and the PA engaged in peace talks, Abbas told a Jordanian paper that he opposed terrorism “at present” but that “things may change.”

    In March 2010, the PA held a ceremony naming a main square in Ramallah for a terrorist who led a cell that murdered 37 Israelis. In June, a broadcast on official PA television referred to Jews as “our enemies” and to the entire state of Israel as “Palestine.”

    Earlier this week, Abbas eulogized terrorist Abu Daoud, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, calling him “one of the leading figures in Fatah.”Israel has officially referred to Abbas a “moderate” leader, as opposed to the leadership of Hamas, whose charter calls clearly for destroying Israel.
    (IsraelNationalNews.com)’
    The Palestinian Authority a ‘partner for peace’?

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    • sue says:

      I linked to a video from PJTV a couple of weeks ago called ‘The double speak of Abbas.’ Unfortunately you have to register to see it now, but there are articles relating to the ‘duplicity ‘or the ‘double speak of Abbas,’  too many to link to, if you look on Google. The general feeling is that he is able to get away with saying one thing in Arabic to his friends, and another thing altogether to us, the useful idiots who only speak English.
      You’d think someone at one of the BBC Arabic services would have been kind enough to translate for the BBC. O:-)

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  2. David Preiser (USA) says:

    I’d accept talking about removing the Jewish settlements in exchange for an international announcement by the UN and broadcast for 24 hours on the BBC that they all condone the idea that, out of all of humanity, only Jews may be banned from living wherever they wish.

    If we can admit that, then I’ll start talking about peace.

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  3. dave s says:

    According to Debka the border of Lebanon is a Hizbollah armed camp. Syria is confident of victory in any war and Iran is using it all to advance it’s desire to dominate the ME.
    The Palestinians are the emotional glue that keeps the anti Israel coalition ,particularly the BBC libleft brand, together.
    Useful idiots all of them but I wonder when a serious war breaks out who will suffer the most. The ordinary people of Lebanon, Israel and Syria. The hand wringing liberals of the elite will go on enjoying their comfortable lives unless the oil stops and the Audi runs dry. But no doubt the BBC execs will be in the front of the queue for petrol coupons.

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    • sue says:

      Talking of Hezbollah, Just Journalism has criticised the BBC for downplaying Hezbollah’s history of violence. In connection with the recent admiring comments about Sheikh Fadlallah and the CNN’s subsequent  sacking, they highlight a BBC article in which:

        “No mention was made of why this connection might make many people view Fadlallah as unsuitable for praise, until the final sentence: ‘The US and Israel view Hezbollah as a terrorist group.’ Even here, no explanation was given for why Hezbollah are seen in this way.”

      “The BBC News website then reported on the heavy criticism that Frances Guy had received, after blogging about her respect for Fadlallah. ‘UK envoy’s praise for Lebanon cleric draws Israel anger’ stated that ‘Hezbollah’s military wing is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation’ and included a quote by an Israeli spokesperson about rocket attacks.”

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      • deegee says:

        A typical BBC technique is to report information they don’t want the reader/listener to absorb at the end of a long article. It’s typical of BBC Mid East reporting but not exclusively. It works together with the BBC technique of reporting the charge against groups they don’t like and the defence against the charge of people they do.

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  4. Cassandra King says:

    The BBC narrative is quite clear in this case, if only Israel gives the arabs everything they demand then peace and harmony will reign throughout the land, the lion will lay with the lamb and arab children will play with Jewish children and all shall be well. History has shown that whenever the Jews have placed their faith in a foreign majority to protect and rule them it has always worked out just fine, from the arab lands to Germany the Jewish minorities have been treated as honoured guests.

    Security? Who needs security anyway these days, I mean its not like the peace loving arabs have ever launched sneak attacks at Israel and schemed for years to eliminate the state of Israel.
    No no no! Far better to give your enemies everything they demand, lay down your arms and destroy your defences, its a bold and cunning plan isnt it? If you do that then your enemies will suddenly not be your enemies anymore. Apeasement works as history has proved time after time, giving in to bullies is the only way to go as everyone knows that leaving yourself defenceless is the best defence against aggression.
    From the great wisdom of CND which states that when threatened by nuclear weapons the best defence is to get rid of nuclear weapons, that way those with them would not dare use them against us as its just not fair play is it?

    As we have seen time after time the BBC sees the world in a strange way, their logic appears to be at odds with reality and their narrative defies understanding.

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  5. deegee says:

    Can anyone explain the Irish-Palestinian connection?

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  6. Martin says:

    I see the beeboids are at it again telling lies.

    They want to impose a strict version of Sharia law in Somalia, where they control most of the south and centre of the country, while the fragile UN-backed government only runs a few parts of the capital, Mogadishu.

    So is there a soft gay friendly woman friendly version of the Sharia then? Please tell us BBC.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/10595332.stm

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  7. burbette123 says:

    Just so you all know, there were 1,100 illegal Arab houses built in Jerusalem and the West Bank last year. Only 50 of them were ordered to be demolished.

    The Arab Palestinians are setting conditions before they even arrive at the table to talk with people they have vowed to murder. 

    In the words of Abba Eban:  The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity!

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