Response to Death In The Med
TV One's "Sunday" broadcast: the BBC Panorama story "Death in the Med"
Cameron Bennett's introductory
remark that the programme aired as Israel's account of its
boarding of ships belonging to the aid flotilla was useful
as far as it went. The comment, however, went nowhere near
to redressing the lack of balance in news media reporting of
the Israeli military Occupation and blockade of the
Palestinian people's homeland.
In what was a
relatively peaceful 24 hours from 8am Saturday 28 August to
8am Sunday 29 August, two Palestinian workers were wounded
when an Israeli Army position on the Green Line opened fire
on the town of Beit Hanun, in Central Gaza. At dawn, Israeli
armoured vehicles and bulldozers, covered by helicopter
gunships and other aircraft, invaded Palestinian farms near
the Al Bureij refugee camp, opening fire on houses and
agricultural areas; in Qalqilya at 1:25am the Israeli Army
raided the city, invading a number of houses, vandalising
the interiors and taking prisoner five people. Needless to
say, if Israelis had been wounded by rocket fire from Gaza
or Israeli homes had been invaded and vandalised, the events
would have featured prominently in our news.
At the
very least, the New Zealand public deserves to hear the
other side of the flotilla attack story. Barely mentioned in
the broadcast were the deaths of the nine activists and the
post mortems that showed five out of the nine killed had
been shot in the head. Over fifty passengers suffered
serious injuries.
Israel's claim that it was justified
in its action because it was “at war” show how far
removed Israeli state conciousness is from civilised norms.
It should not need to be pointed out that international law
imposes a duty to protect civilians at all times. Israel's
blockade of Gaza has been declared illegal by the UN and UN
Resolution 1866 calls for its immediate end – for that
reason also the boarding of civilian shipping in
international waters in support of the blockade was
illegal.
TV and Press editors in New Zealand should be
aware of the following facts:
Israel belligerently
occupies Palestinian land. Palestinians do not occupy
Israel.
Israel makes frequent night-time home
invasions in Occupied territory. Palestinians do not invade
Israeli homes.
The Israeli Army bulldozes Palestinian
crops and has destroyed over half a million olive trees.
Palestinians do not destroy Israeli agriculture.
The
Israeli Navy frequently attacks Palestinian fishing boats at
sea close to Gaza, sometimes wounding crew members and
sinking boats. Palestinians do not attack Israeli fishing
boats.
Israel is building a Wall, ruled illegal by the
World Court, that it calls a “separation barrier”. The
Wall annexes Palestinian territory and separates Palestinian
communities from each other and from their farmland.
Palestinians do not annex Israeli land.
This year
(2010) over 240 Palestinian youngsters between the ages of 9
and 17 have been abducted by Israeli soldiers, some dragged
from their homes in the middle of the night. Palestinians do
not abduct Israeli children.
Israel demolishes
Palestinian homes in occupied territory, describing them as
“illegal” but it is Israel's presence in occupied
territory that is illegal. Palestinians do not demolish
Israeli homes.
The atrocious daily violations of human rights that Israel inflicts upon the Palestinian people go scarcely acknowledged in our news media. Consider the extensive coverage that would ensue if the Israeli people were to suffer any of the above cruelties. Then ask yourselves: is the New Zealand public getting good service from its news media regarding Middle East reporting?
The airing of Israeli propaganda in defence
of its violations of international law is deplorable. Our
news media should consider themselves obliged to report
violations of human rights and international law for what
they are. Instead, where Israeli actions are concerned, the
news of the Middle East is at times non-existent and at
others woefully inadequate.
Leslie Bravery,
for
Palestine Human Rights Campaign Aotearoa/New
Zealand