Melanie Phillips has written a penetrating essay in the Jerusalem Post. Do read it through.
The gist of it is that bloggers like me are on the wrong track. Being on the defensive is an utter waste of time. Typically, we wait for some slanderous attack on Israel to appear before pleading “unfair!”.
She’s completely right about this. To struggle against institutional anti-Israelism and antisemitism is a hopeless endeavour. The BBC is impervious to reason.
On and on they go. Here are just a couple of prime illustrations.
1) Stephen Sackur’s sclerotic approach here, in an episode of Hardtalk with Danny Danon,
His questioning is straight from the “……. dozens of Palestinians including children were gunned down – unarmed innocent civilians – by the Israeli military,” “Mark Serwotka” school of thought.
Way beyond Devil’s advocate, Mr Sackur.
2) Jeremy Bowen’s obnoxious and partisan Tweet featured by Craig here.
Why does Jeremy Bowen think it’s alright to Tweet out a random slice of a complex situation?
Why does he assume no-one will notice that the story has been abridged to portray it as “another” example of Israeli brutality?
The obvious omission of context is one thing, but the wider and more significant consideration, as I see it, is that it’s being done in the context of the current atmosphere of antisemitism and anti-Israel hysteria.
Antisemitic shit-stirring is the only plausible motive I can think of.
