"Alaa's dream was to represent Palestine at the Asian Games. But an Israeli bullet put an end to his dreams"
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| Smiling cyclist...before the 'big reveal' |
Here's the kind of thing Sue means: a recent video report on the BBC News website.
It starts with a cheerfully smiling cyclist. He's saying:
My strength was in my legs. All my dreams in life relied on my legs.
The BBC commentary then begins. It says:
Alaa's dream was to represent Palestine at the Asian Games. But an Israeli bullet put an end to his dreams.
After then giving us a loaded 'background' section on the confrontations at the Gaza border (much of which could have been scripted by a 'Gaza health official') and a 'balancing' statement from the IDF, we finally return to Alaa, who had been 'protesting' at the border when Israeli "fire" struck him:
Alaa is determined not to let his injury stop him cycling.
And the piece ends with Alaa saying:
I use my bicycle to go to work now and I've resumed my training. I'm also working to set up and coach an amputee cycling team. I will continue to compete with one leg. I'm determined to keep going.So many questions are begged by this report. What exactly was Alaa up to while 'protesting'?
And how many hearts were tugged by the smiling, plucky one-legged cyclist who blames Israel for shattering all his dreams?
[Update: Ah, please see Sue's post above for more].
