J-e-had the Journal-e-st

When the BBC says ‘we get complaints from both sides, so we must be getting things just about right’ at least they’re being honest. Many accuse the BBC of being pro Israel, and you can see the sort of things they complain about here. (and here)

Of course the BBC are keen to avoid value judgments, which they see as the same thing as being impartial. Some would point out that this is tantamount to making no distinction between ‘siding with the fire and the fire brigade’. 

By the same token the BBC feels it cannot be judgmental about Jihad. When referring to Hamas, strict impartiality is always enforced, and they are always careful to add the disclaimer: Hamas is “regarded as a terrorist organisation” by [various countries]

The fact the Britain is one of these countries and that the BBC is the called the British Broadcasting Corps is neither here nor there. 

The subject of Jon Donnison’s much vaunted broadcast entitled “He only knew how to smile”  was Jihad Masharawi, the BBC employee whose 11 month-old son Omar was killed in Gaza.  

Jon Donnison refers to him on the BBC and in various Tweets as “our BBC colleague” and he has been described as a BBC video and picture editor, a cameraman, or  according to Owen Jones, “a BBC journalist”.

It is assumed that the incident that killed the baby and injured his uncle Ahmed was an Israeli airstrike.  Under the circumstances the possibility that the actual cause was a Hamas “shortfall” was a speculation too far. The enormity of the pathos of this tragedy made such investigations irrelevant.  Either way, it would be ultimately Israel’s fault, and furthermore, for Owen Jones and Lauren Booth it was an example of Israel deliberately targeting civilians.

Jon Donnison ‏@JonDonnisonMT @WilliamsJon After losing baby, BBC's Jehad Masharawi now lost brother. Ahmad injured in #Gaza strike that killed Omar. Terrible tragedy
Lauren Booth ‏@LaurenBoothUK@JonDonnison @WilliamsJon a tragedy is an accident Jon. This was murder. the deliberate murder of civilians by the out of control IOFCollapse
Maha ‏@Alasil@JonDonnison @williamsjon that is so heartbreaking. Praying for him
matthew ‏@matthew10180401@LaurenBoothUK @JonDonnison @WilliamsJon IDF spokespeople have so corrupted the language! For 'accident',tragedy etc.Read murder .

Unfortunately the baby’s uncle - Jihad’s brother Ahmed - has also died from his injuries.

They now regard him as a ‘shahid’, and it emerges that he was known to the IDF as a terrorist.

The YouTube video in Arabic, from Hamas Al Quds TV featuring Ahmed’s funeral throws up more questions for the BBC.

Jihad’s words from video of have been translated:

“Thanks to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, who chose him [i.e. Ahmed] to be a martyr, from all the people. What was done by the Jews is a shame for the entire Umma [Islamic nation], a shame for the West, a shame for the Arabs, who are silent. The entire war struck only the children and the innocent. They didn’t hit a single muqawim [resistance fighter], nor anyone who works for the government, or whatever.”

H/T BBC Watch. Read this.