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Mohammed Abu Khdair

Most of the world, the media, and in particular the Telegraph have decided that the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir was a ‘revenge killing’. The remaining uncertainty over the motive and perpetrators of this murder is represented by a pair of scare quotes.

I must say Robert Tait looks tired and unkempt by the way. “Video obtained by the Telegraph” says the Telegraph. “Dramatic new footage” it says. Slight exaggeration there all round. Not a scoop, not dramatic, not revealing, not conclusive, not convincing.

The Guardian is a little more cautious. Their article states:

“This claim appeared to be bolstered by the emergence of the footage which the boy's family says captures the abduction – and suggests that he was randomly targeted outside a mosque and did not know his kidnappers.”

Having seen the video a few times I can’t see how the footage bolsters any theory at all. The whole thing looks weird. Not just the video but the demeanour of the boy’s aunt while she is making her oddly presumptuous presentation.

  

David Vance  has posted a characteristically concise piece over at Biased-BBC contrasting the difference between the BBC’s responses to the two incidents. 

When the news broke of the Israeli boys’ abduction the BBC vigorously promoted Hamas’s denials. Most BBC interviewers invariably made these particular points to Israeli spokespersons.  “Hamas denies responsibility” and “We don’t know who was responsible.” 

Yet, as soon as the murder of the Palestinian boy was known, all and sundry knew that it was a revenge attack. 

Today’s announcement by Hamas - some would describe it as ‘breathless’ - was touted as though it was some sort of conciliatory move by the ‘militants’. Of course  if it’s true that it was merely the Hamas’s response to Israel’s ultimatum, the BBC portrayal is not wholly accurate. 

“Palestinian sources cited by Walla reported that Israel has delivered an ultimatum to Hamas to stop rocket fire from Gaza within 48 hours. Otherwise, Israel warned, it intends to launch an attack on Gaza.The sources said that the threat was delivered by Egyptian Intelligence to the head of Hamas's political bureau, Musa Abu Marzuk, who is in Cairo.”

Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over the motive and identity of the killers of Mohammed Abu Khdeir. The one thing that is certain however, is the difference in the circumstances surrounding the two appalling incidents.

Melanie Phillips has written in the Jerusalem Post about the distinction between the two. 

It would cut no ice at all to point out that there can be no comparison between a tiny fringe element of Jewish ultras committing violence against Arabs, condemned by most Israelis and pursued by the Israeli justice system, and the systematic incitement to hatred and murder of Jews by Palestinian society.

It’s an extremely powerful article and I urge everyone to read it .
P.S.

I nearly forgot to mention that I saw a blatantly pro-Palestinian report by Christian Fraser yesterday. It was almost as full of undiluted Palestinian propaganda as the Today programme I wrote about earlier, but perhaps more damaging by virtue of the huge number of homes it was undoubtedly beamed into (because it was on TV rather than the relatively obscure radio 4.) 

What am I talking about? - the Today programme is widely listened to by people getting ready for work and the common and garden listening intelligentsia who assume they’re being informed, educated and entertained. 

All the BBC output is potentially damaging when it turns its hand to ‘Israel and Palestine’. So I’m pleased to see that Hadar has tackled Christian Fraser over at BBCWatch.