National Gaza demo to focus on media bias

Israel admits breaking the ceasefire in November 2008 in an interview on Channel 4 news..

MediaLens has an analysis of bias in the UK media coverage of the Gaza conflict, with suggested actions.

Last week, Jeremy Greenstock, ex-UK ambassador to the UN, implied on the BBC that Hamas was being misrepresented and drew comparisons with Northern Ireland.

My colleagues have introduced Hamas to senior members of Sinn Fein…. This is a regime about which a lot of inaccurate statements are made, particularly by the Israeli and Washington governments. It is not beholden to Iran…. They are not trying to set up a Taliban-style government in Gaza…. They are not intent on the destruction of Israel. That is a rhetorical statement of resistance, not part of their programme.

[The Hamas charter which is often cited as calling for the destruction of Israel] was drawn up by a Hamas-linked imam some years ago and has never been adopted since Hamas was elected as the Palestinian Government in 2006 as part of their political programme…. The tragedy about what is happening is that the cessation of rocket fire on Israel would have been possible if Israel had lived up to its obligations under the June ceasefire to open the crossings, and now the opening of the crossing has to be part of the solution….

I’m afraid the timing of this is very much related to the need for Israeli politicians to defend their populations before elections. Hamas feels exactly the same – it has to keep its electorate with it, by showing it is a resistance movement. There were negotiations going on… before this started. They can [continue] although it is more difficult…. The rockets are being thrown by the Fatah militants, the Al-Aqsa brigades, by Islamic Jihad, by people who are not Hamas. None of this comes out in public. The truth is just not being told about the current situation.

This interview largely went largely unremarked in subsequent media.

Other articles and resources of interest (updated 21 Jan):

Who will save the Palestinians? US Historian Mark LeVine explains Hamas tactics and looks to non-violent resistance as a key.

War of Choice: How Israel Manufactured the Gaza Escalation by Steve Niva in Foreign Policy in Focus.

B’Tselem and Israeli Campaign Against House Demolitions UK

Gaza doctor’s loss grips Israelis

Some of the most horrific stories concern Zeitoun (or Zaytun) to the south of Gaza City, where the Red Cross was denied access for four days and where the IDF placed a hundred civilians were into a house which was then shelled and a week later, according to ITN interviews, parents were shot in front of their children

Other Channel 4 reports on the devastation by Jonathan Miller: at the end of the report of 21 Jan their correspondent visits Zeitoun two weeks after the massacre and 19 Jan

Viewers and listeners in the UK might be forgiven for thinking that Sderot and the Israeli settlements near Gaza were subject to daily bombardment during the June-December 2008 ceasefire.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office (PMOH at pmo.gov.il) responds with a standard message referring to the “specter of incessant and indiscriminate rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip” and saying “a truce with Israel was abused by Hamas which persisted in attacking Israeli towns, while also conspiring to upgrade its terrorist capabilities”. However, a 5 November article by the Israeli Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center says (Section 12) says “Hamas, for its part, did not take part in rocket and mortar shell fire and sometimes prevented other organizations from attacking, although it did not confront them directly and massively or [sic] end their continued violations.”

The Israeli military’s own figures show that during the ceasefire, which they call a “lull in the fighting”, rockets and shells continued at only 1% of the previous rate (and of course there were no fatalities) until well after the IDF killed 6 members of Palestinian security forces on November 4. Hamas has always maintained that those that were fired were fired by Islamic Jihad – according to the Channel 4 report this is accepted by Israel. Whatever conditions of fear Israeli settlers may live in, it must be less than that of Gazans, for whom there has been shown to be no safe place and no escape.

The national demonstration on 24 January will begin at the BBC in Portland Place “as a response to the BBC’s largely one-sided coverage of the Gaza massacre, allowing Israeli spokespeople endless opportunities to propagate lies and deception without challenge.”

Local Street Demonstrations for Saturday 17 January

10,000 Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on 3 January to demand an end to their government’s attacks. There will be another day of mourning and protest on Saturday 17 January. Gush Shalom also has some suggested media actions.

When the latest attack began on December 27th, demos took off around the country. Many British cities have seen big street demos already, but there’s another round this Saturday (17th).

London – the third Saturday city centre demo in a row – 2pm at Trafalgar Square.
http://www.stopwar.org.uk

Nottingham – 10.30am, Forest Recreation Ground, marching to the
Council House.
www.nottmagainstwar.org.uk

Birmingham – 12 noon, Victoria Square

Sheffield – 12 noon, outside Sheffield Town Hall. www.sheffieldpsc.org.uk

Liverpool – 1pm outside the bombed out church at the top of Bold St www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/liverpool

Leeds – 12.30pm at Art Gallery for march through city centre. Bring shoes and placards. http://lcaw.co.uk

Cardiff – 1pm, Nye Bevan Statue, Queen Street

Exeter – 12.30pm outside Odeon Cinema, Sidwell Street

Bath – 12.30pm, Abbey Courtyard, www.bathactivistnetwork.blogspot.com

Newport – 1.30pm at the old Kwik Save Car Park in Pill, marching to John Frost Square http://southwalesanarchists.org

Gaza Vigil At Parliament Square – Support the ongoing the 24hr vigil which has been going on since January 8th. Maria Gallastegui has been on hunger strike at the vigil since the 12th. www.vigilforgaza.net