Interesting omission in the BBC

[skull_bearer]

I can't find the page, but I read a few days ago on the BBC website that a recent investigation into Israel's attack on the Turkish flotilla last year found the Israeli forces not guilty of wrongdoing. My mindset on the topic is that it doesn't matter what happened on the flotilla, since it's endangered Israel's relations with one of its few Middle Eastern allies, Turkey. But anyway, todday I was browsing the Al-Jazeera website, and found that this investigation was actually done by the Israelis.

I didn't go into too much detail, I know Al-Jazeera's stance on Israel and my stance is simply that if Israel carries on the way it has there isn't going to be an Israel in 50 years whether I support them or not, so whether or not they fudged the document is beside the point. My puzzlement is simply, why didn't the BBC say this? It seems like a pretty vital piece of info.

Anyway, just typing out loud here.

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Mass media not reporting events accurately is unfortunately too often the rule, not the exception. IMHO it's to be expected a report ordered by a country into wrongdoing by that country will clear itself, it's not like the people who'd order it would really want convictions.

[shadowvalkyrie.livejournal.com]

Huh! Interesting omission, indeed! It was one of the major things the news stressed over here: Israel says this, everyone else has their doubts. Seriously, why do they keep getting away with things no other nation would? Sixty-year-old victim cred is no blank cheque for acting like arseholes!

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

As I said, in this case the only people they'll be screwing in the long run is themselves. America is their only real ally left and it's not doing so good. If it drops them they are seriously fucked.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Because the Arabs no longer have the Soviet Union to look out after their interests, while the USA persists in Cold War-era myopic thinking.

[foldingstar.livejournal.com]

I read the BBC report the other day and they did say that Israel had compiled the report themselves.

Actually though, it was supposed to be an internal investigation, like any country would do in such situations. An external investigation (usually from the UN) can still occur if it so wishes to do so.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

THIS.

Foldingstar is exactly right. It was similar to the internal investigations that the USA conducted for both Pearl Harbor and 911. SO CALM DOWN, EVERYONE.

BTW, I'd take ANYTHING Al-Jazeera said about Israel with a very, very large canister of salt. This is so obviously yet another attempt on their part to stir up anti-Israeli feeling, since such self-investigations are standard around the world.

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

All I was pointing out was that the BBC at first didn't say the study was being done by Israel and I wondered why. My opinion is that at this rate Israel isn't going to exist in a few decades whether I like it or not.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Would you like it? Do you like Jews? Whether you do or not, do you acknowledge the right of Israel to exist, or do you feel differently?

I'm curious about all these questions. As a Jew who knows that in no period of history has there ever been a time when there wasn't someone, somewhere, who wished me and my family dead because we are Jews I would hope it would survive. I have lived with this knowledge since I was eight years old and saw Bergen-Belsen.

I mean, my response to people who complain about Israel is come on. Either kill us all or let us have our own country, but stop bitching about out it because we do. I don't in any way condone some of the aggressive acts that Israel has made, but I certainly understand them. What other country is surrounded completely by countries that want its people wiped from the face of the earth? And why is it okay for the USA and other countries to carry out preemptive attacks without any threat but it's not all right for Israel to do so when there is that threat? Are they all just being uppity Jews?

The fact of the matter is that people hate the Jews. They want them - and Israel - dead. Gone. Kaput. My choice is to give them their wish and die, or to go on living and hope that other Jews can do the same, and that there can at least be one place in the world where I might actually be welcome, and not have to worry what people will think of me when they hear my Jewish last name.

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but the only answer to this is: What?

I just said that it doesn't matter if I like Jews at all, any more than it matters if I like Koreans when it comes to the actions of North Korea. If you really want to know, yes, I think Israel has a right to exist, yes Jews can have their own fucking country. The problem is that Israel has pretty systematically pissed off every ally it has in some fashion so that now it is still surrounded but a lot of very pissed-off arab neighbours, with no-one at its side but an increasibly bankrupt America. It doesn't matter who peoples Israel, they could be Jews, Christians, muslims, atheists or little green men from outer space. Historically speaking when you have one small country surrounded by a lot of enemies and an increasinly shrinking number of allies, THIS IS BAD!

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Al Jazeera doesn't need to do that when Israelis consider four gunshots to the chest and one to the head a sufficient response to the killer CDs of doom. Israel is plenty capable of stirring up ill will on its own. And for that matter the 9/11 Commission Report actually admitted that someone fucked up somewhere. Israel's naturally said nobody fucked up anywhere.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Gee, and maybe nobody did fuck up? But that couldn't possibly be so, could it? It is those fucking uppity Jews, after all. How dare they be aggressive when surrounded by people who want them dead after being accused of walking like lambs to the slaughter to the killing fields and the gas chambers? Boy oh boy, if you're a Jew, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

You're welcome to telephone the United Nations and ask them to investigate the incident. But why do so? Let the Jews hang themselves, eh? Not to worry, I'm sure at some point we'll all be dead and you'll have one less ethnic group to despise.

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

Okay, here's a little tip: if I can criticise North Korea without being anti-asian (the ruling elite is inhabiting their own little planet somewhere beyond Pluto and it's going to get nasty), England without being anti-British (a good way to cut unemployment? Slash the public sector! Christ on a cornflake), Venezuela without being anti-Venezuelan (he's a dictator, he might as well admit it) and America with OMG THEY BE HATING OUR FREEDOMZ (just... seriously), then I can say Israel's foriegn policy is a complete testosterone fueled nightmare that is costing them every ally they could have made without being anti-semitic.

And incidentally? It doesn't matter which country it is, asking them to do their own investigation into an international incident and being surprised when it comes up squeaky clean is just dumb. It doesn't matter if its the flotilla or the Falklands.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Exactly. It doesn't matter the circumstance or the country because nobody has the guts to call themselves on their own bullshit.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Were they asked to do their own investigation? Or did they simply do it, the way the USA conducted their investigations of Pearl Harbor and 9/11? As I said, many countries conduct internal investigations of major incidents.

What I suggested is that someone ask the UNITED NATIONS to conduct an independent investigation, not that someone ask Israel to conduct another investigation. If great fault is found with Israel's investigation, the UN has every authority to conduct its own investigation. Let's see if they decide that there are enough questions and concerns to do so.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Were they asked to do their own investigation? Or did they simply do it, the way the USA conducted their investigations of Pearl Harbor and 9/11? As I said, many countries conduct internal investigations of major incidents.

What I suggested is that someone ask the UNITED NATIONS to conduct an independent investigation, not that someone ask Israel to conduct another investigation. If great fault is found with Israel's investigation, the UN has every authority to conduct its own investigation. Let's see if they decide that there are enough questions and concerns to do so.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Four shots to the head and one to the chest over CDs? Somebody fucked up somewhere.

[deborahkla.livejournal.com]

Were they asked to do their own investigation? Or did they simply do it, the way the USA conducted their investigations of Pearl Harbor and 9/11? As I said, many countries conduct internal investigations of major incidents.

What I suggested is that someone ask the UNITED NATIONS to conduct an independent investigation, not that someone ask Israel to conduct another investigation. If great fault is found with Israel's investigation, the UN has every authority to conduct its own investigation. Let's see if they decide that there are enough questions and concerns to do so.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Israel wouldn't budge on that any more than Iran would on nuclear investigations or the US would on the lead-in to the Iraq War. If it turns out the Israelis knew damned good and well those were unarmed civilians...it would make a few people here unhappy and nobody would really give a shit.

[skull-bearer.livejournal.com]

Ah, then it must have updated. Thank you.