BBC (& Sky) Gaza DEC Appeal Veto

[pickledseal]

My view is that there is a very real humanitarian crisis going on in Gaza and that urgent medicine, food and shelter is great need. I've been reading CAFOD's blog from Palestine which has been a real eye opener and very personal account of exactly what has been going on.

I know there must be some sensitivity over the Middle East, but people need aid and people are dying. I think that is the bottom line for me.

I'm not sure I fully understand this 'politically impartial' things, as it is really only when it suits them. I honestly feel that they are not taking a 'side' as such, but simply trying to help people who are suffering greatly.

Your average Palestinian is not a bad person (I certainly believe everyone is essential good, but capable of doing bad things rather than vice versa) doesn't care about politics of the situation, who is right and who is wrong, when they are just trying to stay alive!

People should make up their own mind, and should be shown the advert so they can make up their own mind. No one forces anyone to donate, its on your own personal decision. We are a generous country and deserve the respect of being 'allowed' to watch such an advert.

This is about humanity and the survival of human beings.

This quote sums it up for me:

DR JOHN SENTAMU, ARCHBISHOP OF YORK

This is not a row about impartiality but rather about humanity.
This situation is akin to that of British military hospitals who treat prisoners of war as a result of their duty under the Geneva convention.
They do so because they identify need rather than cause.
This is not an appeal by Hamas asking for arms but by the Disasters Emergency Committee asking for relief.
By declining their request, the BBC has already taken sides and forsaken impartiality. ​

The current situation:

After an 18 month blockade of Gaza and three weeks of heavy shelling the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now completely overwhelming.

Thousands of people are struggling to survive with many having lost their homes and most down to their last supplies of food and only limited amounts of fresh drinking water.
* Just £25 can buy warm blankets for 8 children
* Just £50 can provide a Food parcel for a family for one month
* Electricity - supplies to Gaza are erratic at best with 75% of the area cut off completely. There is a significant public health risk arising out of the almost collapse of Gaza’s water and sewage system, the running of which is dependent on electricity.
* Water - Around 500,000 people are without running water with 37% of Gaza’s water wells not working effectively and fuel reserves depleted due to restrictions on access and damage to pipes.
* At least 412 Children have been killed and 1,855 injured
* 60% of the population is living in poverty
* 1.1 million people are dependent upon aid to survive.
* Health - The capacity of the health system has been significantly reduced due to the damage of at least 21 clinics. Ten primary health care clinics are functioning as emergency clinics and hospitals and intensive care units continue to treat the mass casualties.

Thoughts?

Or if you want to complain.... <BBC Complaints>
OR if you want to donate.... DEC Gaza Crisis Appeal

 

[Napster]

To be balanced, there also needs to be a Israeli appeal...

 

[Slipperduke]

To be balanced, there also needs to be a Israeli appeal...

Too bloody right. Those white phosphorus shells don't pay for themselves.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

The BBC has done a fine job over the Appeal, albeit inadvertantly.

In refusing to show it they've gathered far more press coverage for the appeal than it would have got had they simply shown the clip. Far more people are now aware of it than would have been because of all the fuss.

If you want to watch the clip then watch ITV, CH4, CH5 or Sky, it's not difficult.

 

[Mr. Benedict]

The BBC has done a fine job over the Appeal, albeit inadvertantly.

In refusing to show it they've gathered far more press coverage for the appeal than it would have got had they simply shown the clip. Far more people are now aware of it than would have been because of all the fuss.

If you want to watch the clip then watch ITV, CH4, CH5 or Sky, it's not difficult.

Quite - with the outcry over this will have done wonders to spread awareness of the appeal. However, the BBC is not a commercial channel so their decision not to show the advert is the correct one IMO. It will be given plenty of airtime on the appropriate TV Channels I'm sure.

 

[pickledseal]

The BBC has done a fine job over the Appeal, albeit inadvertantly.

In refusing to show it they've gathered far more press coverage for the appeal than it would have got had they simply shown the clip. Far more people are now aware of it than would have been because of all the fuss.

If you want to watch the clip then watch ITV, CH4, CH5 or Sky, it's not difficult.

This is very true I guess. All publicity is good publicity as they say...

If anything though, I feel the BBC and Sky are coming out supporting the Israelis. There has not been the condemnation of their actions like their would be if it was Muslim groups bombing the hell out of a country! (I know Hamas are essentially a terrorist group too and deserve much of the criticism they get!)

 

[Desert Shrimper]

This is very true I guess. All publicity is good publicity as they say...

If anything though, I feel the BBC and Sky are coming out supporting the Israelis. There has not been the condemnation of their actions like their would be if it was Muslim groups bombing the hell out of a country! (I know Hamas are essentially a terrorist group too and deserve much of the criticism they get!)

Galloway Vs Sky
Sky has always been very pro-Israeli in line with Rupert Murdoch's wishes. Check out this comedy exchange of views....

 

[steveo]

If anything though, I feel the BBC and Sky are coming out supporting the Israelis. There has not been the condemnation of their actions like their would be if it was Muslim groups bombing the hell out of a country!

No they are not. They are not supporting either side.

With regard to condemning Israel actions, Hamas have been launching rockets into Israel for years. If they stopped doing it, Israel would not be retaliating.

We covered this on here the other week. If Hamas disarm, Israel stop bombing Gaza. But as Hamas are totally dedicated to destroying the state of Israel, they will continue to attack knowing Israel will retaliate. So if you want to condemn someone, why not condemn Hamas, who value their own people/ the people of Gaza, so lowly they are quite happy for them to be at risk.

 

[pickledseal]

If Hamas disarm, Israel stop bombing Gaza.

If only it that were simple... unfortunately like all terrorists, they do have a point, they just don't go about it in a particually diplomatic or humane way. I think this battle has been going on for 1500 years or so now and won't stop anytime soon.

My main objections are the Israelis bombing schools, innocent civilians, using white phosphorus shells....

Anyway, back to the topic, I saw the appeal last night and seeing the conditions and devastation in Palestine is truely horrific.

 

[Desert Shrimper]

No they are not. They are not supporting either side.

With regard to condemning Israel actions, Hamas have been launching rockets into Israel for years. If they stopped doing it, Israel would not be retaliating.

We covered this on here the other week. If Hamas disarm, Israel stop bombing Gaza. But as Hamas are totally dedicated to destroying the state of Israel, they will continue to attack knowing Israel will retaliate. So if you want to condemn someone, why not condemn Hamas, who value their own people/ the people of Gaza, so lowly they are quite happy for them to be at risk.

Very simplistic view Steveo - do you reckon we would just sit back and accept being blockaded by the French, starved of food supplies, sanitation and proper medical care? Or do you think a few people might get together and resist? What you seem to be suggesting is that they should lie down and trust Israel with their fate - not sure the Israelis would fancy doing that were the situation reversed.....

 

[TrueBlue]

If only it that were simple... unfortunately like all terrorists, they do have a point, they just don't go about it in a particually diplomatic or humane way. I think this battle has been going on for 1500 years or so now and won't stop anytime soon.

My main objections are the Israelis bombing schools, innocent civilians, using white phosphorus shells....

Anyway, back to the topic, I saw the appeal last night and seeing the conditions and devastation in Palestine is truely horrific.

Your main objections?????

what about the rockets that fly into israel on a daily basis?

sweeping it under the carpet are we??

your just another do gooder wanting to ride in on his white horse!

Get over yourself!

 

[steveo]

Very simplistic view Steveo - do you reckon we would just sit back and accept being blockaded by the French, starved of food supplies, sanitation and proper medical care? Or do you think a few people might get together and resist? What you seem to be suggesting is that they should lie down and trust Israel with their fate - not sure the Israelis would fancy doing that were the situation reversed.....

No DS, I dont expect them to sit back and trust their enemy, but if they wanted to stop the current trouble in Gaza, they need to stop sending rockets to Israel. Problem is they wont do it and as some stage or another they need to understand that they wont ever beat Israel in a war and completely change their approach.

And PS, you have a problem with schools, and rightly so, but do you think for one minute Hamas only direct their rockets at Israel military targets?

 

[Mad Cyril]

Very simplistic view Steveo - do you reckon we would just sit back and accept being blockaded by the French, starved of food supplies, sanitation and proper medical care? Or do you think a few people might get together and resist?

I'm not so sure.

People can't even organise co-ordinated St. Georges day celebrations, let alone co-ordinated guerilla warfare.

 

[londonblue]

Too bloody right. Those white phosphorus shells don't pay for themselves.

Nor do the rockets fired into Israel. How come after 18 months of blockade the only things being smuggled into Gaza are weapons and not food?

 

[londonblue]

This is very true I guess. All publicity is good publicity as they say...

If anything though, I feel the BBC and Sky are coming out supporting the Israelis. There has not been the condemnation of their actions like their would be if it was Muslim groups bombing the hell out of a country! (I know Hamas are essentially a terrorist group too and deserve much of the criticism they get!)

Sorry, but I haven't seen any criticism of Hamas. All I have seen is the BBC etc explaining why Hamas feel justified in their actions. No-one seems to have criticised them.

 

[londonblue]

If only it that were simple... unfortunately like all terrorists, they do have a point, they just don't go about it in a particually diplomatic or humane way. I think this battle has been going on for 1500 years or so now and won't stop anytime soon.

My main objections are the Israelis bombing schools, innocent civilians, using white phosphorus shells....

Anyway, back to the topic, I saw the appeal last night and seeing the conditions and devastation in Palestine is truely horrific.

I think it really is that simple. All Israelis want a 2 state peaceful solution. One of Hamas's stated aims is to wipe Israel from the map. If Hamas stopped attacking Israel, Israel wouldn't need to defend itself.

Israel doesn't bomb schools and innocent victims on purpose. It fires at the places where rockets are sent from. Why not blame Hamas for using these places to fire at Israel? The only people that fire indescriminately at innocent victims is Hamas. Their rockets are so crude they have no control over where they land.

 

[londonblue]

Very simplistic view Steveo - do you reckon we would just sit back and accept being blockaded by the French, starved of food supplies, sanitation and proper medical care? Or do you think a few people might get together and resist? What you seem to be suggesting is that they should lie down and trust Israel with their fate - not sure the Israelis would fancy doing that were the situation reversed.....

This blockade is a joint operation between Israel and Egypt, so why don't Hamas fire rockets at Egypt?

Don't forget the reason for this blockade is to stop suicide bombing in Israel and Jerusalem in particular. In that respect it has been very successful.

Twice when I have been in that part of the world I have seen innocent victims blown up by bombs, one of which was a suicide bomber.

The first one was a "normal" bomb on the beach in Tel Aviv. I was having lunch just off the beach when a bomb went off. Actually I was having breakfast at lunch time because myself and friends had slept in. Had we have got up when we intended we would have been exactly where the bomb went off. About 20 teenage Canadians were injured and one killed. They were some sort of tour. They only arrived in the country the night before.

The second was the bombing of the Dolphinarium nightclub. Myself and a friend were in Tel Aviv having sushi when the bomb went off. I don't know the numbers, but again it was teenagers and young adults that were blown to smithereens by a suicide bomber.

Both of these instances were horrific. As unpalatable as a blockade is, no-one can deny that it has been very successful in pretty much eliminating these type of cowardly attacks.

It is very easy to forget that all these actions by Israel are as a direct result of some kind of attack. Maybe they don't always deal with things the best way possible, but when your "enemy" don't play by the rules I guess your reactions become confused...

 

[Firestorm]

As an aside, whose side do you think would America would have taken had the UK government decided that the best way of dealing with Irish terrorists would have been to have rained bombs onto Belfast ?

 

[Firestorm]

What I find interesting here is that the majority of the support for Palestine is from those who support immigration in this country and the Support for Israel comes from those who oppose imigration over here...yet this could be seen to be a conflict where the indigineous population (Palestinians) are objecting to the increased power of Immigrants (Israel)

 

[Desert Shrimper]

Nor do the rockets fired into Israel. How come after 18 months of blockade the only things being smuggled into Gaza are weapons and not food?

Do you live in Gaza then? How the hell would you know that?? Everything I've read suggests those tunnels are used more for food than weapons and the pathetic response to the Israeli attack in which more Israeli soldiers were killed by "freindly fire" than by Hamas weaponry would seem to suggest that too.