A RARE KILLING?
This one is cross-posted on Biased BBC!
I was struck by this BBC headline "Rare suicide bombing hits Israel" prominently displayed on its Middle-Eastern news page. Consider the details and then ask yourself if "Rare" is the word you would choose to describe what has happened.
"A suicide bomber has killed a woman in the southern Israeli town of Dimona, the first such attack in over a year. Police said a second suicide attacker was shot dead before he was able to detonate his explosives belt. "We heard a large explosion and people started to run. I saw pieces of flesh flying in the air," a witness told army radio.
Several point here. Despite what the BBC alleges, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terror group is an integral part of the Fatah organisation, led by Mahmoud Abbas. So why does the BBC try to distance it from their favourite "man of peace", the holocaust denier Abbas, by claiming it is some sort of "violent off-shoot"? Next, this is a SAVAGE terrorist attack. The frequency of it is neither here nor there. By suggesting this is a rare event (which it isn't since Palestinians have carried out many homicide bomber attacks over the years) it is in danger of being seen to try and somehow ameliorate the barbarism and naked hatred that lay behind this outrage. Finally, I note that both Hamas and Fatah get to comment on this, both of them predictably explaining that the bad Jews brought it upon themselves. Curiously, comment from the Israeli government is missing. Fair and balanced????
p.s I also note that the BBC initial report makes no mention of those other people who were injured and traumatised by this vicious act of terrorism. More amelioration?
David Vance
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David Vance -
All fair comment of course and well said. Check also the tag to the accompanying photo (at least for now): "The attack targeted a commercial area in the quiet town of Dimona"
It's a clear BBC lie in the service of terrorists who targeted civilians and managed to kill today someone's mother, wife, daughter and sister.
I'm coming up for my 9th anniversary without a TV licence. It's one of the best things I've ever done. Giving in to the extortion is paying for a worldwide terrorist propaganda service. I used to be a frequent visitor to biased-bbc and know well the tricks BBC News employs. They're not always blatant but they are there nonetheless constantly.
If anyone is unfamiliar with how the BBC operates then do make a habit of follwing David's posts to biased-bbc, have a look around, check the comments and see how often the BBC departs from reality and impartial broadcasting.
Then stop paying them.
>>By suggesting this is a rare event (which it isn't since Palestinians have carried out many homicide bomber attacks over the years)<<
They probably meant that, while formerly frequent, such attacks are now fortunately very seldom. There wasn't one person killed in a bomb attack in Israel over the past year.
Last week's suicide bombers in Iraq were apparently people with Downs syndrome - different place, but gives you an idea of the kind of people behind suicide bombing
David
I noticed that one too and was as equally annoyed as yourself.
Also, if you delve a little deeper into the wonderful BBC news website they describe Kosovo as 'technically' a part of Serbia?
Nothing technical about it. It's a simple fact.
The BBC news website is getting worse and worse.
The top 4 headlines under Northern Ireland sport today ALL refer to the Republic of Irelands football team?
Perhaps the staff should be given a history lesson or an atlas (or both)?
The BBC described the perpetrators as 'militants'. But this was an act of terror - a fact! These weren't would-be terrorists who may have intended to carry out an act of terror but were foiled hence lots of wriggle room for equivocation. This actually was an act of terror, carried out to completion of a murder. Therefore the perpetrators were terrorists. Not opinion but absolute fact. Does the BBC not understand this?
Allan - I agree with you the failure to label what can objectively be described by any sane person as a terrorist act was a mistake by the BBC, and sadly an institutional one. Now I have to make myself a large volka for agreeing with you so early in the day.
Thank you Mahons. But having you agreeing with me gives me a strange feeling. I'm sure that it won't happen again. Unfortunately, you are correct in that this is an institutional bias within the BBC and is therefore instilled in the personnel who work there (but who deny it all).
I think there is a fair amount of paranoia here.A determination to find bias in the slightest nuance of each sentence. What really is so wrong with the BBC report above. It was a commercial area and in comparison with the sometimes daily suicide bombings a few years ago, such events are a lot rarer nowadays in Israel. There is nothing that isn't factual in the report.
I hope you two don't start making out.
Wrong Colm, Factually Al AQSA is part of Fatah. It is not an off-shoot. Also why no comment from Israel, but from Fatah and Hamas.
PS. Nice to hear from you again - noticed your absence.
You can disagree with the BBC's decision on use of the term terrorist, but you can't make believe they have not told you what they are doing:
The above document was created on Thursday, September 07, 2006.Daphne: There isn't enough volka in the world for that contingency.
1. "Our policy is about achieving consistency and accuracy in our journalism."
2.The cheque's in the post.
3. I'll call you back.
Allan@Oslo,
You don't have to agree with it, but you do have to admit that it wasn't a secret.
Terry
I don't think we can call that a suicide bombing.
Correct Aileen, it was a mass murder bombing, including the murder of the 2 unfortunate carriers of the bombs.
Alan, I wasn't aware that the BBC had attempted to justify refusal to call terrorism 'terrorism'. The fact they attempt to do so is a new low.