Action Alert

ACTION ALERT: Write letter to the editor on Israeli occupation or the recent "Ground-Zero Mosque" controversy. Read talking points here and email to addresses posted here.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Middle Eastern Blogs, youtube videos

Blogs:
http://remroum.posterous.com/
http://jilliancyork.com/ (Freedom of Internet and the Middle East)
http://www.kabobfest.com/
http://karmalised.com/?p=14611
http://pulsemedia.org/2010/08/12/internet-killed-israeli-pr/
http://antonyloewenstein.com/
http://palestinenote.com/cs/Blogs/Blogs/
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/
http://thecornerreport.com/ (good, Connecticut)
http://creekside1.blogspot.com/ (Canadian, general progressive)
http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2010/08/internet-killed-israeli-pr.html (socialist, anti-zionist, anti-racist)
http://coto2.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/video-parody-internet-killed-israeli-pr/ (general progressive)

Youtube videos:


Israeli violations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUjwv_OyF9Q (EU slams Palestinian's conviction)

Settlers' violence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rrU0AI5CvE&feature=player_embedded (Forced closure of Palestinian shops in Hebron, 8/10/10)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAEqT06EaQQ&feature=related (Israeli settlers' children stone human rights workers in Hebron, 6/14/2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHKWYbl8JPw&feature=related (Israeli settlers shooting at peaceful protestors)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPpuz_fMZos&feature=related (Jewish settlers act like terrorists in Hebron)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKwDrWFLrGk&feature=related (Israeli settlers beating up Palestinians in the West Bank)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQVgwkjSzEw&feature=related (Israel settlers attack Palestinian family in Hebron)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U_yAPYcmCU&feature=player_embedded (settlers stoning an old woman)

Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) on Zionism:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gvbw9DF7Go&feature=related (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Skb_0ia28&feature=related (part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z0Etv9BPE4&feature=related (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiNpvG1Rq-4&feature=related (part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcGta6tIpDg&feature=related (part 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbZm9iiy7_Q&feature=related (part 4)
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Thursday, August 26, 2010

Talking Points

Israel-Palestine Talking Points:

1) The root of Israel-Palestine conflict lies in Israeli occupation and colonialism of Palestine. Israeli occupation has been denounced by numerous UN resolutions.

2) Most Palestinians want to live peacefully with Jews in one-state or two-state solution. This has been indicated by numerous surveys including by the U.S. government surveys (see links below). Both Palestinian Authority and Hamas have accepted the right for Israeli state once Israel withdraws within 1967 border (green line).
3) Israel has obliterated any chances of a Palestinian state by its ongoing occupation of West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel also retains air, water and ground control of Gaza. Israel has built an apartheid wall (outside 1967 border and four times longer than Berlin wall), which occupies Palestinian fertile lands and aquifers. Israel has also built Jews only highways in West Bank. Israel continues to raze Palestinian homes and build permanent Israeli settlements. Israeli wall, highways, military installments and check-posts have reduced Palestinian land in West Bank in apartheid era “Bantustans”.

4) Israel discriminates against Palestinians within 1967 border in areas of education, employment, purchase of lands and building houses. Palestinians are denied equal rights even if they marry Jews. Many of these policies are same as enforced against Black South Africans in apartheid South Africa, against native populations under Western colonial regimes, or African Americans living in Jim Crow USA.
5) Palestinian civil society has called peace activists around the world to boycott, divest and support sanctions (BDS) against Israel. South African anti-apartheid hero Desmond Tutu has called Israel an apartheid state and supported divestment movement against Israel in the same way South African apartheid regime was divested world over. Churches, labor unions, grocery stores, corporations, artists, teachers and common citizens around the world are joining BDS movement against Israel.
Links:
Palestinians desire for peaceful coexistence with Jews:




http://www.america.gov/st/mena-english/2009/July/200907021105032SAdemahoM0.6612164.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/abbas-accuses-israel-of-disfiguring-two-state-solution-1.266874
http://www.haaretz.com/news/haniyeh-hamas-willing-to-accept-palestinian-state-with-1967-borders-1.256915
Is Israel an apartheid state:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_the_apartheid_analogy


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Cordoba Center (“Ground Zero Mosque”) controversy talking points:
1) Islam did not attack USA on 9/11. Many Muslims died while working in WTC and even as emergency responders.

2) We should not demonize entire Islam because of actions of few, just as we should not demonize entire Christianity for KKK or entire Hinduism for some extremist Hindutva extremists.
3) This is not a mosque but a cultural and inter-faith center and a space for moderate Muslims. The imam (Feisal Rauf) of this center was even favorite of Republicans. Bush administration had included Imam Feisal in foreign tours. Religious freedom is fundamental part of American constitution. Denying that to one section of society will produce an ugly era in USA.
4) Our real issues are jobs, health care, and clean environment. Scapegoating Muslims, as well as Latino immigrants, LGBTQ members or any other marginalized community is basically an attempt to distract attention from our real issues.
Jon Stewart exposes hypocrisy in Cordoba center attacks (share on Facebook, Twitter):
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-16-2010/mosque-erade
Ron Paul on Cordoba Center (Ron Paul speaks out against the warmongers' attempts to link Islam with Al Qaeda and perpetuate their aggressive foreign policy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8L2mH-kAlw&feature=player_embedded#!
Five myths about mosque in America (The Washington Post, 8/29/10)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/26/AR2010082605510.html?hpid=opinionsbox1



Anti-Defamation League condemns the very ‘anti-Muslim sentiment’ it contributes to (MondoWeiss, 8/27/10)

"It is the height of hypocrisy for the ADL to condemn the stabbing of Sharif and the general hate of Muslims engulfing the United States without looking at their statement against Park51 again and realizing that they have played a central role in legitimizing that anti-Muslim sentiment."


http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/anti-defamation-league-condemns-the-very-‘anti-muslim-sentiment’-it-contributes-to.html

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

BDS in the media

Learn, boycott, divest, sanction; You too can help fight Israeli apartheid 

By Jon Booth

Published: Oct 21 

With the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority close to failure because Israel has refused to stop expanding its colonization of the West Bank, those of us committed to the human rights of the Palestinian people must look toward the future. I am a member of Tadamon!, a Montreal-based Middle East solidarity collective. Tadamon! aims to take the most effective action possible to support Palestine in its struggle for freedom and self-determination. That is why we are active participants in the movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli apartheid and are helping to organize a conference to support and expand the BDS movement this weekend, October 22 to 24 in Montreal.  
http://mcgilldaily.com/articles/35871

‘Kairos Palestine’ document published in Italian



 
Anti-Israel church book is presented at a Vatican synod accuses Israel of apartheid and calls for systematic boycott.

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=192507 

  

Pete Seeger: Unless we communicate, mankind will disappear

American folk singer who mentored Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, set to participate in virtual rally for Negev's Arava Institute, but is supportive of commercial ban on Israel. 'The entire world should show Israel it should work non-violently,' he says
Ayelet Yagil
Published: 10.23.10, 23:47 / Israel Culture
  
Seeger also wrote the song "Turn!Turn!Turn" by words taken from the book of Ecclesiastes, later to become a hit with The Byrds. Seeger believes royalties from songs he helped make popular should return to their place of origin, which is why he donates a share of "Turn! Turn! Turn" to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3973192,00.html 

 



Churches standing up to "pro-Israel" politicians, by Antony Loewenstein (EurekaStreet.com.au, 9/3/10; author tries to make case for boycott of settlements only, instead of entire Israel)
http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=23074


TUC (Trade Union Congress) likely to push for full Israel boycott, by Marcus Dysch (The Jewish Chronicle, 9/2/10)
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/37520/tuc-likely-push-full-israel-boycott




Israel academics boycott West Bank settlements (BBC, 8/31/10)
"More than 150 Israeli academics say they will no longer lecture or work in Jewish settlements in the West Bank."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11141774


The power and weakness of boycott, by Mitchell Plitnick (Palestine Note, 8/31/10; the author attempts to silence voices within BDS movement calling for for one-state solution and Palestinian right)
http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/blogs/archive/2010/08/31/the-power-and-weakness-of-boycott.aspx


Israeli institutions facing new boycotts - by Israelis, by Marcy Oster (JTA.org, 8/30/10)
"In two separate incidents over the past few weeks, Israelis issued a call for boycott or announced a boycott of an Israeli institution for political reasons. One protest came from the right, directed at an Israeli university with allegedly “anti-Zionist” professors on staff; one came from the left, directed at an Israeli theater in the West Bank."
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/08/30/2740713/israeli-institutions-facing-new-boycotts-by-israelis



UK unions single out Israel boycott (Press TV, 8/29/10)
"The TUC conference, which kicks off on September 13, traditionally opens a new political year in Britain and is followed by a season of annual party conferences." 



Should people boycott Israel? Omar Barghouti (Interviewed by TheRealNews.com, 8/29/10)
http://www.therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=5547&updaterx=2010-08-30+06%3A14%3A26


Boycotts and Legitimacy (Jerusalem Post, 8/29/10; pro-Israeli article critical of BDS)
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx?id=186378


'Actors' boycott on settlement cultural center will tear Israel apart' (Haaretz, 8/28/10)
http://www.haaretz.com/culture/actors-boycott-on-settlement-cultural-center-will-tear-israel-apart-1.310682


An artist's pledge to boycott (Electronic Intifada, 8/27/10)
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11491.shtml


Artists refuse to perform in Ariel culture hall (Ynetnews, 8/27/10)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3944791,00.html


Europe's economic boycott of Israel expanding (Ynetnews, 8/27/10)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3943666,00.html


Israeli universities accused of anti-zionism (Financial Times, 8/26/10)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/de5b3f7a-b11f-11df-bce8-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss


Meg Ryan's misguided Israel boycott (The Week, 8/26/10, attack against Meg Ryan for boycotting Israeli film festival)
http://theweek.com/article/index/205394/meg-ryans-misguided-israel-boycott


Israeli actors boycott theater in settlement (NYT, 8/26/10)
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/israeli-actors-boycott-theater-in-settlement/


Peace with a paycheck (YNetNews; 8/25/10; Israeli media attempt to divert attention from BDS)
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3943748,00.html







Church boycott call ring louder (Electronic Intifada, 8/25/10)

Isolate the Israelis (Gulf Daily News, 8/25/10)
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=285486

On Local Boycott and Deception by Khalil Nakhleh (The Palestine Chronicle, 8/24/10; A Palestinian critique of Palestinian Authority's "boycott settlement goods" campaign)

Global boycott movement claims victories, arrests (Electronic Intifada, 8/24/10)

Norweian gov't pension fund excludes more Israeli companies (Electronic Intifada, 8/24/10)

Don't boycott Israel (Newsweek, 8/24/10; Newsweek's shameless rant against BDS)

Support builds for boycotts against Israel, activista say (Boston Globe, 8/22/10)

150 Irish artists announce Israel cultural boycott (Haaretz, 8/14/10)

Dempsey calls for Israel boycott (UKPA, 8/12/10)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5ivGU9kmsUh0Qp-ib0_ZiH1h1l6Zw







Palestinians "adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods" (Haaretz, 08/12/10)





British Muslims urged to boycott Israeli dates during Ramadan by Haroon Siddique (The Guardian, 8/4/10)


Kochi port union to boycott Israeli cargo, ships (The Hindu, 6/22/10; more global response against Israeli occupation and apartheid policies) 

French protest of Israeli raid reaches wide audience by Steven Erlanger (The New York Times, 6/12/10)

India chapter to campaign against Israel (The Hindu, 6/12/10; Indian intellectuals and peace activists call for academic and cultural boycott of Israel)

Artists boycott strikes a dissonant note inside Israel by Isabel Kershner (The New York Times, 6/9/10)



Boycott gives Israel a taste of its own medicine (The Guardian, 5/26/10)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/26/palestinian-boycott-jewish-settlement-goods





Israelis are beginning to see the power of BDS (The Alternative Information Center, 3/01/09)





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Friday, August 20, 2010

Pro-Palesitne Blogs, Websites

Here is a list of informative blogs and website.

Recommended:
http://mondoweiss.net/
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/
http://aliabunimah.posterous.com/
http://sareemakdisi.net/blog/
http://www.annainthemiddleeast.com/
http://reider.wordpress.com/
http://www.avnery-news.co.il/english/index.html
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/index.html
http://www.peace-with-justice.org/


Palestine
Badil – Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee & Residency Rights
Addameer (conscience) – Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association
LAW-The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights & the Environment – Research reports
Mezan – Human rights organization
Palestine Monitor – Well respected. Daily news and commentary. Wealth of info. Dr Mustafa Barghouthi
The Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ) – Excellent maps
PASSIA - Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs Excellent historical publications
Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) – Palestinian healthcare. Dr Mustafa Barghouthi
UPMRC - The Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees – Good stats and footage
Al-Haq (Justice) – Excellent research and publications
Miftah (your key to Palestine) – Headed by the most respected Palestinian intellectuals. Headed by Hanan Ashrawi
Palestinian Center for Human Rights – Excellent research and publications
Palestine Red Crescent Society – Emergency Ambulance/medical services. Unveils Israeli obstruction
Rapprochement – Promotes non-violent resistance and education. Hosts’ international groups to empower resistance
International Solidarity Movement – Promotes International visitors to Palestine for non-violent resistance campaigns
Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center – Ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement through faith
Birzeit University Guide to Palestine's Websites – Listing of Palestinian organizations/websites in Palestine


Informative:
http://snippits-and-slappits.blogspot.com/2009/03/west-forgets-that-israel-is-founded-on.html
http://palestinevideo.blogspot.com/2010/05/ilan-pappe-ken-livingstone-on-shlomo.html





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Thursday, August 19, 2010

BBC Butchers Investigative Journalism in "Death on the Med" Documentary

BBC Panorama aired a documentary "Death on the Med" touted as "fair" journalism on Gaza flotilla attack on 8/16/10. There is a wide-spread criticism of the biased, unprofessional and clumsy journalism by BBC. Here are some responses.


Gilad Atzmon attacks BBC for using "neocon" language in describing flotilla activists and re-circulating Israeli propaganda videos. In his opinion:
"The BBC also failed to present its viewers with clips that have been available on the world wide web for months now.  Namely footage of the moment an Israeli 'commando' executed  Furkan Dogan, aged 19, on the upper deck. No mention either that Furkhan was not a terrorist but merely in his senior year at Kayseri High School, where he was awaiting the results of his university entrance exams. He hoped to become a doctor. Instead, we heard Israeli commandos repeating the usual stories about IDF soldiers  shooting passengers only in the limbs. And that dear friends only after extreme 'provocation'.  As we all know 9  peace activists died on the Mavi Marmara, peppered with IDF  bullets-  to the head and chest area."
"There is one very positive aspect  to the BBC documentary. It gave us a glimpse into the Israeli desperation. Never in the past would Israel's leaders consider letting anyone near its Fleet 13 commando unit.  Now, their bored, probably terrified recruits put on glamorous Hollywood style mock 'boardings' for even a lowly (once upon a time despised) BBC crew. Proof - the Israelis are losing ground. "
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/gilad-atzmon-bbc-panorama-an-exemplary-work-of-clumsy-journa.html


Ken O'Keefe, who was on board Mavi MArmara, and was interviewed by BBC has this to say of the documentary:
"And the (Panorama) story goes that we are the aggressors, “terrorists”, “extremists” and killers.  Only in this context can the poor Israeli commandos be victims.  How is it possible to dominate and control commandos simply to let them go if we are killers?  Answer, it isn’t.  And that is precisely why Panorama blatantly lied."
"BBC’s perversion of the truth will elevate the cause of justice immensely, delegitimizing itself in such grand fashion was indeed a great big gift."
http://kenokeefe.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/bbcpanorama-delegitimises-itself-that-much-more/


This is a critique from Palestinian Return Center:

"The BBC thinks it's an impartial organisations, in fact it has shown that it's a mouth piece for the IDFs crimes.
The BBC should recognise that an impartial position at this early stage would have been to simply state the facts as accepted by the international community and not provide justifications for the killings of 19 innocent civilians.
BBC spokesperson, told PRC that, 'We are unable to respond as we have not been given the courtesy of detailed evidence of any accusation.'"
http://www.prc.org.uk/newsite/en/centre-activities/94-lobbying-a-delegations/497--action-alert-direct-bias-showed-on-bbc-on-flotilla-crime-


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Here is a complaint letter by a peace activist written to BBC for its shabby journalism with "Death on the Med":

Dear all,

To be honest, I had a very hard time picking a "complaint category" as your program last night ticked all -the wrong- boxes. This was one of the most biased piece of "journalism" I have seen in a really long time. The fact that it posed as investigative journalism was simply offensive and an insult to your viewers intelligence. The great I.F Stone must have rolled in his grave last night.
Jane Corbyn tooks all the Israeli navy facts for granted and hardly challenged them. One the other hand, she challenged every single fact put by the flotilla organisers. TheFlotilla was portrayed as an Islamist one, omiting to mention that the main organisers, the Free Gaza Movement, were mainly Westerners coming from all walks of life. The program only addressed the Mavi Marmara issue when all 6 boats had been very violently seized by the Israeli Navy. There was hardly no mention of the fact that this happened in International Waters, that all possessions of the passengers (of the 6 boats) had been stolen, that the passengers arriving in Israel had been paraded (an illegal act) taken to jail,interrogated for hours, humiliated constantly....
The above showing an obvious bias towards the Israeli Navy.

But something is worse than being biased when you portray yourself as an investigative journalist.Blatant factuals errors.

1) The audio footage:
Jane Corbin said that the audio footage authenticity is disputed. WRONG. The Israeli Navy itself admittedthat that had edited footage and played around with it. (Some of itdated from 2008). This has been widely reported and could not havebeen missed by your team of investigative journalists, right. Here is one article about this:http://maxblumenthal.com/2010/06/idf-admits-it-doctored-flotilla-audio-clip-washington-posts-kessler-must-retract/

2) The Hamas quote:
Jane Corbin said that Gaza was controlled by Hamas, a political party who "does not recognise Israel's existence". WRONG again. Once more the fact that Hamas recognises Israel's existence as a fact has been widely published including in mainstream newspapers such as the guardian. (once more an investigative journalist must have heard about such a paper,right?). Here 2 articles from the Guardian:

3) the "some passengers wanted to be martyrs" quote:
Jane Corbin's voice over, at one point said: "Some passengers on the boat wanted to be martyrs"and then shows some footage of a Turkish passenger. Problem is, the passenger does not say at any point that he WANTS to be a martyr.Passenger say that if there is violence, he'll respond, and that IF he died as a martyr, he'll be proud to have died for a just cause.Totally different, right?

4) The "this was a political flotilla" discovery:
After 30 mins of such groundbreaking investigative journalism, Jane Corbyn had a huge SCOOP. "This was not a humanitarian aid flotilla, but a political one, which attended to put pressure on Israel and to push the country to end thesiege on Gaza". Amazing! Thanks. Problem is that this SCOOP had been announced more than 6 months ago by the flotilla organisers and repeated over and over again since then.

I could go on and on, as yesterday'sprogram was so clearly flawed and blatantly biased.
Not sure what was Panorama agenda in making this program. Totally discrediting the BBC as an impartial broadcaster? totally discrediting the profession of journalist?

Or maybe it was both.

Best regards




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The following is BBC's response to the complaint letter. It also included point-by-point rebuttal by the author in bold letters:



"Thank you for your feedback regarding 'Panorama – Death in the Med' as broadcast on 16 August. Please be assured that your concerns were forwarded to the programme's production team.

We understand the strength of feeling regarding the Israeli Defence Force's operation against the Mavi Marmara on 31 May 2010. We recognise the complexity of the subject and note its ramifications within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole.

I do not recognise the complexity of the subject. 200 soldiers illegally boarded 6 passenger vessels (yes, 6) in international waters (it has been proven that Mavi Marmara was actually going away from Gaza to avoid confrontation), in the middle of the night, killed 9 people (after autopsy, it was established that some of the dead were shot more than 9 times, in back, head and chest from very close range-less than 45 centimeters away), illegally took the rest of the passengers to Israel, paraded them in Ashdod port, took them to jail, interrogated them, stole their laptops, cameras, films, diaries, backpacks, credit cards and passports (at least 4 soldiers are under investigation for selling some of the passenger's possessions) tried to force them to sign "confessions that they entered Israel illegally" and then illegally deported them to Turkey (which was not everyone country of origin).What is complex about this?

This programme intended to explore the considerable confusion about what actually happened on the Mavi Marmara on the day in question.

What confusion? If there was some confusion in viewer's mind it is down to the fact that most mainstream media (including BBC) gave unprecedented airing time to Israel's PR machine (Mark Regev, Tzipi Livni and Caporal Leibovitz).On the other hand, most testimonies by passengers (from Mavi Marmara and rest of vessels) were saying the same thing. "Israel attacked us, use disproportionate violence, shot people from the helicopter....".Who are we suppose to believe? An army of occupation, well known for its human rights abuses, or 700 peace activists?

Israel has been accused of breaking international law by seizing a Turkish ship. Israel says the protesters were terrorists. Turkey insists they were innocent victims. With several inquiries underway Panorama's Jane Corbin uncovered important new evidence from both sides in a bid to establish what really happened.

What important new evidence did Jane Corbin uncovered? Sorry I missed this part. (am being serious). Israel has not been accused of breaking international law by seizing a Turkish ship (actually, your team of journalist forgot to mention that ship was actually Comoros registered) in international waters. Israel HAS breached international law by seizing a Comoros registered ship in International Waters. Why try to blur people's mind when things are obvious?You're right on 1 point. Israel said the protesters were terrorists. Only Israel said so. Even the CIA admitted that they was no ground to say that IHH was involved in any terrorism. Also, what is your definition of terrorism? The CIA one is this one: "the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear"Could this apply to the passengers at all? Even if they did attack the soldiers, this is not terrorism.

Jane Corbin is a world renowned journalist with twenty years' experience reporting for 'Panorama' and the on-going conflict in the Middle East. She is respected for her dedicated, impartial and balanced work on both sides of the conflict and approached this subject with the same level of fairness which she is known for.

Who says that Jane Corbin is respected, impartial and balanced? Did you ever conduct a survey about this? Did you ask your viewers?

We appreciate some viewers were unhappy about the nature of the video and audio footage we showed. We can assure you that enormous care was involved in selecting the footage we showed. During the programme we made it clear that a variety of different sources were shown, some from the Israeli Defence Force, some from the IHH and "culturesofresitance.org" and others from individuals who were onboard the Mavi Marmara on the night in question. The majority of the footage used in the programme is openly available on the internet.

Once more, I have to totally disagree with your above comment. Either your team is very unprofessional or you DID NOT use "enormous care" when selecting footage. Why using audio footage "remember 9/11" or "go back to Auschwitz" which the Israeli Army admitted to have tempered with and edited? You had more than 100 hours of video and audio footage, why even use something that was at least "very controversial" and "disputed". This is sensationalism, not investigative journalism.

All featured footage was meticulously double and cross checked to verify its accuracy; any footage of uncertain events during the raid was clearly labelled as such.

See above for comments. Why using footage of uncertain events while you had some of very certain ones? Same question as before arise, are you a programme about serious, investigative journalism or one about sensationalism?
Viewers were shown a wide range of opinions and whenever a question of authenticity of footage arose, we made this clear.
We also spoke extensively to the groups and individuals involved in the incident including three Israeli commandos involved in the raid; the head of the IHH - Bulent Yildirim; the Free Gaza Coordinator on board the Mavi Marmara - Lubna Masarwa; three Turkish activists and activist Ken O'Keefe, who were on board the Mavi Marmara on the night in question. We also spoke to Hamas official Dr Ahmed Yousef in Gaza. They were all given sufficient time and a platform to make their points.

It's not about who you interrogated. It's about how you then edit this and present it to your audience. You know this very well.

The programme made it clear that the flotilla was still in international waters, ninety miles from Gaza. The programme also made it clear that a number of inquiries are ongoing.

Again, editing is key. You might have made this very clear but what people will remember is "Israel's has agreed to a UN investigation". Which once more, is far from the truth. Israel has agreed to UNSC investigation with reservations yet to be accepted by Ban Ki Moon. Israel has not agreed to cooperate with UNHRC investigation.Another question for you to answer is:"Why did Israel agree for BBC to interview soldiers involved in Mavi Marmara attack and is refusing this to UN investigation?"

We believe the programme was balanced and impartial, going to great lengths to give opposing sides the opportunity to air their views.

You believe that programme was balanced an impartial. It seems like many viewers do not agree with you. Why?

We acknowledge the strength of your views regarding this matter, thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

You still have not answered the following questions:
-Soldier claimed that he was stabbed (while no proof was given)
-soldiers could not shoot while abseiling down (maybe, but soldiers in helicopter could shoot, right? Why many passengers bullet injuries were on top of the head and on top of their feet?)
-Passengers used Israeli Army weapons to shoot soldiers and had weapons on board. Preposterous claim, even the IDF admitted that this was not true.
-Hamas does not recognise Israel. Stop with this very vague statement, please. What Israel? Which borders? Israel as a Jewish State? An occupying power? Hamas and its leaders (Meshal and Haniyeh) have repeatedly said that they were willing to negotiate on 1967 borders and accepted Israel as a political fact. Why not mentioning this?
-Some passengers wanted to be a martyrs. No one said this during the programme. No one.

Kind Regards
BBC Audience Services"
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