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More Bowen

Thursday, 28th June 2007

On my old blog I revealed a memo written by the BBC's Middle East Editor, Jeremy Bowen. It was exactly what one might expect. The "fragmentation" of Palestinian society has, in Mr Bowen's view, nothing to do with the Palestinians and everything to do with Israel ("the death of hope, caused by a cocktail of Israel's military activities, land expropriation and settlement building - and the financial sanctions imposed on the Hamas led government"). Indeed, Israel is to blame for almost everything. The Palestinians are not responsible for anything; Israel is the culpable party. And he has contempt for every Israeli politician he mentions; Ehud Barak, for instance, is described as having killed "various Palestinians", written as if he did so for the sake of it.

So one should not be surprised that he's at it again:

BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says Mr Blair will have a tough task ahead of him. Israelis like Mr Blair because they believe he is on their side and Palestinians in the main do not trust him for the same reason, our correspondent adds.

This idle and gratuitous piece of mindreading comes in an article that reports the PA's welcome for Blair's appointment.

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max

June 28th, 2007 12:03pm

This is even worse.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6246970.stm

And I love the photo of Blair putting on a kipa. Do you think the BBC's trying to tell us something?

Jeremy Jacobs

June 29th, 2007 12:33am

Max, I don't think so somehow. About time the licence-fee system was halted in this country

Michael

June 29th, 2007 12:55am

Bowen's article is the usual absurd biased hackery we've come to expect from him: he employs further mindreading to insist that Blair will go way beyond his mandate and try to solve the Middle East conflict. This enables Bowen to list the issues that Blair will have to deal with if he does as Bowen predicts; and naturally, these obstacles to peace are all issues on which Israel must be forced to compromise and make concessions. It cannot be stated strongly enough: Jeremy Bowen and the BBC simply do not believe that the almost daily attempts by Palestinians to murder Israeli civilians constitute any barrier to peace. Only Israel creates obstacles to peace, and if we take him at his word, Bowen clearly believes that Israel created an obstacle to peace by successfully defending itself against aggression in 1967.

melk

June 29th, 2007 5:50pm

There is NOTHING that does the Palestinians more harm than not holding them responsible for anything that they do. It is the worst form of paternalism. Mr Bowen and his ilk continually set the Palestinian recovery backwards. Everyone benefits from criticism, including Israel and white South Africa. As the beneficiary of sharp criticism, Israel will continue to move forward and the Palestinians will continue their miserable existence. This is such a tragedy.