It is unfortunate that Melanie Phillips based her allegations of BBC bias in its reporting of Israeli actions on a video by CAMERA (Committee
for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America), and not on the original programme as broadcast. The CAMERA video is a misrepresentation of Jane Corbin’s Panorama ‘A Walk in the
Park’.
Following a complaint from CAMERA, this Panorama was thoroughly investigated for any evidence of bias and/or inaccuracy by both the Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU) of the BBC and the Editorial
Standards Committee (ESC) of the BBC Trust. In both cases, the film was completely exonerated and no bias found. The ECU is entirely independent of the Panorama team and has a track record of
rigorous investigations into the BBC’s output. The ESC is governed by the BBC Trust, which as you’ll know is the body that oversees and monitors the BBC. Neither has shown any
reluctance to uphold other complaints about BBC output.
The CAMERA video is a distorted analysis of the programme, editing together commentary, pictures and interviews to give a very different impression of the film than that broadcast. There are many examples of this re-editing throughout the CAMERA video, overlaid with a highly defamatory and inaccurate commentary. At best, this is a piece of crude propaganda damaging to the reputation of the reporter, Jane Corbin, the Panorama programme and the BBC.
The following examples give a flavour of CAMERA’s misrepresentations and distortions:
1) At 1’44 to 2’30, the CAMERA video edits together a series of sequences and overlapping bits of commentary, taking partial sentences out of context to give a
misleading impression of the overall programme.
For example, in the CAMERA video, Jane Corbin is heard saying: “the buying up of houses, the archaeology, the tourist park — the Palestinians say they have nowhere to
expand…” In fact, the sentence continued in the Panorama: “This was once a house belonging to Jawad’s family — demolished by the Israelis because it was built
without planning permission”.
In CAMERA’s edited version, Jane says: “Israeli archaeology has raised Arab suspicions of a Jewish takeover…” Yet the Panorama show goes on to show an Israeli policeman
with Jane Corbin on Temple Mount. The policeman says: “this is the most sensitive place for us, the back of the Western Wall.” Jane Corbin then reports: “Ofer Shomer
has one of the hardest police jobs in the world making sure Jews and Muslims can pray in peace here.”
The CAMERA version shows Jane Corbin saying: “they are accused of undermining the Palestinians both by digging under their houses and emphasising that it is Jews who have lived here for
thousands of years…” Yet her Panorama report goes on to hear from Elad, the settler group which runs the archaeological site, who explain why it is so holy to Jews:
“… you walk through this place with the Bible and literally see people from the Bible jumping out at you”.
In the CAMERA version, Jane says: “the Israeli government’s been criticised for handing the running of a sensitive national site to a settler organisation with its own agenda and a
selective view of history.” Again, this is truncated. In the Panorama, she goes on to put a question to the head of the site, Doron Spielman, and hears his answer. Once again, both sides
of the argument are expanded on. So Jane Corbin asks: “But do you understand the Palestinians when they say you are erasing their history and putting Jewish history before theirs,
they feel very sensitive about this?” And Mr Spielman responds: “If there is anything Palestinian … the Palestinians are a nation created 60 years ago … there is
no Arab history here. Anything we found was published”.
2) In CAMERA’s report, there’s a 20 second section, at 2’30, where a series of Jane’s questions are edited together without the answers from Israeli interviewees. The implication is that Jane Corbin is being unfair by asking questions solely from a Palestinian perspective. But this is normal journalistic practice. It would be curious not to ask questions of Israelis in a film which was made against a background of strong international condemnation of Israel for its demolitions and evictions in east Jerusalem. So Israelis were robustly questioned but in a context in which Palestinian actions were also queried — illegal building and rioting on the Temple Mount/compound of the holy mosques were just two examples.
A comparison of the exchanges as reported by CAMERA and as they originally appeared in Panorama is instructive.
In CAMERA’s edited version, the following questions appear one after another:
JC 1:…But do you understand Palestinians when they say you are erasing their history and putting Jewish history before theirs, they feel very sensitive about this…?
JC 2:…aren’t you worried about the tension you are causing?….
JC 3:…they can’t expand naturally …..
Yet in the Panorama, those questions were shown with answers and follow-up exchanges:
JC 1: But do you understand the Palestinians when they say you are erasing their history and putting Jewish history before theirs, they feel very sensitive about this…?
Doron Spielman: If there is anything Palestinian…the Palestinians are a nation created 60 years ago…
JC: Arabs then….
DS: Arab history? There is no Arab history. There is no Arab history here. Anything that was found was published.
JC 2: Don’t you worry with the tension you cause with the Arabs here?
Arieh King: No. Any place where Jewish families are moving in sometimes it causes for a few days conflict but here on purpose I do it slowly. They know we own it. My way to convince them is don’t cause us to use the police or any other power. Choose the time, choose the way and we will help you.
JC: And you give them money?
AK: If they need the money I don’t have a problem to give them something that will make them easy to go out.
JC3: They can’t expand naturally. They can’t get permission they often have to build illegally.
Mayor: Let’s be honest with each other, you are right there are gaps in the planning system in Jerusalem both on the west side and on the east. On the east side a lack of planning causes sometimes people to build illegally…
3) At 11’31, the CAMERA video goes on to suggest that the Panorama programme is saying that eviction orders can be obtained simply because the Palestinians refuse to sell or move and that they take place without warning or recourse. This is plainly incorrect when you watch the programme rather than CAMERA’s edited version. In fact, the point that is being made by Panorama is that a particular settler, Arieh King, searches for houses occupied by Palestinians but owned by Jews before 1948 so as to establish that the Jews are the legal owners. He will then seek to persuade the Palestinian occupants to move. He will offer money. But if that doesn’t work he will assist in the taking of legal action with the intention of obtaining an eviction order and then enforcing eviction. “My aim is to get Jews all over (east Jerusalem) — all over,” he concludes.
4) The CAMERA video alleges from 12’35 onwards that Jane Corbin only described the Temple Mount/Muslim mosque compound area as “a Muslim Holy Site,” thus denying it was holy to Jews. Again, this is untrue.
CAMERA highlights the footage of Palestinians rioting on the Mount to allege that we have treated it as a solely Muslim area when, in fact, in the Panorama this sequence is prefaced by an Israeli policeman, Ofer Shomer, going on to the Mount with Jane and telling her this site is “the most sensitive for us,” i.e. because it is holy to two religions — Judaism and Islam. The script clearly states: “Ofer Shomer has one of the hardest police jobs in the world making sure Jews and Arabs can pray in peace here.” Shomer then goes on to describe the Palestinians as reacting to “propaganda” about Jews coming to pray on the Mount.
In addition, CAMERA distorts the episode in the film where the Adlers — a Jewish family — go to pray at the western wall. CAMERA suggests we somehow substitute this area as the most holy in order to deny the holiness of the Temple Mount. But their own commentary acknowledges this is the only part of the complex where Jews are currently permitted to pray. This whole section of the film is concerned with the holiness of this area — the Mount, the western wall and indeed this part of Jerusalem. CAMERA also omitted Mr Adler’s own words when he says in the film — clearly referring to the whole area — “we have a special prayer for Jerusalem, we Jews have been praying for 2,000 years since the destruction of the Second Temple.”
It is clear from these examples alone that the CAMERA video is neither a fair nor balanced representation of the Panorama programme. But this issue goes wider than a particular programme. At Panorama, we are well used to responding to criticism from pressure groups whose views are likely to be at one end of the spectrum or another. We accept it’s important to have a debate about the quality of journalism where the Middle East is concerned. But it can only take place effectively if we are judged on what we have said, rather than what others have reported we have said.
Tom Giles is Editor of Panorama.
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