BBC’s portrayal of ‘Palestinian peace plan’ unravels

At the beginning of this week we addressed the topic of the BBC’s framing of the PA’s presentation – via Jordan – of a draft resolution to the UN Security Council. In that post we noted the following:BBC News logo

“Neither does the BBC address the issue of exactly which Palestinian factions are involved in this unilateral move and the significance of the fact that Hamas, whilst party to the Palestinian unity government, is not a member of the body recognized by the international community as representing the Palestinian people – the PLO. Hence, the subject of which factions exactly would be bound by what the BBC revealingly chooses to term this Palestinian “peace plan” – and its resulting efficacy – remains unaddressed.”

Thanks to the Jerusalem Post’s Khaled Abu Toameh we now learn that those questions were far from premature and that the thorny issue of who would be committed to this so-called “peace plan” even extends to Mahmoud Abbas’ own party.

“Some Palestinian factions and figures oppose the draft Palestinian statehood resolution that was presented to the UN Security Council last week.

They claim that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas did not present the measure to leaders of the PLO and Fatah before it was brought to the Security Council. […]

Abbas critics argue that the draft resolution, which calls for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, does not meet the political aspirations of the Palestinians.

Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti took issue with the text and called on the PA leadership to conduct an immediate and comprehensive revision of its wording. […]

Tayseer Khaled, a member of the PLO Executive Committee and a leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also criticized the draft resolution and called on the PA leadership to withdraw it from the Security Council.

The proposal does not represent the position endorsed by the PLO Executive Committee over the past few weeks, Khaled said. […]

The Palestinian National Initiative, an independent political movement led by Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, said the draft resolution includes “dangerous lapses” that compromise Palestinian demands.”

Moreover, Palestinian unity government partner Hamas also joined in the criticism of Abbas’ move.

“Hamas on Tuesday joined several Palestinian groups that have rejected Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s statehood bid at the UN Security Council.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the draft resolution that was presented to the Security Council last week, and which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines, does not represent the Palestinians.”

Curiously, the BBC (which seems to have Mustafa Bargouti on speed-dial every time an opportunity to defame and delegitimise Israel presents itself) has apparently not yet contacted its favourite “influential Palestinian politician” – or anyone else – for comment on these developments, which to date remain unreported.

A very prominent characteristic of BBC Middle East coverage is its consistent under-reporting of domestic Palestinian affairs, including internal politics. Thus, BBC audiences only get to see a sanitized, one-dimensional, homogenous view of Palestinians which actively hinders their understanding of the region and its events.  

Related Articles:

BBC WS fails to inform on political NGO links of interviewee on topic of PA’s UNSC bid

How did the BBC frame the PA’s UNSC move?

 

 

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