Palestinian Islamic Jihad clarifies what the BBC did not

Revisiting the BBC's report on a cross-border tunnel.

As readers no doubt recall, in its October 30th report on an Israeli counter-terrorism operation against a cross-border tunnel running from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory the BBC News website failed to clarify the purpose of that tunnel to readers, putting the words terror tunnel in scare quotes.

“The Israeli military said the “terror tunnel” was still under construction when it was “neutralised”.”

The article went on to unquestioningly amplify the propaganda of the terror group that constructed the tunnel.

“An Islamic Jihad statement said the tunnels were “part of the policy of deterrence to defend the Palestinian people” and accused Israel of a “dangerous escalation”, according to AFP news agency.”

The day after that BBC report was published a Palestinian Islamic Jihad official clarified the tunnel’s purpose in an interview translated by PMW:

“A member of Islamic Jihad, Khaled Al-Batsh, explained [in Al-Dustour (Jordanian newspaper), Oct. 31, 2017] that the tunnel that Israel attacked “was intended for freeing prisoners from the Israeli occupation prisons.” Al-Batsh was implying that the purpose of the tunnel was to facilitate the entry of Islamic Jihad terrorists into Israel, to kidnap Israelis who would then be used as hostages to force Israel to release prisoners.”

Al Batsh also spoke at the funerals of some of the terrorists who died after entering the tunnel following its explosion.

“Senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) member Khaled al-Batsh alluded that the terrorist tunnel the IDF detonated on Monday on the Gaza border was intended for kidnapping Israeli civilians, who would then be exchanged for imprisoned PIJ terrorists.

“The freedom tunnel that was attacked yesterday by the enemy was meant for the release of our prisoners,” al-Batsh disclosed, adding that the PIJ are undeterred, and will have “another tunnel for the release of the prisoners” in the future. […]

“We will continue our battle out of determination,” he said. “We have the right—blood for blood; we will not give up our right to resist.” […]

“Our weapons will remain in our hands; we will not allow anyone to demilitarize us,” he concluded.”

It should of course be a cause of considerable concern to the BBC that a member of a terror group gives a clearer and more honest explanation of the cross-border tunnel’s purpose that a Western media organisation supposedly committed to providing “accurate and impartial news, current affairs and factual programming of the highest editorial standards”.  

Related Articles:

BBC News report on Gaza tunnel equivocal about its purpose

 

 

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