The early version of the November 5th edition of the BBC World Service radio programme ‘Newshour’ was presented by Julian Marshall and included an item from Yolande Knell (available here from 14:00) on the topic of that day’s terror attack in Jerusalem.
Marshall introduced the item as follows:
“Jordan has recalled its ambassador to Israel over what it says is unprecedented Israeli escalation in Jerusalem. Earlier, Israeli police clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians inside Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as Temple Mount. Also in East Jerusalem today, Israeli police say one person was killed and nine people injured in a suspected terrorist attack by a man who rammed his car into pedestrians along a tram line in East Jerusalem. The man was subsequently shot dead. The BBC’s Yolande Knell joining us now from Jerusalem, and Yolande – as I understand it Hamas have said that they were behind that attack.”
As was the case in BBC News website reporting on the terror attack, the incident was inaccurately portrayed by Marshall (and later by Knell) as having taken place in “East Jerusalem”. Knell responded with a description of Hamas which omitted any reference to the organisation’s terror designation: clearly a highly relevant piece of information under the circumstances.
“That’s correct. The Palestinian militant group Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack and has praised it, indeed. That, of course, has drawn criticism from the Israeli government. We’ve had a statement from the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ahm…he accuses the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas of being directly responsible for what’s happened in East Jerusalem today…ahm…and said that it’s due to his partnership with Hamas. Of course a reconciliation deal between the president’s Fatah faction and Hamas was signed earlier in the year. Ahm…they now back a unity government…ahm…which is made up of technocrats. Ahm…they have been accused of inciting violence.”
So did the Israeli prime minister really say on November 5th that Abbas was directly responsible for the terror attack “due to [i.e. because of] his partnership with Hamas”? What was actually said is this:
“Over the past several days, we have witnessed increasing incitement by the head of the Palestinian Authority, including sending a condolence letter to the family of Yehuda Glick’s assassin, and a call to prevent the entry of Jews onto the Temple Mount by any means. This incitement has found practical expression on the ground. Today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem is the direct result of the incitement by Abu Mazen and his Hamas partners.”
But Knell’s whitewashing of Abbas’ incitement did not end with her creative interpretation of Netanyahu’s words; she then went on to tell BBC audiences the ‘real’ reasons for the surge of violence in Jerusalem.
“But this really comes on the back of mounting tensions in East Jerusalem over several months now and there are many factors for that. Ahm…the Israeli government policy of expanding Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem – which the Palestinians of course want as the capital of their future state – is one of the reasons. There have been some extremely controversial announcements of course. Settlements are seen as being illegal under international law although Israel disagrees with that.”
In other words, Knell would have listeners believe that Palestinian terrorism can be ‘explained’ by planning announcements and of course she fails, as usual, to inform them of the existence of legal opinions which contradict the BBC narrative regarding ‘settlements’. She continues – likewise failing to inform audiences that demolished structures are those which were built without planning permission, as would be the case in any Western country.
“Then we’ve had other aspects – Palestinian homes being demolished in just the past few days. And then all of these issues around restricted access to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound…ah…this holy site for Muslims, of course, but also for Jews who call it Temple Mount. Ahm…and it’s because of those tensions that we’ve had this announcement from official media in Jordan saying that the country is now recalling its ambassador for consultation because of all these problems around access to the Al Aqsa Mosque.”
Knell neglects to inform listeners that temporary age restrictions on entry to the site and rare closures are implemented solely as a means of trying to reduce tensions and avoid the violent rioting by young men.
As we have unfortunately had cause to note here on numerous occasions during the past few weeks, the BBC continues to deprive its audiences of the ability to fully understand the background to the recent violent events in Jerusalem by consistently side-stepping the crucial issue of incitement by the member factions of the Palestinian unity government currently in power. The list of alternative ‘reasons’ for rioting and terrorist attacks proffered by the BBC, however, continues to expand.
