h/t GM
As BBC Watch readers are only too aware, one of the BBC’s regular go-to guys for commentary on the Middle East – especially on ‘Dateline London‘ – is Abdel Bari Atwan.
On these pages we have frequently questioned the value of ‘comment’ and ‘analysis’ provided to the BBC’s funding public by someone with such an obviously partisan political agenda and extremist views. Nevertheless, the BBC continues to invite Atwan to appear on its programmes, as do a variety of other media organisations. One of those is the Lebanese TV station Al Mayadeen (which also employs George Galloway) and here is a clip from a programme in which Atwan appeared on January 31st.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSH5tP8cu9E
“Arabs who do not think that Israel is an enemy are neither Arabs nor Muslims.”
Of course Atwan would be unlikely to voice such a statement on the BBC, but it is worth keeping that particular opinion of his in mind next time he is wheeled out by the “standard-setter for international journalism” to provide ‘analysis’ of the Middle East.
