More ‘Great Return March’ arson and ambitions ignored by BBC News

For the second week running the BBC avoids reporting arson attacks on Kerem Shalom crossing.

As was noted here last week the only reference on the BBC News website to the fact that on May 4th Palestinian rioters caused serious damage to the sole crossing point for goods and fuel into the Gaza Strip came in the form of a circumspect one liner.

“As noted at the Times of Israel:

“The damage caused Friday will very likely cause delays and difficulties in the transfer of goods into Gaza, not to mention the supply of desperately needed fuel, and exacerbate the already difficult humanitarian situation.”

However, the only mention of that incident on the BBC News website came in the form of twenty-two words in a report on another topic that was published the following day:

“On Saturday, Israel accused Hamas of setting fire to gas supplies and damaging crossing points where humanitarian supplies are brought into Gaza.” [emphasis added]”

The BBC News website likewise did not produce any dedicated reporting on the topic of the ‘Great Return March’ weekly rioting on May 11th and so BBC audiences remain unaware of the fact that the Kerem Shalom crossing was again vandalised on that day.

Kerem Shalom crossing May 11. Photo: IDF Spokesperson

“Hundreds of Palestinian rioters vandalized and set fire to a fuel complex and a conveyor belt on the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom, the strip’s main cargo crossing with Israel, causing more than $9 million in damages and disrupting the import of diesel fuel and building materials.

According to the IDF, the fuel installation is the only way to bring diesel fuel into Gaza for operating generators for hospitals and other key facilities.

A video from the Kerem Shalom crossing shows Palestinians cheering as a fire was set.

It was the second such attack on the facility in a week. “Hamas continues to lead the residents of Gaza to destroy the only assistance they receive,” the IDF said.

Nissim Jan, the director of an Israeli company that operates Kerem Shalom in partnership with private Palestinian companies, said he spent large sums to repair last week’s damage. “This time I can’t repair and will not repair it. Where shall I bring money from?” he said.”

The following day it was announced that the crossing would have to remain closed.

“The Israeli military on Saturday announced the closure of the Kerem Shalom border crossing into the Gaza Strip, a day after Palestinian rioters trashed key infrastructure serving the only entry point of outside goods into the Hamas-run Strip, causing immense damage.

The crossing will be closed while the damage is repaired, and will reopen in accordance with the security situation, officials said. […]

Apart from humanitarian cases, the IDF said the Kerem Shalom crossing would remain closed until the “extensive damage” caused to the torched gas lines, electricity infrastructure and a conveyor belt used to transfer goods into the Strip is repaired.

The army estimated the damage to Kerem Shalom would cost $9 million to repair.”

With BBC audiences regularly – and often falsely – led to believe that counter-terrorism measures employed by Israel are the prime factor influencing the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, it is significant that the corporation has shown no interest in reporting this story. 

Likewise, BBC audiences have not been informed of the anticipated violent climax to the ‘Great Return March’ events expected on May 14th and 15th.

“Hamas’s leader in Gaza said Thursday he hopes to see hundreds of thousands of Palestinians breach the border fence from Gaza into Israel at next week’s protests to coincide with the US embassy’s move to Jerusalem.

In his first major briefing to international media since becoming head of the Gaza terror group in 2017, Yahya Sinwar implied he would like to see thousands of Palestinians crossing into Israel as part of the culmination of more than a month of protests.”

The ITIC adds:

“Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas’s Political Bureau in the Gaza Strip, called on Palestinian youngsters to carry out the protest activity “at all costs,” saying that they would rather die as shaheeds. In the ITIC’s assessment, Hamas and the other organizers take into account that a mass penetration into Israeli territory may result in a large number of dead and wounded Palestinians among the rioters. However, the ITIC believes that the great number of expected casualties does not deter them. On the contrary – at a time when world media is focused on the confrontation between Israel and Iran and the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, a large number of casualties, from Hamas’s perspective, may help raise the Palestinian case once again to the forefront of public attention, after it had been pushed aside.”

Obviously BBC audiences’ understanding of the reports they will read, watch and hear about those events would have benefited from some prior background information concerning Hamas’ plans for the coming days.

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BBC News yawns at ‘Great Return March’ arson incidents

 

 

 

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