BBC News finally mentions Gaza arson attacks – in just sixteen words

After two months of arson attacks and damage to thousands of acres of land, the BBC has managed to come up with the grand total of sixteen words on that story.

Readers of a BBC News website article titled “May raises concerns with Israel over Gaza violence” which appeared on the ‘UK Politics’ and ‘Middle East’ pages on June 6th (with the tag “Gaza border clashes”) were probably rather confused when they saw a reference to burning fields.

“Responding to her [Theresa May’s] comments, Mr Netanyahu said the problems in Gaza were “rooted in the fundamental goal of Hamas to destroy Israel”.

He added: “We are not witnessing a peaceful protest. In addition to burning our fields, these people are being paid for and pushed by Hamas to try to break into Israel’s defences, kill as many Israelis as they can when they get through the border and kidnap our soldiers.” [emphasis added]

Photo credit: KKL

We have previously noted here that BBC audiences have seen no coverage of the ‘Great Return March’ arson attacks that have destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land, crops, nature reserves and woodland in southern Israel.

“Since the “March of Return” protests began along the Gaza border at the end of March, hundreds of kites and helium balloons have been flown into Israel outfitted with Molotov cocktails and containers of burning fuel, setting fire to large swaths of land, though no injuries have been reported.

Israeli officials have said fires have destroyed over 17,500 dunams (4,300 acres) of land, the majority of it in nature reserves and parks.

There have been at least 285 separate fire incidents in the KKL/JNF nature reserves since April 11, burning 3,000 dunams (740 acres) of conservation area in the Beeri and Kissufim forests, Ben David [of the JNF] said. According to the Nature and Parks Authority, a total of 10,000 dunams in parks and reserves in southern Israel have been torched, including the KKL/JNF parks. Fires also burned an additional 7,500 dunams (1,800 acres) of farmland, mostly cattle grazing areas but also parts of some fields. […]

Israel’s Tax Authority said the agricultural damage alone stood at NIS 5 million ($1.4 million) and that damage caused to nature reserves and other land could drive up the figure.”

On one occasion the BBC changed a photo caption, thereby turning an image depicting “a fire in a wheat field near the Kibbutz of Nahal Oz” into one telling BBC audiences that “Israeli soldiers patrolled along the Gaza border”.

However, sharp-eyed visitors to the BBC News website’s Middle East page on June 7th may have noticed that a photograph captioned “Flaming kites sent from Gaza during the protests have burnt 2,250 acres of land in Israel” was included in a report titled “Israel blames Iran for Gaza border violence“.

The original caption to that photograph clarified what type of “land in Israel” has been burned:

“Israeli firefighters try to extinguish a fire that ignited at a field as a result of a Molotov cocktail kite that was sent from Gaza Strip few kilometers from the border with Gaza near Kibbutz Or Haner, in southern Israel, 05 June 2018. Media reports that after a cease-fire was achieved between Israeli military and Palestinian militants in Gaza on 29 May 2018 Palestinians from Gaza continue to send Molotov kites to the Israeli territory and cause damage to thousands of acres of agriculture and nature reserves in Israel as Palestinians mark the ‘Naksa Day’ or the so-called Six-days war.”

The arson attacks have continued since the BBC published that photo caption on June 7th but as we see, after two months and hundreds of arson attacks causing damage to thousands of acres of crops, agricultural land, woodland and nature reserves – including wildlife – the BBC has managed to come up with the grand total of just sixteen words on that story.

Related Articles:

BBC News makes a story disappear by changing photo captions

BBC News yawns at ‘Great Return March’ arson incidents

BBC News website ignores most of renewed Gaza rocket fire

 

 

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