The turn of the Year marked the one year anniversary of war crimes committed against the Palestinians in Gaza. This month the Palestinians remembered another nation ravaged by devastation and human loss - Haiti. The extensive global media coverage was commendable and justified - the severity of the earthquake was enormous, however for many, it only highlighted the selectiveness of the mainstream media when remembering the coverage of Gaza's Israeli-inflicted crisis last year. Mainstream British media has been extremely lacking this month with minute coverage of the EU delegation of over 60 parliamentarians, together with the BBC's biased Newsnight report on the Gaza incursion. MEMO further highlights the tensions in Jerusalem, stalemate in negotiations and Turkey-Israel's worn out relationship.
Israel's 'rescue mission' to Haiti
Much controversy has surrounded Israel's high profiled rescue mission to Haiti following the devastating earthquake there earlier this month. An exceptionally well equipped and staffed field hospital was speedily dispatched to the region along with a military relief team including evacuation and recovery experts as well as a technical division. However, many contend that the motivations behind this rescue effort were wholly cynical - an unprecedented public relations campaign and propaganda tool aimed at diverting international attention away from its culpability in war crimes perpetrated in Gaza among other things.
While the actions and efforts of individual Israeli volunteers who risked their lives and expended time and effort to help in the crisis must be commended, it is easy to see how the discrepancy between Israel's response to the death and destruction in Haiti and the total disregard and utter indifference it displays toward the ongoing suffering of people on its doorstep in Gaza, could be met with cynicism. It seems fundamentally perverse that such a huge effort should be made to alleviate the devastation of one humanitarian crisis while aggressively creating another. Israel's response would reflect a belief in the value, sanctity and dignity of all human life; a moral compulsion to send medicine, doctors and supplies to the people of Haiti. Yet, women, children and the elderly in besieged Gaza are allowed to die and made to go hungry because the same Israeli government and its allies will not allow medicine and food in. And while Haitians experience the devastation of their homes and lives as the consequence of a natural disaster, for Palestinians it is imposed on them by Israel.
Israelis are entitled to feel pride in the contributions to the rescue effort made by voluntary humanitarian organisations like ZAKA, just as many of them feel shame in the actions of their government in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared that such humanitarian efforts represent "the best tradition of the Jewish people" and is in accordance with one of Judaism's foremost traditions; Tikkun Olam or "repairing the world". It is nonetheless difficult to reconcile the reality of the religious fundamentalism and racist supremacist ideologies in Israel that fuel settler colonialism, collective punishment, war crimes, random and targeted killings and every manner of human rights violation and oppression with such an image. Surely the phrase 'IDF angel' is a contradiction in terms. John Smithson wrote on the Mondoweiss site: "I guess giving Israel credit for good deeds in Haiti is like watching a serial killer or other sociopathic type mow an old woman's lawn (or some other charitable thing)."
What is needed is for Israel to walk the talk and reflect some of that Tikkun Olam Israelis pride themselves on by extending a modicum of compassion to their closest neighbours in Gaza and the West Bank. Perhaps then, the world would find no reason to scoff at displays of humanity such as that exhibited by the Israeli government in Haiti.
EU Delegation to Gaza
In early January, a delegation of over 60 parliamentarians from over 13 EU countries travelled to the besieged Gaza Strip to assess the on-going humanitarian crisis there affecting more than 1.5 million Palestinians. The delegation also witnessed the harrowing physical and psychological scars left behind following the Israeli incursion early last year in which over 1400 Palestinians died, many of whom were women and children.
The delegation was organised by the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) and was headed by the veteran British MP, the Right Honourable Sir Gerald Kaufman. British representatives included Lord Ahmed, Jeremy Corbyn, Baroness Tonge and Clare Short. The EU delegation visited make shift refugee camps and ravaged areas north of the Gaza Strip, interviewing Palestinians, including children, who were left devastated by the Israeli invasion. Unfortunately, it is becoming increaingly evident that certain parts of mainstream British media continue to simply refuse to show all sides of the story. There was minimal coverage of the visit from mainstream broadcasting centres such as the BBC and Sky News, and mainstream newspapers, with exception of the Guardian. British and global audiences had to once again rely on Al-Jazeera English and Press TV for wider coverage.
Universal Jurisdiction in the UK
Attempts by Israel to force the British government to change its law on universal jurisdiction have run into difficulty and are facing fierce opposition in the political and criminal justice establishments. Abdul Bari Utwan wrote in an article entitled "Israel and Little Britain" for the London based Al Quds Al Arabi, that more than 70 parliamentarians signed a petition severely condemning the government's attempts to overhaul the judiciary. They were joined by dozens of peers, actors, writers and senior lawyers, all of whom believe that the government's proposal is an affront to justice and the values of Western democracy. Meanwhile, the Jewish Chronicle accused Justice Minister, Jack Straw of blocking the proposed change and Prime Minister Gordon Brown of doing nothing to help implement it. It hs been asserted that should the legislation not get passed through parliament before the general elections, 'it will be crystal clear who is to blame.'
BBC and Gaza
The BBC flagship programme Newsnight Report on Gaza presented by former Colonel, Tim Collins, aroused disquiet because of its apparent bias and distortion of the facts. The report called into question, yet again, the impartiality of the BBC and more specifically, about the funding of the programme. With the findings of the Goldstone inquiry and the pursuit of Israeli officials across Europe still high on the public agenda, the BBC report became conspicuously significant. It appeared, at best, a desperate attempt to sanitise the image of the Israeli leadership - humanise the 'good guys' and demonise the enemy - a well-established propaganda ploy.
Viva Palestina
The Viva Palestina humanitarian aid convoy which set off from London in early December with the aim of breaking the siege on Gaza and delivering to it much needed supplies, including medicine and educational equipment, finally entered the beleaguered strip on the 6th of January. Arriving almost two weeks later than the date projected to coincide with the anniversary of the war on the 27thof December 2008, their journey was fraught. Despite the political wrangling that dogged every step of the way, the near complete media blackout in the western mainstream press and convoy participants being imprisoned, beaten, stoned and tear gassed by Egyptian authorities, as well as the organiser, George Galloway being declared 'person non grata' by Egypt, they managed to achieve their aims. 
Jerusalem
Jerusalem was never out of the news this month with a succession of events underscoring its centrality. The sentencing of Shaykh Raid Salah at the beginning of the month was seen as an attempt to silence the charismatic figure oft regarded as the Custodian of Al Aqsa Mosque. Following the trial several regional commentators paid tribute to his steadfast and courageous efforts. The Arab League, among others, called for his release.
The damaging consequences of Israel's excavation activities in Jerusalem were demonstrated with the collapse of a road on Wadi Hilwa Street in the Silwan neighbourhood. Similar incidents have taken place over the past twelve months, on one occasion causing injury to 17 students. 
Negotiations
As President Obama inched toward his first year in office, the issue of Middle East peace resurfaced. The hubris of his Cairo address has been supplanted by a sobering sense of realism. Having failed to convince the Israelis to halt their settlement construction in the Occupied Territories, Obama, in an interview given to Times Magazine on January 21st, admitted that the problem was more "intractable" than he orginally perceived it to be. "It is just really hard," he admitted. On the Palestinian front, several reports suggest the PA is about to resume negotiations in spite of Israel's non-compliance with its precondition.
Turkey, Israel & 'The Low Sofa Affair'
Former allies, Israel and Turkey have continued towards a more embittered diplomatic state of affairs. Recent months have seen a sharp escalation in mutual criticism, not only within the media but also by high profile politicians. Turkey's Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan's impassioned exit from the Davos Conference early in 2009, following a clash with Israeli President Shimon Peres, ignited a heated analysis and criticism of both parties in Israeli and Foreign media. In Israel, the media was divided with some recognising the major importance of Turkey as a key ally both politically and financially, while others began to confuse Turkey's anti-Gaza incursion stance with anti-Semitism. The impasse has become especially exaggerated since the recent negative portrayal of Israeli agents in a Turkish soap opera. This episode culminated in the Turkish ambassador being 'summoned' to the Israeli Foreign Minister's office and humiliated.
According to reports in the Israeli media, the deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, was acting on instructions from the Foreign Minister when he made Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol sit on a low sofa with only the Israeli flag in view- a breach of normal diplomatic protocol. Ayalon explained to local TV stations in Hebrew that the humiliation was intentional. This caused a furore, with the Turkish President ordering a recall of the ambassador unless an official and public apology was issued. Israel duly apologised, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling his officials to find ways to reverse the decline in relations between the two states. In doing so, he said that while Ayalon was justified in his protest over the content of the programme, "he should have used acceptable diplomatic means to express his outrage." Erdogan accepted the apology but at a news conference added, "Israel must put itself in order and it must be more just and more on the side of peace in the region." Some commentators were none-too-kind, with sarcastic editorials appearing in a few Israeli newspapers, including the Jerusalem Post, on account of what was seen as Turkey over-exaggerating the severity of the 'low sofa incident'. Rather than focus on the unraveling diplomatic crisis between the two countries, Israeli media was awash with commentaries and editorials putting Turkey under the microscope and attacking its domestic and foreign policy decisions. Once thought of as Israel's closest ally in the 'Muslim World', Turkey has courageously taken a stand for justice and human rights which many Arab states are too scared or weak to take.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
0 Comments