BBC: ZIONIST PROPAGANDA MACHINE

NOVANEWS

Dear all,

I would never normally choose to watch Top Gear but when I saw that it was a Middle East special, I thought I ought to, especially when I noticed that the Radio Times mentioned that Clarkson and co. were traveling to Bethlehem via Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Israel, but with no mention of the West Bank.

If you can bear it, please watch it on iplayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00x31wf/Top_Gear_Specials_2010_Middle_East_Special/

I have just submitted the complaint below and am going to write a letter for publication in the Radio Times. This could be a matter for the BIN tourism group so I’ll send it there in a moment.

Debbie

The programme is inaccurate as it referred to the Golan Heights as being in Israel when they are in Syria, but illegally occupied by Israel. It was also very misleading as it implied that Bethlehem is in Israel rather than in the Palestinian West Bank and there was no mention of Palestine. The map did not have West Bank written on it and it was only mentioned once, but not in the context of Bethlehem’s location. It referred to the West Bank as ‘disputed’ when it is illegally occupied.

The programme inaccurately stated that The Golan Heights ‘for political reasons’ was Syria but is now Israel. No, it is still Syria, but illegally occupied by Israel. Although the programme was about the drivers’ journey to Bethlehem, not once was it stated that Bethlehem is in the West Bank and the West Bank was not even labelled on the map. At one point, the outline of the West Bank was flashed up, but it was still not labelled as such.

There was no mention at all of Palestine, and the West Bank was not mentioned until 10 minutes before the end, but only in the context of the drivers being advised to avoid it ‘for political reasons’.

But how could they avoid it if Bethlehem is in it? What political reasons? The Israeli authorities not wanting them to experience the check-points and see the suffering of the Palestinians? When they crossed from Jordan into Israel, they said that this was the final border crossing. This implied that they did not have to cross the border to get to Bethlehem, which would also have led uninformed viewers to assume that Bethlehem is in Israel.

If there was no border crossing, this indicates that they must have entered via an apartheid, Jewish only, Settler road which connects Israel to the illegal Settlements in the West Bank.

The West Bank was referred to as ‘disputed’, but according to international law, it is illegally occupied and known as the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This is misleading and once again shows the BBC to be toeing the Israeli propaganda line, as they would like us to believe that the West Bank is part of Israel. It is bad enough that many people think that Bethlehem is in Israel, without the BBC helping to compound that belief. Surely television should be educating and informing viewers, not compounding their ignorance?

When the drivers arrived in Bethlehem, viewers did at least see the Apartheid Wall (separation barrier) but it was not mentioned or explained, and with no hint of irony, Jeremy Clarkson said, ‘It felt good to be at the font of peace on earth and goodwill to all men’.

What peace? What goodwill when there is a huge wall surrounding Jesus’ birthplace, and imprisoning its people? Not only was the programme inaccurate and hugely misleading, it is likely to cause offense to the residents of Bethlehem and Palestinians in general and anyone who cares about justice.

I realise that this was not intended to be a political programme, but to go to Bethlehem, which is in Palestine, without mentioning Palestine, IS political, and highlights the pro-Israel bias of the BBC. It seems that the BBC relied on the Israeli authorities to get to Bethlehem and had to toe their propaganda line in return. But why did the BBC have to rely on Israel? They could have simply gone through Jordan and crossed at the Allenby Bridge.