That CNN video (cont.)

Friday, January 09, 2009

That CNN video (cont.)

It seems that CNN has not only pulled the very questionable video purportedly shot in a hospital but has even taken down the empty video page. However, the text story remains with no reference to there having been a video or what happened to it. What do you call that? Oh yes, professional journalism. Not like us bloggers or Joe the Plumber who is going to Gaza on Pajamas Media TV's behalf.

Also, here is Richard Landes' column on the subject.

UPDATE: Just noticed on Little Green Footballs that the free-lance photographer, Ashraf Mashharawi, has an interesting business background (scroll down to the end of the posting). Well, well, who would have thunk it?

COMMENT THREAD

Another crisis, another opportunity …

If it was not for the Gaza crisis, then number one item in the headlines would most certainly be the Russian gas crisis. As with Gaza, though, nothing is quite what is seems, the media is as always totally unreliable and there are numerous hidden (and some not so hidden) agendas.

With a tentative resolutionon the cards, Russia and the European Union having clinched a deal on monitoring gas shipments through Ukraine, thus paving a way for the resumption of deliveries to EU countries, the EU's real agenda is the same as it has always been – more political integration.

To that effect, this current spot of bother with Russia provides yet another opportunity to invoke the mechanism that has been tried in the past – the beneficial crisis, a mechanism attempted in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War.

It is ironic now, as then, that there was another Middle East Crisis going on, but this time the two crises are not directly related – except in the eyes of the EU commission president José Manuel Barroso.

In a private meeting with the group leaders of the EU parliament yesterday – the so-called "conference of presidents" – he told this "privileged forum for the exchange also of sensitive information and for frank discussions" that we "will need to assert our interests in managing these crises." The "interests", of course are those of the EU.

As to the gas crisis, Barroso is looking at it in the short, medium and long term. The obvious short-term priority is to get the gas flowing again, although the dispute between Russia and Ukraine is being treated as "bilateral" in which the EU is not prepared (openly) to get involved.

For the medium to long-term, however, Barroso sees the crisis as an opportunity to demonstrate that "current framework" on energy is insufficient. Security of gas supplies in the EU, he tells his "privileged forum" is regulated by Directive 2004/67/EC but the measures set out in the directive are "insufficient to cope with the crisis."

Ever-willing to resolve this, Barroso has convened the EU's "Gas Coordination Group" to "assist Member States" but it will also be looking at "medium- to long-term gas security solutions to be implemented in the future to achieve better preparedness."

To help this process along, an "extraordinary Energy Council meeting" has also been convened in Brussels for 12 January, when it is expected to agree that "the present mechanisms mainly in the hands of the individual states are clearly not sufficient to organise an efficient response at EU level." It will, therefore, call for "the development of a common approach to an EU external energy policy."

The core of this will be a "five-point EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan" (ESSAP?), which will propose further EU control over infrastructure needs and the diversification of energy supplies; external energy relations; oil and gas stocks and crisis response mechanisms; energy efficiency; and "Making the best use of the EU's indigenous energy resources." - which will, of course, come under EU direction.

Bye, bye, what is left of Britain's North Sea oil and gas production.

All of this amounts to one huge power grab, and this time the "colleagues" may be just cowed enough by Russia's action. But, jusr in case they are not, Barroso is looking to the EU parliament to "convince the Member States of a truly coordinated approach and the need to create appropriate mechanisms to secure short, medium and long term energy supplies."

"This crisis," says Barroso, "demonstrates that there is even more urgency to make them than we thought some months ago."

Interestingly, as I have observed before, after the Suez Crisis of 1956 broke the impasse over the Common Market and brought to a head the negotiations which spawned the 1957 Treaty of Rome, it was only half-jokingly suggested that a statue should be erected to the man who had triggered the crisis, Gamel Abdel Nasser, "the federator of Europe".

If this current power grab comes off, the next suggestion may well be that such a statue is also erected in honour of President Vladimir Putin, for his role as another "federator of Europe".

COMMENT THREAD

End of the Tillack saga?

Media for Freedomreports that the accusations of bribery against the journalist Hans-Martin Tillack have been dismissed by a Belgian court for lack of evidence. Aparently the International Federation of Journalists is now calling on the EU "to tell the whole truth" about the complaints and why they were made. I guess it is a little difficult to work out why there should be ridiculous legal attempts to silence journalists who write about corruption about the European Union and its anti-corruption unit, OLAF.

Herr Tillack's supporters are calling for a formal apology from EU officials. We are calling for a full display of the Porcine Air Force in the skies above Brussels.

Daniel Hannan gives the full story in First Post, adding:

On Tuesday, the Belgian state was ordered to pay Tillack €10,000 in compensation and €30,000 costs. At least the poor fellow will get his hands on the moolah while there still is a Belgian state to pay him.

The first commenter wonders why he has not seen anything about this outrage in the British media. Well, perhaps, he should have been reading EUReferendum. We covered the subject exhaustively. But there's none so blind ...

I don't think they understand

On the whole I have great respect for UN Watch, an NGO that tries to show up the UN for the sort of pernicious organization it is, though, I suspect, that is not how they would put it themselves. Something about getting the UN to live up to its principles may be how UN Watch sees its role.

Having said that, I have to point out that they do not appear to understand anything about the European Union. Like many other people I received an e-mail from the organizaion, asking me to take action immediately to prevent a completely duplicitous UN resolution that calls for an immediate truce in Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli troops, without once mentioning Hamas terrorism from being passed.

The idea is that we all send e-mails to Javier Solana and to Karel Scwarzeneger, the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, asking them to stop the EU from voting for the resolution.

Please help us ensure the EU will live up to its principles tomorrow by voting No to this one-sided resolution.

I am not sure what principles UN Watch have in mind but it is the EU that has consistently aided and protected Hamas just as in the days of long ago, it revived the career of that late unlamented mass-murderer, Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Furthermore, the EU does not vote in the UN. It is individual countries that do and they seem to have come to an agreement already, if this piece on YNet is anything to go by.

Western and Arab foreign ministers on Thursday agreed on a compromise draft resolution calling for an immediate Gaza ceasefire and decided to put it to a UN Security Council vote, a Palestinian diplomat said.

Of course, Palestinian diplomats (an oxymoron, surely) have been known to be economical with the truth before. In any case, the devil will be in the details of the resolution.

As it happens, EU or no EU, we cannot exactly be proud of our own infantile looking Foreign Secretary.

In a key concession to the Arabs, a text circulated by the British delegation earlier Thursday "calls for an immediate, durable and fully respected ceasefire" in Gaza and "for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza."

An earlier version merely "stressed the need" for an immediate ceasefire.

The latest British draft available also "condemns all acts of hostilities and terror directed against civilians" and for "the lifting of the Israeli blockade" of Gaza.

Does Mr Miliband even know what he is talking about? (That is a purely rhetorical question.)

Incidentally, for those who happen to be in London this coming Sunday, there will be a pro-Israeli and pro-Gazan people, as opposed to Hamas, rally in Trafalgar Square at 11 o'clock. If you want to attend, the organizers, the various Jewish organizers, supported by, among others, Anglican Friends of Israel, are asking everyone to turn up by 10.40 (yes, I know, horribly early) and not to bring any flags or placards - these will be available there.