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Just Journalism Newsletter 20 August 2010 Online flotilla Q & A doesn't reflect Panorama investigation As part of its coverage of the incident aboard the Mavi Marmara, the BBC News website has an explainer article that seeks to provide at-a-glance information on every aspect of the controversy. However, 'Q&A: Israeli deadly raid on aid flotilla' does not appear to have been amended to reflect all of the facts that have come to light since the initial story broke, many of which were documented in the BBC's Panorama investigation into the incident, 'Death in the Med' which was aired on BBC One on Monday 16th August. Below, Just Journalism contrasts the original answers in the Q & A, with the relevant new information, much of which is strongly corroborated by footage contained in the Panorama documentary. This analysis has been sent to the BBC Middle East website editor Tarik Kafala, and Just Journalism will monitor for a response. BBC Q&A: Who started the violence? This is disputed. The activists say the commandos started shooting as soon as they hit the deck. Israeli officials say the commandos fired in self-defence. Video clips show activists wielding something that looks like a baseball bat and other objects, Photographs have also been produced of metal bars, slingshots and knives. Israel says the activists used axes and fired shots from a gun taken from the soldiers. Response: From Panorama, it seems clear that the activists initiated the violence. Footage shows the initial attempt by the IDF to access the Mavi Marmara was unsuccessful, with a dinghy of soldiers being subjected to a barrage of hurled objects. The Israeli soldiers who then rappelled on board were attacked as soon as they landed. None of the footage shows the Israeli soldiers firing lethal weapons; indeed, Panorama included audio recordings of Israeli soldiers claiming that they were being shot at. Maj-Gen Eiland, the head of the IDF investigation, also stated that there was evidence of shots being fired from a gun that was not in use by the IDF commandos. Aside from the photographs and the video clips of 'something that looks like a baseball bat', Panorama also included footage of activists sawing metal poles off the ship to use as weapons. To continue reading, click here. New in Standpoint: 'Refugees ad infinitum' Carmel Gould argues in Standpoint that the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees perpetuates rather than solves their problems. Recent news of a slight improvement in the rights of the huge Palestinian minority in Lebanon brings to the fore a pivotal, but often ignored, aspect of the Palestinian predicament: the role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). On Tuesday, the BBC reported that the 400,000 strong community will now be permitted to work in the private sector, 'mark[ing] a step forward from a situation where the Palestinians were barred from all but the most menial of jobs.' Jim Muir acknowledged the 'dire' conditions for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and suggested that 'in broad terms, the law would have little effect in changing the overall social and economic situation of the refugees.' The level of discrimination against Palestinians in Lebanon is particularly acute - they are largely confined to 12 camps, are banned from buying property and from entering key professions such as law and medicine. Lebanon has also practiced religious discrimination against Palestinian refugees: since the majority of them are Sunni Muslims, the state believes that conferring citizenship would upset their already delicate sectarian political balance. Not so, however, for the 70,000 Christian Palestinians Lebanon did naturalise. Nevertheless, the new employment law, which was welcomed by the United Nations, raises the broader question of why 4.7 million Palestinians living across the Middle East are conferred with the label 'refugee', and nearly 1.4 million reside in communities designated 'camps'. To continue reading, click here. New bill highlights plight of Palestinians in Lebanon Tuesday's Middle Eastern press gave prominent coverage to a new Lebanese parliamentary bill that would expand the labour rights of Palestinians living in Lebanon. Israel'sJerusalem Post, as well as Al Jazeera and Press TV, all covered how the new bill, which was certified as a law on Tuesday, would finally remove legal restrictions on the types of professions that Palestinian refugees could pursue. While of enormous benefit to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in Lebanon, the law also highlighted both how long they had been marginalised, and to a large degree still are. The complete lack of coverage in the British broadsheets also suggests that the appetite of the Western media for stories about the human rights conditions of Palestinian only exists if there is a connection to Israel. The employment law removes barriers to work for the 400,000 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon who have up until now been restricted to menial labour such as construction work. This previously insurmountable block to social mobility is part of the reason why Palestinians in Lebanon have been living in poverty for decades, confined to the twelve 'refugee camps' in Lebanon that, in many cases, are the birthplaces of their parents and grandparents. However, as the bill and Lebanese lawmakers make clear, the overall situation for the Palestinians is unlikely to drastically improve in the near future. They will still be barred from social security benefits and from owning property. Even in terms of employment, Palestinians in Lebanon still face heavy restrictions, being unable to work in the public sector or in certain white collar professions such as medicine and law. To continue reading, click here. Donating to Just Journalism Just Journalism is a not-for-profit organization and relies entirely upon the generosity of our supporters. If you wish to make a donation, please contactdonate@justjournalism.com for more information. For more information about Just Journalism, or to contact us, please visit www.justjournalism.com