Britannia Radio

February 25, 2011 The Wire Palestine papers: Memo conference Fri. 25 Feb. 2011 @ 16.17 - Conference by Islamist organisation on the Palestine papers included a variety of speakers legitimising Hamas while advocating the removal of Israel. Last week Just Journalism reported that Seumas Milne was due to speak at a conference on the Palestine papers, organised by Middle East Monitor (Memo), an Islamist media-monitoring organisation that seeks to promote an extremist rejectionist narrative on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Milne did briefly attend Tuesday's conference, he did not appear on the panel due to sickness. However, the remaining speakers endorsed Memo's argument, as articulated by its head, Dr Daud Abdullah, that the Palestinian Authority had made 'shocking concessions' during its negotiations with Israel. Throughout the discussion, all of the speakers were highly critical of Israel, with several arguing that it should cease to exist as a sovereign Jewish state. Alongside this, while the PA were portrayed as collaborators, the panellists overwhelmingly supported Hamas being brought into negotiations, despite its longstanding commitment to violence. Below is a selection of key quotes from several of speakers. Each of the panellists gave a presentation on their perspective on the Palestine papers, as well as also commenting during a question and answer section. For background on their previous comments, please click here. Read more>> The Wire Christians in the Middle East: Copts protest army actions Thurs. 24 Feb. 2011 @ 16.20 - Copts protest alleged attack by Egyptian army on Christian church day after priest found stabbed to death; murder follows similar killing in Tunisia last week. Thousands of Egyptian Coptic Christians protested today in Tahrir Square following allegations that 'an Egyptian army unit had attacked the Monastery of Saint Pishoy', according to the Egyptian Al Masry Al Youm: 'Protesters said that a military unit using armored vehicles had demolished newly-built fences surrounding the old Coptic monastery. They claimed that the soldiers fired live bullets at monks. They added that two had been injured and transferred to the Anglo-American hospital in Cairo.' While the paper notes that it was unable to 'independently verify the reports about the injured monks', it did reveal that the army's official Facebook page had posted that it had removed 'some walls that had been illegally built on the road and on land owned by the state.' Read more>> The Wire Financial Times puts IDF challenges under the spotlight Thurs. 24 Feb. 2011 @ 14.22 - Special feature on the Israel Defense Forces analyses how well-equipped the army is to deal with modern challenges, from asymmetric militant threats to growing international condemnation. 'Middle East: Uncertain horizons', by Tobias Buck, is a wide-ranging analysis of the challenges facing the Israel Defense Forces. In the article, which runs to more than 1500 words, the correspondent delves into how the army, which is widely recognised as the most capable military force in the Middle East, can no longer rely simply on its overwhelming strength to fulfil its goals because it faces international delegitimisation and unconventional enemies. Buck opens his article with a description of a swearing-in ceremony, noting that the young soldiers are joining an organisation they know has 'funding, technology and leadership expertise [that] outstrips those of any other in the region': 'Indeed, the superiority of the Israel Defense Forces has been evident for so long that no regular army has dared to challenge them on the battlefield in almost 40 years.' Read more>>

The Wire Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: Senior member praises Iran as model for human rights Wed. 23 Feb. 2011 @ 14.41 - Since the collapse of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, there has been considerable speculation over the future role of the Muslim Brotherhood, widely acknowledged to be the largest opposition group in the country. Just Journalism's new blog, 'Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt', will highlight statements by the group that contradict its efforts to portray itself as moderate and democratic. Senior Muslim Brotherhood figure describes Iran as a 'model of resistance' against the West, and praises it for its 'respect for humanity'. According to the Tehran Times, Iran recently hosted the 24th International Islamic Unity Conference, attended by 'over 200 scholars from 57 countries'. Kamal el-Helbawi, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood who served as the group's spokesman in the West from 1995-1997, was also present. In a meeting covered by the Iranian Press TV news agency, he states that the Iranian regime: 'serves as a model of resistance against the West's domination and serves as a model for the Muslim world and Ummah.' Read more>> Donate Just Journalism is an independent research organisation focused on how Israel and Middle East issues are reported in the UK media. We produce analysis of print, broadcast and online media and regularly publish research on trends in the media's coverage. We are a not-for-profit company that relies solely on the donations of its supporters. You can donate easily online via PayPal by clicking the button below. For alternate methods of donating such as cheque or wire transfer, please email donate@justjournalism.com.