Britannia Radio

May 6, 2011 The Wire Meshal adds to Hamas criticism of Bin Laden killing Fri. 6 May 2011 @ 12.24 - Head of Hamas Khaled Meshal follows Ismail Haniyeh in condemning the killing of Osama bin Laden and his burial at sea. An Associated Foreign Press article, appearing on the website of Palestinian news agency Ma'an, features Meshal's remarks in Cairo yesterday, only a day after the Fatah-Hamas pact was signed. He called on the West to 'recognize the atrocity of the American raid and the burial of (bin Laden's body) at sea', and continued: 'Arabs and Muslims are human beings and the West should treat them as such, regardless of whether they are partisans or opponents of Osama bin Laden.' Meshal's statement received no coverage in the British press, other than a brief mention in The Daily Telegraph's live blog on the aftermath of bin Laden's death. Read more>> BBC Focus Varying profiles of Hamas rejectionism on BBC News at Ten and Newsnight presented varied depictions of Hamas' violent and rejectionist position towards Israel on Wednesday in coverage of the recent Fatah-Hamas pact. Over ten minutes of the BBC's 'Newsnight' was dedicated to discussing the ramifications of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement on the prospects for the peace process. Mark Urban, in a studio discussion with Jeremy Paxman, covered the nature of the agreement, its timing and consequences for a potential two-state solution. This was followed by a debate between Dr. Nabil Shaath of Fatah and Israeli government spokesperson, Mark Regev. Urban questioned whether the pact is viable when Hamas' commitment to Israel's destruction is clearly stated in their charter: Paxman: What's your view on what it means for Israel and the peace process? Urban: Well, there have been attempts at this sort of rapprochement before and they've generally floundered over this issue of, does Hamas recognize the right of Israel to exist or doesn't it? Now Hamas leaders say they accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, but that leaves many people wondering, is that just a tactical step or do they really mean it? Is this a step towards getting rid of their party's constitutional principle that they must get rid of Israel and that's why I think it's interesting to look at the reaction of the mediators to today's agreement which is not exactly 'hang out the flags', for example, this from Tony Blair: Blair: I think that the central question that people ask, is does this mean a change of heart on behalf of Hamas or not, because if that hasn't happened, then is this a genuine unity that can hold and can promote peace? Read more>> The Wire Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: FT highlights opposition to peace treaty Fri. 6 May 2011 @ 12.59 - Broadsheet covers statement condemning 'normalisation' with Israel, as recent pronouncements continue to challenge group's image as moderates. Today's Financial Times carries an article on how the Muslim Brotherhood has called for the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt to be 'reviewed'. 'Muslim Brotherhood urges review of Israel ties', by Cairo correspondent Heba Saleh, discusses how the Brotherhood's newfound influence might dramatically affect Egypt's peace-treaty with Israel, quoting the current head of the Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, whose rhetoric betrays unalloyed hostility towards the Jewish state: 'We should now raise our voice to ask for: an end to normalisation [with Israel] which has given our enemy stability; an end to [Egyptian] efforts to secure from infiltrators the borders of the Zionists; the abolition of all [joint] economic interests such as the Qualified Industrial Zones agreement and the export of Egyptian gas to Israel'.   Read more>> The Wire Guardian live blog highlights HRW comparison of Deraa and Gaza Fri. 6 May 2011 @ 12.12 - Guardian draws attention to Human Rights Watch comments equating Syrian attack on Deraa to Israel's blockade of Gaza, despite low profile in NGO statement in question. Today the publication's Syria live blog highlighted comments made by Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of Human Rights Watch, on the siege of the Syrian city of Deraa. The Guardian blog stated: 'Human Rights Watch has likened Syria's treatment of the southern town of Deraa to Israel's blockade of Gaza.' It then proceeded to quote Whitson's remarks, which appeared 12 paragraphs in to a much more substantial HRW statement on the situation in Deraa: 'Even if the Syrian army is truly 'hunting terrorists', that is no reason to prevent the town's residents from leaving and to deny old women their medication. Syria has protested repeatedly about Israel's closure of Gaza, but it's doing the same to Deraa's residents.'   Read more>>