Britannia Radio

Partial Reporting

>> MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Who wouldn’t vote for the bid for Palestinian statehood? Why, I’d vote for it myself after reading Wyre Davies!
Anyone who relied on this article couldn’t really help feeling that the Palestinians’ unilateral bid for recognition at the UN is anything other than the right thing to do.
After all, Wyre writes, Israel was less than euphoric about the glorious Arab Spring. In fact they were lukewarm! The right-wing Israeli government ‘they say’, opposes the bid because it would not lead to peace, he continues, and they give warnings and make threats without offering constructive alternatives.
Israel even refuses to countenance perfectly reasonable suggestions that it should stop building in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land! If the Israelis won’t accede to the Palestinians’ demands and accept their “pre-conditions”, he appears to be saying, what else is there left for a poor Palestinian to do but press ahead with a unilateral bid for statehood? The US is the only friend Israel has, and that’s only because Obama wants to take the credit for bringing about ‘Peace’. No, Wyre concludes, all the EU countries will get together and do the right thing, make life very uncomfortable for Israel. Israel has been busy cooking up a case against the bid. Wyre doesn’t quite don’t know what that is, but he suspects they haven’t got a leg to stand on.

Pity Wyre Davies listens to Jeremy Bowen and not Robin Shepherd.
If he did he might have added a few suggestions as to why Israel’s case is worthy of being explained to the mob. As it is, the comments below Wyre’s article display an astonishing degree of ignorance and hate. One in particular merely reiterates two discredited media stories which were manipulated to exhibit Israel’s malevolence, the notorious Al Durah incident and the Gaza beach explosion. Despite the fact that they are off topic, inflammatory and untrue, the comment remains.
So, for the mob, here are a couple of points that Wyre hasn’t mentioned, which Robin Shepherd does.
The bid is a blatant attempt to avoid direct negotiations with Israel, thereby avoiding making concessions themselves.
The 1967 borders, (ceasefire lines) upon which the bid for statehood is based are indefensible for Israel. The American veto will mean the bid goes the General Assembly where it’s success will be a symbolic gift to Israel’s enemies, Hamas, Hezbollah, Bashar al-Assad and the Muslim Brotherhood. Robin Shepherd writes:

“If you watch the BBC or read the Guardian you obviously won’t be aware of this, but opinion polls have consistently shown that the Palestinians only support the idea of a Palestinian state sitting side by side with Israel as a stepping stone to a future one state solution in which they rule over the Jews (assuming they are ruled over and not slaughtered or “driven into the sea” as they are wont to say).

As I noted in an article in May, a comprehensive poll by the Israel Project in November 2010 showed 60 percent of Palestinians agreeing with the proposition that: “The real goal should be to start with two states but then move to it all being one Palestinian state”.

Two thirds supported the proposition that: “Over time Palestinians must work to get back all the land for a Palestinian state”. And 71 percent said Yasser Arafat was right to reject Bill Clinton’s two-state peace proposals in 2000 and 2001.

In other words, the Israelis have always been in the near impossible situation of being asked to negotiate with people who plainly don’t want any long term peace involving the acceptance of Israel as a legitimate state with a secure future, whatever their leaders say about recognising Israel to gullible Western media.”

Meanwhile, Catherine Ashton hasn’t achieved consensus at the EU, and the UK government wavers, and is being put under pressure by members of the US Congress.
"There are no circumstances where Britain should be voting 'yes' unless you want to give support to the continuation of terrorist activities," said Allen West, A Florida Republican.

So Wyre, dust off your impartiality manual, and start delivering the full picture. Otherwise you should be on half pay. Half a story, half the salary.