FACEBOOK
TWITTER
It rains rocket from Gaza, never bombs from Israel
by Stuart Littlewood
Alistair Burt is the UK Foreign Office minister in charge of Middle East affairs. He is also a former officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel lobby group. He resigned from that position when he became a minister, but leopards don’t suddenly change their spots.
Judge for yourself.
I sent a question through my MP asking why Government ministers such as Burt quote exact numbers of rockets fired from Gaza without also giving the corresponding numbers of bombs, rockets, shells and other ordnance poured into Gaza by the Israeli military.
In his letter of reply Burt says “there are no reliable statistics on the number of bombs and other ordnance fired by the Israeli Defence Force on Gaza and Israel does not make public this information”.
In that case, should he not make it clear when quoting Gaza’s rocket numbers that Israel refuses to provide numbers of their own vastly superior missiles used to bombard Gaza?
Yesterday in Parliament David Amess, another officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel, was playing the familiar game of planting Parliamentary questions designed to deflect attention from Israel’s malodorous reputation. He asked Mr Burt what recent reports the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [William Hague] had received on the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel since 30 October; what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel on such attacks; and if he would make a statement. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121126/text/121126w0004.htm#1211275000020
Mr Burt obligingly replied: “We have received reports that 287 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel between 30 October and 14 November. According to Israeli Defence Forces figures, 1,443 rockets were fired during the period 14-21 November.” He added that Mr Hague spoke to Mr Lieberman on 17 and 21 November and he, Burt, spoke to him on 21 November and again on 22 November.
Such precision is of course commendable but grossly lopsided and plainly calculated to mislead Parliament and public. It is astonishing that in all its discussions with Israel’s ministers the Foreign Office hasn’t managed to extract data on Israeli bombing and rocket attacks.
Mr Burt, I venture to suggest, ought to paint a balanced picture and not simply regurgitate Israeli propaganda without caveats and facts from the other side. He should inform the Israeli authorities that British ministers will not in future quote figures for Palestinian rockets unless accompanied by corresponding numbers of Israel’s. These should then be cross-checked with Palestinian and independent sources for proper monitoring.
The same goes for any remarks about Iran’s so far non-existent nukes. There should be equal emphasis on Israel’s vast arsenal of WMDs.
Related Posts:
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=230500
Posted by Stuart Littlewood on Nov 27 2012, With 0 Reads, Filed under Middle East, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
COMMENTS
To post, we ask that you login using Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail in the box below.Don't have a social network account? Register and Login direct with VT and post.
Before you post, read our Comment Policy - Feedback
II may add the picture of the “Palestinian” with the “Rocket” to my collection @ http://eddieleaks.org/the-palestinian-rocket-brigaide/
This is an example of “news as propaganda” both by Israel and its puppets (sorry : “friends of Israel”).
Stuart even has a site called Radio Free Palestine. The man is a saint as far as I am concerned.
Amen on that and I’m not even a Christian.
Hi folks… check this great performance on tv by a journalist called Owen Jones…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NhUnsG4zpMI
The Palestinians fire these projectiles because this is all they have to defend themselves and their children against a fascist occupying entity that is armed to the teeth and has the US government and Congress tightly under control.The use of these so-called “missiles” is an expression of desperation and weakness on the Palestinians’ part. But it is also an expression of Palestinian determination to gain liberty from an evil entity that only understands the language of force. – Kevin Barrett