UNRWA calls Israeli TV portrayal of Palestinian refugees a 'stack of lies'
UN relief agency lashes out at Israel Broadcasting Authority for airing on national TV what it branded a dishonest portrayal of the organization.
By Gili Izikovich Tags: Israel newsThe United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees, lashed out Tuesday at the Israel Broadcasting Authority for airing what it called a a dishonest portrayal of the organization on Saturday in "Ro'im Olam" on Channel 1 television.
The news magazine's anchor and the journalist behind the segment have fired back.
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Palestinian refugees in a Gaza refugee camp. |
| Photo by: AP |
Right-wing journalist David Bedein's "For the Nakba", UNRWA said, contains numerous inaccuracies about its operations in Palestinian refugee camps and educational institutions. It depicts large graffiti that lionize Palestinian suicide bombers and includes an interview with Palestinian children who profess a desire to become "martyrs."
"Ro'im Olam" presenter Yaakov Ahimeir sought comment from UNRWA's Christopher Gunness, who watched the segment before it aired. Gunness said he warned of numerous inaccuracies, which were never corrected.
In a letter written prior to the airing, Gunness said UNRWA schools do not contain murals of suicide bombers, and that the textbooks shown are for use by 12th graders, while UNRWA schools do not go beyond ninth grade.
Gunness said students making derogatory statements about Israel are not enrolled at UNRWA schools, whose pupils are identifiable by their school uniforms. The spokesperson added that UNRWA does not sanction events that officially mark the Nakba, as the segment suggested. Gunness denied the film's assertion that a student in an agency-run school was an 18-year-old suicide bomber.
Gunness accused Channel 1 of airing "a stack of lies," and said editing the errors was "a matter of integrity."
In response, Ahimeir said: "Chris Gunness viewed the film before the broadcast, and his response was broadcast in full." After he sent me additional material, Ahimeir said, "This was also read on the air by me as UNRWA's response."
Bedein denied Gunness' claims. Palestinian kids, he said, study the materials from the textbooks at a young age, and the mural of the suicide bomber was seen at the entrance of the UNRWA school at the Deheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem.
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If Chris Gunness really beleives that there are inaccuracies in David Bedein's report, then he should file a claim for deformation in court. I think before he does this though, he should read Leon Uris' book QB7.
Many Palestinians are successful in the USA. They are well educated and have good jobs from what I read. Some are business millionaires. This is in contradiction of islamophobia which depicts them as terrorists, who wear burquas, and stone their wifes and other stereotypes.
Lebanon won't accept them as citizens, because it would upset the demographic balance. Jordan will not take them because it might upset the ruling elite. Egypt does not want the Muslim Brotherhood, who could cause trouble. No one takes them in as citizens. Iraq took in a few, who were later dispossessed when the Iraq war took place. Some of them were taken into the USA, Sweden. It has nothing to do with the UNRWA, which keeps them alive on contributions. The arab countries could have helped out more, but there are problems in accepting the huge numbers into any country. Many Palestinians live in the USA. Don't blame UNWRA for their plight; I think it belongs to many countries.
Why shouldn't Palestinian pupils be taught about the Nakba and commemorate its occurence? It is a profoundly important part of their history. If commemoration motivates them to oppose Israeli colonialism and oppression - so much the better.
The word "naqba" was coined when the french colonialists in the early 20th century, cleaned out syria and lebanon of a certain undesirable nonstate tribal arab elements. The word was later reintroduced by arafat and his nonstate tribal arabs over whom he was "chief", along with the word "palestinians". Renaming an onion doesn't take away the taste and smell of the onion. People who tell themselves lies and believe these lies, are pagans without any hope.
This is organization perpetuating permanent refugee status. People born in Lebanon, whose parents were born in Lebanon, whose grand-parents were born in Lebanon, none of those ever been to "Palestine" are not Lebanese, no. They are "Palestinian refugees". Just think about it.
UNRWA sweeps up the mess made by others. If the Arab nations, for whatever reason have not provided sufficient help to Palestinians pushed from their homes and lands in 1948-49 by Israeli soldiers, that is not the fault of UNRWA.
Russian Jews, and European Jews whose origins arent even Jewish and have never stepped a single foot in Palestine are Jewish Refugees , so whats your point? There are Lebanese people working in Saudi Arabia, in South Africa, and other places. Does that make them any less Lebanese? You fail
...promoting the annihilation the UN member state of the Jewish people, through whatever means possible...?? Does it have to do with the fact that the UN member state is the nation-state of the Jewish people...??!!
East Jerusalem is in occupied Palestinian territory, pal.
Hurts, doesn't it? Maybe if they weren't so busy preparing future martyrs and preserve their refugee status and instead work to assimilate them in their current nations (Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, etc) like we did with the 800,000 Jews who were cleansed from the Arab nations things would have been different.
I saw the ' martyr' s photo in dheisheh camp. It is a 6 ft mural of a 17 year old who was shot dead after allegedly throwing stones at some soldiers on his way back from school in bethlehem. That's the Palestinian account, at least.
I hope no one will give anymore any interviews to jewish propaganda televisions! The same happens in Germany! They come to mosques and twist the words of the interviewers! They cut the material to show it dangerous fpr the viewer! That's why we muslims say Never believe a kafir!
To my absolute knowledge, John Ging, UNRWA Director of Operations in Gaza, is an honest man vigorously attempting to undo the damage that the Israeli blockade in caused to the normal citizens of Gaza. He is attacked indirectly by David Bedein who is a ethically and spiritually a worm when compared to John Ging. Since the Hamas has tried to murder and kidnap Mr. Ging more than once, I suggest that Mr Bedein combine forces with them in order to create new lies to disseminate.
doesn't make Sodom kosher. Furthermore if Hammas really tries to do away with Mr. Ging and his services I tend to think that they would not be faced with an insurmountable problem.
John Ging deserves respect for his work in Gaza, promoting a human rights curriculum in schools and summer camps while dealing with both the threats of Hamas and "the lack of support" from Israel. His firm commitment to that mission is more than admirable, a model of the best of international civil service.
Zionists might be slick, but anti-Zionists are so dumb...
What is the difference between a merkava tank, a F16 airplane and a suicide bomber? The people in the Merkava tank and the plane stay unharmed and are praised for their "heroism". Terror committed by them get impunded. The suidcide bomber is mostly always dead and when apprehended before blowing they get life imprisonment and the slander of so called western "democratic and moderate "states. The real difference is the hypocrisy in which committers of mass extinction are treated ( Gaza with 1400 civilians dead ) and the suicide bomber who kills maybe 23 dead. A sick, sick world
Yes. It is a sick world when suicide bombers mostly aim for civilians and make it so F16's and Merkava tanks have to come in to defend them. And then the suicide bombers friends hide behind their own civilians in hospitals and schools in order to protect themselves. It's a sick sick world when people defend suicide bombers.
When your targets are random people on the street, you are a terrorist. The test is really simple.
achieve an ideological goal that can not be achieved by pursuasion. It entails seemingly random acts of senseless violence to perpetuate constant civilian fear, compliance and to silence the opposition. Military action is more surgical nature and does not have as a goal the perpetuation of civilian fear in order to coerce opinion, only behavior.
The United Nations agency that administers a school in Gaza has admitted to employing terrorists to work at its Palestinian schools in the past, has no system in place to keep members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad off its payroll, and provides textbooks to children that contain hate speech and other incendiary information. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., introduced a resolution in the fall calling for greater transparency and accountability at UNRWA. The bill called on the agency to make its textbooks available on the Internet for public inspection and to implement “terrorist name recognition software and other screening procedures that would help to ensure that UNRWA staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries are neither terrorists themselves, nor affiliated with known terrorist organizations.” Rothman said he plans to re-introduce his UNRWA resolution in the coming weeks because, “as timely as this bill was before, it is even more timely now. It is urgent that Congress can be assured that U.S. taxpayer money is not being spent to support Hamas and its murderous activities.”
Describing David Bedein as a "Right wing journalist" is misleading. He is to the right of right and lacks any of the desire for accuracy and truthfulness that is the hallmark of a real journalist.
I was there. They are dens training future suicide bombers. Lots of corruption,etc.
What haven't WE done, in addition to creating that problem, to keep it alive and well? Didn't we keep the Palestinians in a condition that prevented them from thriving? The Palestinians worked for us to build the country for salaries that permitted them hardly to pay for their most basic needs, we did not pay for social benefits, we forced them to pass through so many road blocks that they had to get up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning to be able to arrive to work at 7, and we abused them in such a way to be sure to hold them in a terrible condition of frustration and desperation. The list is endless even when it does not include what we did to the Gaza residents in the last years How can we be not only so mean and cruel, but also so hypocrite and self righteous?
It's a part of their history which they are still living today. It's why they ended up in these refugee camps. Are they supposed to pretend it didn't happen? Israelis commemorate their tragic histories but the Palestinians are supposed to bury theirs. How Orwellian is this going to get?
Do you even know what they commemorateÉ What Naqba- catastrofe did pals suffered É Here for you part of there history. Jump to: navigation, search 1948 Palestinian exodus Main articles 1948 Palestinian exodus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1947-48 civil war 1948 Arab-Israeli War 1948 Palestine War Causes of the exodus Depopulated areas Nakba Day Palestine refugee camps Palestinian refugee Palestinian right of return Present absentee Transfer Committee Resolution 194 Background British Mandate of Palestine Israel's declaration of independence Israeli-Palestinian conflict history New Historians Palestine · Plan Dalet 1947 partition plan · UNRWA Key incidents Battle of Haifa Deir Yassin massacre Exodus from Lydda Notable writers Aref al-Aref · Yoav Gelber Efraim Karsh · Walid Khalidi Nur Masalha · Benny Morris Ilan Pappe · Tom Segev Avraham Sela · Avi Shlaim Related categories/lists Depopulated villages category List of depopulated villages Related templates Palestinians -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This box: view • talk • edit Nakba Day (Arabic: يوم النكبة Yawm an-Nakbah), meaning "day of the catastrophe",[1] is an annual day of commemoration for the Palestinian people of the anniversary of the creation of Israel. `Simply, that is there catastrophe, creation of a jewish state. And they will not rest untill jewish state ISRAEL will seiz to exist. But sorry to tell you ,we here to stay. AM ISRAEL HAI
maybe its cause the "catastrophe" was that their arab brethren decided israelies should be conquered but their plan backfired
MEMRI :Middle East Media Research Institute I wonder where they are now? Zionists are so slick. Deceivers extraordinaire. Please feel sorry for us. We are victims...as they step on the throats of the palestinians they cry out as though they were in pain.
I can personally attest to having seen Néstle concentrated milk tubes and La Vache Qui Rit cheese with the official UNWRA stamp, intended to feed Palestinian children, on sale in Tel Aviv markets. Who do you think was instrumental, who made a profit and who got the short end of the stick?
…but it is highly improbable, as UNWRA supplies are delivered in UN trucks. What really happens is that local Abusomethings or other find it more humanitarian to line their pockets, deciding that the wailing of hungry children makes good propaganda music. BTW, how do you think that Arafat, the lifelong freedom fighter, got his hands on 42% of the Jordanian Cement Works shares.
Thank goodness Canada made the wise choice to stop supporting UNWRA earlier this year. If only other countries would stop supporting Unwra and their support for terrorists.
I am a proud Canadian living in Israel. There are few leaders in the world today with a backbone as strong as Prime Minister Harpers. He understands very well the propaganda spewing into the UN by Dictatorships. Israel is a tiny oasis of democracy.
with a goof running canada ........you would think he is a member of the likud
lunatic nation.
in Neighbouring arab countriers Dissent DOESNT EXIST if they find someone who causes problems of dissent they hang them in their public square In USA I hear dissenters are looked at as lepers so take your pick dear
Aka the UNRWA 60+ years of faux refugees, billions of dollars embezzled, world's longest running scam
that's the world's 'longest running scam'?
millions of Arabs thinking they belonged to a Country that never existed called Palestine, and all their Arab neighbours treat them as second class citizens. Arabs have more rights in Israel then Palestinians have in any Arab country. FACT FACT FACT.
Rights of return? Why? Did we, jews from Arabic countries, ask for help, rigts, etc? We left everything in Tunisia, we rebuilted our life in Fance without asking anything. This is the story of about 1000.000 jews expelted from arabic countries
UNRWA has done and outstanding job of creating a people and maintaining them as refugees for over 60 years. Around the world other refugees have been absorbed into wide spread societies and gone on to living productive lives while still remembering their homeland.
to blame UNRWA for the faith of the Palestinians is really, really distorted. Surely you must realize how wrong your ideological point of view is?! it's a joke really, isn't it?
Who till today do not grant citizenship to any Palestinians, even if they were born in the respective country
David Bedein is a disciple and champion of Meir Kahane and is known as one of the most radical settlers. Why is Channel 1 giving him credibility like this?
The UNRWA shouldn't even bother. There are entire organisations in both Israel and in Jewish communities abroad whose sole purpose in life is to demonize the Palestinians. Don't deny it--you know it's true. These people are just as guilty as those on the other side who demonize Israelis. It's all based on lies and hatred and racism and broadcast to the gullible masses.
Even the Fatah glorify terrorists-serial murderers and teach hatred. According to both the peaceniks and the killniks among the Palestinians, a child's greatest ambition should be to be a shahid. These are facts not demonizing. Sick, but true
How many times have Jewish suicide bombers attacked civilians ? and what are these organisations in Israel and abroad that promote suicide slaughter and demonize Palestinians? I ask because I really do not know about these..
Why would you need Jewish bombers to attack civilians when the IDF is doing such a great job?
Israel just sends a large bomb and calls the soldiers who sent it heroes. That has never been the definiton of a hero and I am not going to change the definition of the word for Israel.
Does it make that much difference to you that the person blowing up an apartment building does it by carrying the bomb in and blowing it up by hand, rather than firing it from a distance?
does no one in israel speak arabic? not a single person? the word that you always use, MARTYR, is an inaccurate translation. in arabic it is called SHAHID. it means "one who witnesses", one who die after having lived faithful lives. it does NOT mean "someone who blows themselves up", although the al-qaeda types often describe people who do that as shahids (most muslims disagree with them--YES really, go look at any "is suicide bombing justified?" polls if you don't believe me). an old lady who gives to charity and then dies of disease is a shahid. a woman who gives to her community but dies during childbirth is a shahid. everyone who lives a good life is a shahid upon death. thus someone who "is martyred", as the subtitles on your tvs say, is someone who "died after living a righteous life". excuse the rant but it is SO annoying to see this over and over.
Oh, yes, we know very well the word SHAHID!!! Especially in Russia, where there is a special term - Shahid's Belt! We never heard in Russia about elderly lady doing charity or other noble actions. But we know about many dozens of acts of terror when so-called SHAHIDS blew up hundreds of innocent Russian people (yes, they do it not only in Israel!!). No matter how you call a terrorist, it boils down to the same ugly truth - a murderer!!!
is your dissimulation. When kids in UNRAA schools talk about being shahids, they clearly are referring to suicide bombers, who are their local cultural heroes, especially when the reference is in term of their people's struggle against Israel. Just like the term jihad which also has multiple meanings. The Jihad al-islami has nothing to deal with efforts to improve one's moral compass.
Whether it's martyr or witnesses, the Arabs excelled in suicide bombing and after each bombing they were giving candies in the streets as an expression of joy. Facts are facts' and the show
They hate becuase it is best for them to hate, hate gives excuse to steal, kill and grab. Save the lecture to someone who care !
Your ranting is understandable. It does become annoying when people use words out of context. But that is the Zionist media, this is the basis of their existence. Einstein said that if there is anything worst than an Atom bomb, its the media. Zionist are using this strategy, hence the statement "Jews control the media" but they only control their own and the US media, the rest of the world is free. But whats the use when everyone in the world tunes in to US channels.
I can understand the claim that Shahid is the equivalent for the word righteous (Hebrew: Tzadik), but then there is a serious problem with how the Palestinians glorify murderers as shahids. Clearly if the PA glorifies the murder of Israelis into a act of righteousness then the PA is no peace partner.
refers to Palestinians, and Palestinians do indeed support suicide bombings.
The shahid is considered one whose place in Paradise is promised according to these verses in the Qur'an: “ Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord; They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah. And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (martyr's) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve. ” “ Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): they fight in His Cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in Truth, through the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran: and who is more faithful to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme. ” Prophet Muhammad is told to have said these words about Martyrs: “ The martyrs requested of Allah the following; "For the sake of you, o Allah, send us back to the world again so that we may be martyred once more". ” Muslims also believe that Allah grants the reward of martyrdom to those who die in a variety of ways, including death during childbirth, accidents such as fires and drownings, and epidemic diseases such as the plague.[1] Regardless of how death occurred, Muslims believe that the reward of martyrdom is contingent upon proper belief, sincerity, perseverance and thankfulness to God. More importantly, Shahid or Shaheed means a struggle, whether internal for the betterment of one's self, or external, relating to the betterment of society.
Have you been personally in those schools?
...when you make clear anti-Jewish statements.