Broadcaster’s ‘Verify’ analysis concludes the obvious
Even the BBC – usually the epitome of ‘both-sidesing’ and the minimisation of Palestinian deaths and suffering – has had to conclude that Israel lied when it claimed that it did not slaughter well over a hundred desperate Palestinians and wound as many as a thousand more who were gathered in a street waiting for an aid delivery.
BBC Verify says it “examined social media videos, satellite imagery and IDF drone footage to piece together what we know… about what happened” – and it concluded:
We have examined exclusive Al Jazeera video filmed close to that second location at the rear of the convoy, about half a kilometre south of the roundabout.
Volleys of gunfire can be heard and people are seen scrambling over lorries and ducking behind the vehicles. Red tracer rounds can be seen in the sky.
Mahmoud Awadeyah said the Israeli vehicles had started firing at people when the aid arrived.
“Israelis purposefully fired at the men… they were trying to get near the trucks that had the flour,” he said. “They were fired at directly and prevented people to come near those killed.”
…There have been reports of casualties being taken to several hospitals.
Dr Mohamed Salha, interim hospital manager at al-Awda hospital, where many of the dead and injured were taken, told the BBC: “Al-Awda hospital received around 176 injured people…142 of these cases are bullet injuries and the rest are from the stampede and broken limbs in the upper and lower body parts.
Israel has claimed that a ‘mob’ – otherwise known as desperate civilians starving because of Israel’s blockade of food, water, fuel and medical supplies – stampeded and attacked the aid convoy, but Israel’s own drone footage shows that this did not happen and any ‘stampede’ was caused by the Israeli gun and tank fire, despite the IDF editing out at least three sections of the video that can be taken to show the Israeli troops’ attacks.
Israel also contradicted itself, with various spokespeople saying the Israeli soldiers did not fire at all, that they fired ‘warning shots’ and that they ‘only’ shot at the legs of the crowd.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
They hanged some Nazis at Nuremberg…
A lot got away from justice with the help from strange organisations.
…and ended up working for NASA, the CIA, etc. There won’t, alas, be any Nuremberg this time.
Didn’t take a Nuremberg court to try – and then hang – Eichmann. 👍😉
‘both-sidesing’ is a lazy charge adopted by those who refuse to entertain anything other than their own narrative. It seeks to close down analysis, preferring a simplistic ‘two legs good, four legs bad’ approach. Yes, it can be deployed as a cover for dismissing or ignoring conclusions that, having considered the various disputed claims and reasoned that there is a more probable truth, continues to prevaricate – there is no more virtue in fence sitting than there is denying the existence of another side. That Hamas are a terrorist organisation and that Israel are committing genocide are not mutually exclusive propositions.
Sorry Tim just taking the opportunity to say that Paul Mason is a racist prick.ta v much.
Tim White, what made Hamas a terrorist organisation? I agree that Hamas committed war crimes on the 7th of October. However, does committing war crimes against an illegal occupation that subject Palestinians to apartheid deserve the adjective of terrorist?
I rather see Hamas as the elected government in Gaza which army in the pursue of the liberation of its people, against the increasing violence of Israel against Palestinians in the West Bank reacted to Israel´s provocation and made a terrible mistake by targeting Israel´s civilians on the 7th October.
Make not mistake without Israel engaging in apartheid, mass killings of Palestinians, mass administrative detentions and demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, Hamas wouldn´t have attacked.
Their is only one terrorist and genocidal organisation: the State of Israel.
There is no doubt in my mind that Israel have committed the greater of the two evils here, even if international law is cited by both Hamas (resistance to occupation) and Israel (right to self-defence) and both have gone beyond what might be deemed to fall within these justifications.
Guterres’ pointed observation that Oct 9th did not happen in a vacuum acknowledges the sustained persecution of Palestinians who to my mind are no more synonymous with Hamas than the people of Israel are with BN’s government. Both Hamas and BN’s government were democratically elected and both have dragged their people further into a dialogue of competing genocides, that prosecuted by Israel shamefully aided and abetted by the West, that of Hamas funded by Iran. Neither Hamas nor BN’s government have an ongoing role in moving this conflict toward an enduring peaceful resolution even if mediators need to negotiate with them to assure a ceasefire.
By the criteria applied to Hamas, presumably Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and the Dakota Souix were terrorists. Geronimo, Cochise and the Chiricahua Apache would also be labelled terrorists. The armed resistance of Nelson Mandela and the ANC was termed terrorist. A few years ago the UK government paid out tens of millions of pounds, to victim survivors of its atrocities in Kenya, who at the time were labelled Mau, Mau terrorists. Indian historians point out that the British killed a million a year for 10yrs – 10mil in total – putting down the uprising of the 1850s. Victims were termed members of ‘death cults.’ Of course, the version of the IRA that fought for Irish independence at the start of the 20th C were given similar terrorist status.
And it bears repeating without the initial crime of colonial conquest in Palestine, Hamas would not even exist!
Ultimately the argument being made against ‘both-sidesing’ here boils down to that of insisting that the right of peoples to defend themselves against wave after historical wave of imperial attack and slaughter by those who consider themselves exceptional and superior beings can only be legitimate if those defending themselves, alone of the two protagonists, stick to the Marquis of Queensbury Rules.
Rules which are determined by the narrative of those who – unconsciously as well as consciously – consider themselves exceptionalist’s to their advantage. Where such rules do not apply.
As such it is simply another form of entertaining a narrative.
Well said Maria !
It is good to remind ourselves that the 75 years of occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people and their land justifies their resistance.
This is why they elected Hamas to represent the people of Gaza.
It is NOT terrorism to resist occupation by a settler-colonialist regime.
Their present murderous actions tell you all you need to know about the terrorist State of Israel.
They have been called out for lying today.
Their lies are nothing new.
Their propaganda machine is working on over-drive every day to lie and distort.
The question for ourselves is:
How did we allow our two main political parties in UK to become prisoners of Israel ?
How many Labour MPs are members of “Labour Friends of Israel” ?
[Bought and paid for with Israeli money]
How much slush-fund money is provided by Zionist donors to the Starmers and the TWatsons of this country ?
And – Is the Toe-Rag party any better ?
Answers on a post-card, please.
Didn’t anybody dee the regular sniping at the fences. That was self defence.
I answered my own question by going to the LFI website and copying here their own list of parliamentarians.
Even I was shocked.
There are a few of the usual suspects listed here !
and – – – a few surprises !
Have they no shame ?
It explains a lot …
See below for a full list of LFI parliamentary officers and supporters:
LFI Parliamentary Officers:
Steve McCabe MP, LFI chair
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale, LFI Lords chair
Chris Evans MP, LFI vice-chair
Sharon Hodgson MP, LFI vice-chair
Dame Diana Johnson MP, LFI vice-chair
Lord Kennedy of Southwark, LFI vice-chair
Peter Kyle MP, LFI vice-chair
Rt. Hon Pat McFadden MP, LFI vice-chair
Catherine McKinnell MP, LFI vice-chair
Rt. Hon Rachel Reeves MP, LFI vice-chair
Jonathan Reynolds MP, LFI vice-chair
Rt. Hon John Spellar MP, LFI vice-chair
Christian Wakeford MP, LFI vice-chair
LFI Parliamentary Supporters:
Mike Amesbury MP
Fleur Anderson MP
Rt. Hon Hilary Benn MP
Chris Bryant MP
Rt. Hon Liam Byrne MP
Bambos Charalambous MP
Feryal Clark MP
Rt. Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Neil Coyle MP
Jon Cruddas MP
Janet Daby MP
Ashley Dalton MP
Hefin David MS
Wayne David MP
Alex Davies-Jones MP
Thangam Debbonaire MP
Rosie Duffield MP
Dame Angela Eagle MP
Maria Eagle MP
Chris Elmore MP
Florence Eshalomi MP
Barry Gardiner MP
Preet Gill MP
Mary Glindon MP
Lilian Greenwood MP
Mark Griffin MSP
Nia Griffith MP
Andrew Gwynne MP
Fabian Hamilton MP
Carolyn Harris MP
Rt. Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP
Sir George Howarth MP
Dan Jarvis MP
Daniel Johnson MSP
Darren Jones MP
Kevan Jones MP
Mike Kane MP
Liz Kendall MP
Rt. Hon David Lammy MP
Kim Leadbeater MP
Keir Mather MP
Siobhain McDonagh MP
Alison McGovern MP
Stephen Morgan MP
Alex Norris MP
Paul O’Kane MSP
Abena Oppong-Asare MP
Taiwo Owatemi MP
Toby Perkins MP
Jess Phillips MP
Bridget Phillipson MP
Lucy Powell MP
Ellie Reeves MP
Michael Shanks MP
Virendra Sharma MP
Barry Sheerman MP
Jeff Smith MP
Karin Smyth MP
Rt. Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP
Wes Streeting MP
Graham Stringer MP
Gareth Thomas MP
Emily Thornberry MP
Karl Turner MP
Derek Twigg MP
Baroness Twycross
Catherine West MP
Martin Whitfield MSP
Rt. Hon Dame Rosie Winterton MP
Rt Hon Lord Anderson of Swansea
Rt Hon Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top
Lord Blunkett
Rt Hon Lord Boateng
Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE
Lord Collins of Highbury
Baroness Crawley
Lord Donoughue
Rt Hon Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
Baroness Gale
Lord Grantchester
Rt Hon Lord Hain
Lord Harrison
Lord Haskel
Dr Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
Rt Hon Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
Lord Levy
Rt Hon Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke
Lord Livermore
Lord Maxton
Baroness Merron
Lord Mitchell
Lord Murphy of Torfaen
Lord Rooker
Lord Tomlinson
Rt Hon Lord Touhig
Lord Turnberg Kt
Lord Watson
Lord Watts
Lord Winston
Lord Wood of Anfield
Lord Young of Norwood Green
LEADER OF THE LABOUR PARTY KEIR STARMER MP:
Thanks to LFI “for the crucial role they play in the Labour party, for contributing to a balanced debate on the Middle East and for their work in supporting initiatives to promote a peaceful two-state solution for the people of Israel and Palestine”
Labour Friends of Israel
Johnsco1 what I would like to know is how on earth are they going to implement the two States´s solution? Does any one believe that Israel is going to dismantle all the illegal settlements in the West Bank?
Even the Israeli government is clearly saying that they aren´t in favour of an independent Palestinian State.
The only realistic prospect going forward is to dismantle Apartheid Zionist Israel in the same way that Apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia were dismantled; to give way to a one democratic State in which Muslim, Christian and Jews live with equal democratic rights side by side and in peace.
It is just a matter of time, maybe as much as 10 years but, eventually the ICJ will pass judgement and Israel is going to be found guilty of genocide.
The ICC will have to eventually found Bibi &co guilty of war crimes, not matter how much the ICC wishes to delay the judgement day will come. Of course, leaders of Hamas will be found guilty of war crimes too.
However, a bit difference Palestinians are used to live under occupation and not be able to travel. Hence, they only have to stay. Furthermore, after judgement Zionist Apartheid Israel will disintegrate, for one the BRICS have not interest in protecting it and the US is going to get weaker and weaker and not longer in a position to protect Israel against the revulsion of the world including progressives in the US.
The present stated position of Israel is that they will not permit or recognise an independent Palestinian State.
I do not see how the two sides can ever coexist together.
Johnsco1, before the creation of Israel, Jews, Muslims and Christians lived side by side and most importantly in peace all over North Africa and the Middle East.
I would recommend people to read the latest book by Oxford Professor of History of the Middle East Avi Shlaim “Three words: Memoirs of an Arab Jew” In this book Shlaim exposes how Israel perpetrated terrorist attacks against the Jewish community in Iraq that were blamed on the Muslims to “persuade” Iraq´s Jews to emigrate to Israel. He considers himself an Arab Jew.
In 1947 Iraq´s Jews wrote to the UN against the establishment of the State of Israel with concerns that the Zionist enterprise will cause harm to Iraq´s Jewish community. At the time the Iraq´s Jewish community was around 200K strong.
Nowadays Iran has the biggest Jewish community in the Middle East in which they live in peace alongside the majority Muslim community and the minority Christian community. Hence, their is hope that once the Zionist entity is dismantle Jews will learn to live in equality and liberty with their Arab neighbours, whatever they are Christian or Muslim.
Antisemitism is real and exist, but it was always and still is very much a European disease.
“The only realistic prospect going forward is to dismantle Apartheid Zionist Israel in the same way that Apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia were dismantled; to give way to a one democratic State in which Muslim, Christian and Jews live with equal democratic rights side by side”
Maria you are the first person I’ve ever read expressing my long held thoughts on this, and you do so with BRILLIANT clarity+++
I’ve long believed that the much regurgitated “Two State Solution” is NOTHING but a DELIBERATE oxygen depleting smoke bomb. The sole purpose is to give false hope to the long suffering disinherited and abused Palestinians.
It also guarantees more decades of smoke and hot air… useless chatter … bandwidth squandering conferences, papers and meetings to PRESERVE the status quo.
Maria you also cite the obvious FACT of South Africa. We can point to almost everywhere else, including the UK, the USA, the EU etc etc etc. ALL countries / states however imperfect aim to succeed and exist WITHOUT claiming to need one state for Jews and another for Muslims and another for Catholics and another for Hindus and Buddhists and atheists and agnostics… in 2024!!!
BTW, the key drivers of the long running abuse of the Palestinians is neither religion nor race. Instead those traits are exploited by the most monied who wish to maintain power over resources and strategic locations. That is all.
“Divide and Rule” has always been effectively used to exploit and conquer vast swathes of the globe. The UK mastered that.
Today, by maintaining the obscene status-quo in occupied Palestine, the USA remains dominant in the region and the world. The occupiers are NOT independent. Their superficial power can be switched off in an instant by the USA.
The occupiers of Palestine are nothing but monstrous many multi tentacled creatures DRUNK on 2nd hand power. Over the decades, they have starved and strangled all truth and decency.
Think of it, while bombs rain on over one million souls, slaughtering at least thirty thousand in this latest barbarity alone, we hear whining about rhyming chants and slogans and claims about being afraid etc etc etc winging and whining about petty stuff while thousands lie under rubble, and a million subjected to COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT, starved of food, water and electricity and everything else we take for granted.
The powerful have created monsters who refuse to allow even client MSM and others into the GAZA open prison. Any reputable journalist who manages to be there is murdered.
WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE
👁️🩸😱n ⁉️ 👁️🩸😱⁉️ 👁️🩸😱⁉️
And then I went to the “Conservative Home” website and found the answer to my second question :
“Conservative Friends of Israel is highly influential. Unlike most groups of Tory MPs, it has a staff and activist base that exists outside of Parliament. In other words, its core staff – including Director Stuart Polak – is not composed of MPs. Ordinary people are able to sign up for membership – there are roughly 2,000 members.
HOWEVER, ITS PARLIAMENTARY GROUP IS SAID TO INCLUDE 80% OF ALL CONSERVATIVE MPs. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Group is James Arbuthnot and James Clappison is the Vice Chairman. Officers include David Amess, David Burrowes, Robert Halfon, Priti Patel and Lee Scott, and Timothy Kirkhope MEP leads CFoI’s European group.
Other leading members of CFoI include Iain Duncan Smith, Graham Brady, the Chairman of the 1922 Committee, and Malcolm Rifkind, but perhaps most importantly, William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, and Alistair Burt, the Minister at the Foreign Office whose brief covers the Middle East, are members.”
I’m not sure how Timothy Kirkhope can be an MEP … But – Perhaps the information on “Conservative Home” is rather dated.
“- – – 80% of all Conservative MPs” – – –
That also explains a lot !
Not only the BBC admitted it was a lie, it sent a notification on the BBC News app so everyone who has it (and didn’t turn the notifications off) were informed of it.
When you accept Occupied Palestine has a right to self defence then Oct 7th is a text book response
The War Crime of taking a few hundred hostages was a response to the 10000’s of hostages taken by Israel
As an occupier Israel does NOT have a right to Self Defence, their responsibility is to get the hell out of the occupied territory and implement every UN directive going back to 1967
What would you get if you took the best of JC and Geordie Galloway
The Truth is there are millions out there screaming silently for that very choice