BH: Gaza 5/11/2023

this morning (sunday 5th), 9.01-9.02am, 9.29-9.41am, and 9.53-9.55am, on bbc radio 4 

broadcasting house (presented by paddy oconnell) leads with …

“The US secretary of state Antony Blinken’s due in Turkey today, on a push to de-escalate war in the Middle East.”

including contributions from …

• bbc reporter mark lowen 

• bbc reporter orla guerin 

• bbc reporter kevin connolly

Twice-Promised Land

this and tomorrow afternoon (wednesday 2nd and thursday 3rd), 4.40-5.55pm (repeated 9.35pm and 7.15-9.35pm saturday, and repeated from 12th february) on pbs america tv

a twice-promised land (two episodes) 

“Seventy years after Israel declares independence, archival images, historians, academics and journalists reveal and reflect on a turbulent history.

1. 1945-1948: Birth of a State: the three decisive years that carved a Jewish state out of Palestine.

2. 1948-1967: From War to War: two fundamental decades, punctuated by wars between the young state and its neighbours:

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the 1956 Suez Crisis, and the Six-Day War in 1967, that would once again stir up the Middle East.”

including contributions from …

• historian dina porat 

• historian shlomo sand

• historian elie garnavi 

• historian anita shapira 

• professor sari nusseibeh 

• activist raja shehadeh 

• elias sanbar, palestinian ambassador to unesco 

• historian gadi taub 

• professor amneh badran 

• haim gouri, deputy company commander, palmach’s negev brigade 

• journalist amira hass 

• activist nurit peled elhanan 

• journalist gideon levy 

(not available online)

The Certificate

this afternoon (sunday 21st), 3.00-4.00pm, on bbc radio 4  

the certificate (starring henry goodman, debbie chazen, and sid sagar) (dramatised by jonathan myerson, from the novel by isaac bashevis singer, translated by leonard wolf) (in the drama series)

“This warm-hearted comic romance tells the story of hapless teenager David Bendiger, who washes up penniless in 1922 Warsaw.

Out of the blue, he gets the offer of a free Certificate enabling emigration to Palestine – on condition that he marries.

Miriam and Youssef

wednesday mornings for ten weeks (29th april to 1st july), 11.32-11.59am (repeated 10.06pm, and 8.06am sundays), on bbc world service radio 

miriam and youssef (written by steve waters)

“A ten part series dramatising the tragic history of the founding of Israel.

Although the series is fictional, it is based on fact. Every effort has been made to ensure that the series is culturally, linguistically and historically accurate.

Driving it is a dual narrative, told by two former neighbours: Miriam, a Jewish Immigrant to Palestine and Youssef, a Palestinian Arab driven into exile in 1948 – both asking the question, ‘how did we get here?’.

Israeli railways

friday 9th august, on channel 5 tv

middle east (presented by chris tarrant) (episode 4, 3rd series, of chris tarrant: extreme railways) includes …

Chris Tarrant takes a train from Beit She’an to Afula, then from Afula to Haifa, then from Haifa to Tel Aviv, then from Lod to Beit Shemesh, then from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem, and finally the Jerusalem light rail.

On the way, he visits the Ein Harod kibbutz, founded in 1921, and a Jewish and an Arab hummus restaurant.

including interviews with …

• meir doron of the ein harod kibbutz

• adam of the hummus eliyahu restaurant in haifa

• amir of the humus faraj restaurant in haifa

(see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaffa–Jerusalem_railway)

Newshour Extra: What now?

BBC bias: the three studio panellists on this in-depth one-hour discussion programme present the case entirely from the palestinian point of view

yesterday evening (friday 15th), 9.06-9.59pm, on bbc world service radio
what now for the palestinians? (presented by owen bennett jones) (in the newshour extra series)
with panellists …
• zena agha, iraqi-palestinian commentator at al-shabaka
• mouin rabbani of the institute of palestine studies in amman
• yezid sayigh, carnegie middle east centre in beirut
and with contributions from …
• david makovsky, washington institute for near east policy
• gil hoffman, chief political correspondent. jerusalem post
• bbc reporter yolande knell

Balfour’s historical roots

yesterday evening (tuesday 5th), 8.00-8.40pm, on bbc radio 4 (repeated 5.00pm sunday)
balfour’s promised land (presented by david reynolds)

“… In the ferment of debate generated by the centenary of the Balfour Declaration this year David Reynolds goes back to its historical roots …”

including contributions from …
• professor jonathan schneer
• historian james renton, author of the zionist masquerade
• professor arie dubnov of george washington university
• professor rashid khalidi of columbia university
• gil weisskopf, curator of where balfour meets allenby, exhibition in israels national library
• historian rob johnson
• anzac trooper edward dengate
• professor eitan bar-yosef of ben gurion university
• eran tearosh chairman of the society for the hetitage of world war one in israel
• rachel mizrachi, national library of israel
(see also https://www.newstatesman.com/world/middle-east/2017/11/100-years-balfour-declaration-and-great-war)

HC: Balfour 100

monday 30th october, 5.18-6.12pm, on bbc parliament tv
house of commons 30/10/2017 includes …

“Balfour Declaration Statement“

speeches by … Boris Johnson (C) Emily Thornberry (Lab) Hugo Swire (C) Chris Law (SNP) Crispin Blunt (C) Louise Ellman (Lab) Jonathan Djanogly (C) Ian Austin (Lab) Desmond Swayne (C)

Tom Brake (LD) Andrew Murrison (C) Luciana Berger (Lab) Jack Lopresti (C) Oliver Dowden (C) Jim Cunningham (Lab) Philip Hollobone (C) Sharon Hodgson (Lab) Andrew Percy (C)

Philippa Whitford (SNP) Michael Tomlinson (C) Julie Elliott (Lab) Colin Clark (C) Andy Slaughter (Lab) Alex Chalk (C) Layla Moran (LD) Kevin Foster (C) Jim Shannon (DUP)

(for transcript, see https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-10-30/debates/CB36ACC3-D2D7-441A-836B-736B8C869A13/BalfourDeclaration)

Twiw: Balfour 100

saturday 28th october, 11.24-11.29am, on bbc radio 4
the week in westminster (presented by peter oborne) concludes with …

“Reflections on the Balfour Declaration, the letter which paved the way for the creation of the state of Israel, 100 years ago.”

including debate between …
robert halfon mp
stephen kinnock mp

Newshour: Balfour 100

this afternoon (thursday 2nd), 2.07-2.19pm and 2.36-2.46pm, on bbc world service radio
newshour (presented by james menendez) leads with …

“One-Hundred Years of the Balfour Declaration“

including interviews broadcast before, and also with …
• ahmad khalidi, palestinian negotiator and editor-in-chief of the journal of palestine studies
• michaela sieff, ganddaughter of israel sieff and rebecca sieff, founder of wizo