Bowen on Gaza

[BBC bias: In this programme devoted to Gaza, no mention by Jeremy Bowen of …
• Tens of thousands of Gazans being allowed out for humanitarian and religious reasons, and for free medical treatment.
• Egyptian control of who goes in and out.
• Electricity shortages (only a few hours supply a day), and medical shortages, caused by Fatah withholding funds from Gaza.
• Housing shortages caused by Hamas diverting much of its revenue (and concrete) to building tunnels.
• War crimes by Hamas.]
this afternoon (friday 16th), 1.45-2.00pm, on bbc radio 4
missiles and the ballot box (15th of 20 episodes of the our man in the middle east series)

“BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen explores Gaza, the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement.
‘It’s not a place you would chose for a Mediterranean holiday, though the Palestinians used to dream of developing a tourist industry’, he says. ‘Israel could recapture Gaza in days if it wanted to. But then it would be responsible for around a million children and about the same number of angry adults. Palestinians can’t destroy a state as strong as Israel. But Israel can’t bludgeon Palestinians into submission either’.”

“Palestinians often call Gaza the world’s biggest jail, and it’s hard to argue.
… The UN predicts that Gaza might become uninhabitable by 2020, if there’s no end to the conflict with Israel.
… the human spirit burns very bright in Gaza.
… Living either side of the border wire, in Gaza or Israel, can be very difficult and dangerous.
… The laws of war say belligerents shouldn’t use disproportionate force. Israel always denies doing so when it attacks Gaza, but the evidence suggests that it does. The Israelis claim to take great care not to kill civilians, but they use heavy weapons in densely populated areas, making civililan casualties certain.
… I’ve never seen any evidence of Hamas in Gaza forcing civilians in to stay in the firing line, but Israelis repeat time and again that Hamas hide behind human shields.
… Until matters change in Gaza, there will be more wars between Hamas and Israel. Change means a new attempt at peace, with the participation and consent of all sides [including Hamas].”
(if you missed it, available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tgjl2)

PM: Qatar and Gaza

this afternoon (thursday 15th), 5.26-5.30pm, on bbc radio 4 (repeated 1.32pm on sunday on newshour on bbc world service radio)
pm (presented by eddie mair) leads with …

“Saudi Arabia has demanded that Qatar stop supporting Hamas, which controls Gaza, all of which might have quite an effect on Palestinians in the Gaza strip“

including contributions from …
• bbc reporter yolande knell
• baha shalabi of sheikh hamad city
• hamas leader mahmoud al-zahhar

Newshour: Gaza energy

this evening (thursday 18th), 9.24-9.29pm, on bbc world service radio
newshour (presented by julian marshall) includes …

“The Gaza strip is suffering chronic energy shortages, and a senior UN official is warning of a potentially catastrophic humanitarian situation if a solution isn’t found.”

including contributions from …
• bbc reporter yolande knell
• gaza resident suniya abu shaban
• political science professor mkhaimar abusada
• nicolai mladenov
(see also http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-39939611)

Newshour: Gaza and Amona

this afternoon (wednesday 1st), 2.19-2.29pm, and 2.51-2.59pm, on bbc world service radio (repeated 9.20pm, and 10.20pm on the world tonight on bbc radio 4)
newshour (presented by owen bennett jones) includes …

“There’s one small strip on the map where the confrontation has congealed into something darker, something heavier. every so often it erupts into scalding violence.
It’s the Gaza strip, home to two million Palestinians, controlled by Israel on three sides, Egypt on a fourth.
The UN has said that the way things are going, the enclave could be unfit for human habitation by 2020.”
“Also, the demolition of the illegal settlement, Amona.”

including contributions from …
• bbc reporter tim franks
• hamam aliazi, businessman
• amir balushar, arrested by hamas for demonstrating
• hamas deputy foreign minister ghazi hamad
• rana al-qirnawi, start-up specialist
• bbc reporter yolande knell

Newshour: Gaza zoo

the bbc cannot present an item about a zoo in gaza without suggesting the israelis treat palestinians like caged animals …

yesterday evening (wednesday 24th), 9.42-9.45pm, on bbc world service radio
newshour (presented by james coomarasamy) includes …

“… ‘I see now the animals are living better than humans‘ … Their suffering will soon be over, but they leave behind Palestinians who continue to feel trapped.”

including contributions from …
• bbc reporter yolande knell
• zoo owner mohamed owaida
(see also two video clips at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17817602)

DID: David Nott

disaster relief surgeon david nott tells of how the israelis did not bomb al-shifa hospital, while managing to make the israelis sound at fault

last sunday morning (5th june), 11.15am-12.00, on bbc radio 4 (repeated friday morning, 9.00-9.45am)
desert island discs with disaster relief surgeon david nott (presented by kirsty young)
(if you missed it, available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07djzyq#playt=23m9s)

Newshour: Gaza schools

this afternoon (saturday 21st), 1.55-1.57pm, on bbc world service radio
newshour (presented by julian marshall) includes …

“We’re very much aware of what happened in Gaza way back in 2014, but presumably the problem is not as acute any longer?”

including interview with …
• pierre krahenbuhl, commissioner-general of unrwa