Nh: Third election

yesterday afternoon (thursday 12th), 2.51–2.53pm, on bbc world service radio

newshour (presented by james menendez) includes …

“Israel is facing its third election in less than a year, after two polls since April have failed to produce a new government.”

including report from …

• bbc reporter barbara plett-usher

Nh: Netanyahu finished?

this afternoon (wednesday 11th), 2.24–2.29pm (repeated 9.20pm), on bbc world service radio

newshour (presented by james menendez) includes …

“Is Benjamin Netanyahu’s time now up, or can the master magician of Israeli politics pull another last rabbit out of the hat?”

including contributions from …

• bbc reporter barbara plett-usher

• journalist gil hoffman 

• gideon sa’ar mk

• journalist dana weiss

Nh: Bethlehem relic

this afternoon (saturday 30th), 1.36-1.42pm (repeated 9.25pm), on bbc world service radio

newshour (presented by julian marshall) includes …

“A fragment of wood reputed to be from the crib where Jesus was laid after his birth, is returning to Bethlehem after more than a thousand years in Rome.”

including contributions from …

• yisca harani of the galilee institute

Nh: No Corbyn apology

this evening (tuesday 26th), 9.20-9.29pm, on bbc world service radio 

newshour (presented by tim franks) includes …

“Labour has been beset by allegations of anti-semitism for more than three years, since Mr Corbyn became leader. Shortly before we came on air, the Labour leader was asked about this by the BBC’s Andrew Neil: ‘Wouldn’t you like to take this opportunity tonight to apologise to the British Jewish community for what’s happened’?“

including interview with …

• journalist jonathan freedland 

Nh: Mirvis intervenes

BBC BIAS: BBC presenters Ritula Shah and Razia Iqbal (on the world tonight and newshour) even-handedly present spokesmen from the jewish labour movement and jewish voice for labour without mentioning that the latter (“another Jewish group”) is tiny, and is a single-issue group created solely to defend Jeremy Corbyn from criticisms of anti-semitism.

this afternoon (tuesday 26th), 2.36-2.45pm, on bbc world service radio 

newshour (presented by razia iqbal) includes …

“The Chief Rabbi in the UK attacks the opposition Labour party’s record on anti-semitism.“

including contributions from …

• mike katz, chair, jewish labour movement

• jenny manson, co-chair, “jewish voice for labour”

(if you missed it, available from 0:30:07 to 0:39:00 at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172wq51yrllqxw)

Nh: Human Rights Watch

this afternoon (saturday 23rd), 2.44-2.48pm, on bbc world service radio 

newshour (presented by razia iqbal) includes …

“A controversial fight between Israel and one of its most vociferous human rights critics, the outcome is the expulsion of the director of Human Rights Watch based in Israel, Omar Shakir, who is a US citizen but was accused by the Israelis of advocating BDS, a Palestinian-led campaign calling for the boycotiing divestment and sanctioning of Israel until it meets what it describes as Israel’s obligations under international law. The Israelis say Mr Shakir is in violation of a 2017 law. Human Rights Watch say Mr Shakir’s expulsion places Israel in the same camp as Venezuela Iran and Egypt in barring Human Rights Watch researchers.”

including contributions from …

• kenneth roth, head of human rights watch

• omar shakir

(see also https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Abusing-the-Holocaust)

Nh: Prague gravestones

this afternoon (saturday 23rd), 2.44-2.48pm (repeated 9.20pm), on bbc world service radio 

newshour (presented by razia iqbal) includes …

“One particular street in Prague’s Old Town has long been thought to be partially cobbled with fragments of Jewish gravestones taken from abandoned cemeteries during the communist era. This week there has been confirmation of that as the city of Prague signed a memorandum with the Jewish community on returning the stones so that they can be put in a more appropriate place.“

including contributions from …

• bbc reporter rob cameron 

• františek banyai, head of the prague jewish community

• researcher martin smok