Little or no public debate allowed by the BBC.

[mouthpipette]

Caller to R5 live the other day mentioned that the last time the conflict in the ME was discussed on Nicky Campbell's show was March 14.
Considering there are usually 2 topics discussed and that it goes out 5 days a week, that's a lot of shows that haven't been a platform for debate about Israel/Gaza.

And it gets even worse.

BBC1 question time, and you have to go back to October 17 2024 to find a question about the ME. Since Oct 17, dozens of questions about Trump and Ukraine, but strangely Israel / Gaza doesn't feature.
Also, whilst stories about Harry or GCSE results will have a "Have your say" comments section, on the BBC news website, there are none for stories on the current conflict.
LBC not afraid to cover it and to be a platform for a discussion, the BBC obviously are.

Maybe, but people can’t get onside with cruelty and starvation, including of children, unless they’ve lost their moral compass.

Not surprising. People on both sides are so polarised that any sort of sensible debate is pretty much impossible. @Aaron95

So why did the BBC have so, so many public debates about Brexit ?

To be fair @mouthpipette Brexit was something that was directly going to affect Britain & something British people could vote on.

New does go in cycles like this eg at the start Ukraine was very interesting and relevant to people int he UK but the conflict has gone on so long people lose interest. It could be the same with Hamas. Iran appears to have backed 2 attacks on British soil which was in the news last week which we foiled so that kind of thing has more immediate impact on British people I suppose.

The UK leaving the EU obviously did affect the UK a lot so that is likely to be a reason the BBC had full coverage. The BBC coverage of Israel and Hamas etc in my view has been fairly anti Israel and I am not happy with it but I bet there are people on the other side who think the opposite.

I think they are good points @Xenia

I also feel like the BBC coverage has been fairly anti Israel. Like they very often don’t describe Hamas as “terrorists” when they should do as Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.

But like you, I can imagine people on the other side think the opposite.

There are other conflicts in the world and many other stories. The continued focus on Gaza is a result of the BBC feeling they have to pander to a diverse audience. I think eventually we have to move on as the conflict is a protracted one and a continual focus on one conflict like this will do little to a actually effect things on the ground and will just lead to increased anti Semitism which may stay at current levels for years or decades.

We don't get balance with Israeli society being shown in its fullest with interviews of young Israelis allowing them to express their hopes and concerns for the future including how to guarantee their security in such a perilous climate.

@mids2019 forgive me if I misunderstood your post but are you suggesting that we just "move on" and ignore reporting on the situation in Palestine ( one which currently involves the deliberate starvation of 2 million people by a democratic country) and just let them die in case it might increase anti semitism .

Why do young Israelis get to have hopes and dreams but not young Palestinians?

I agree that there should be interviews with young Palestinians about their hopes and dreams and how they can live peacefully with Israel. Sadly a lot of the youth seem to be anti Israel. Remember part of this youth joyfully engaged in October 7th.

As for genocide this has been decided by any court of law and in future years there weight be space to look at individual conduct in war. We do need though to see Hamas removed from power and all those that supported October 7th to be brought to justice.

There are increasing be mass killing acts in Syria which are under reported so we need balance. Yes there is a conflict in Gaza but conflict elsewhere.

Do you wonder why they might be Anti/Israel? Are they meant to be thankful for the destruction of their homes and the rabid settlers in the West Bank who are supported by government ministers?

This is just a circular argument. Why are Israelis so defensive? Many victims on 7/10 were peaceniks. You do know some of the gruesome details of the 'resistance' meted out on 7/10?

You may also know about the history of suicide bombers, snipers, stabbings and lynchings carried out on Israelis over the years. Hamas, Hezbollah, houthis, PIJ, Daesh are lunatics cut from the same cloth, they make terrible neighbours and even worse governments.

Again with the circular arguments. To blame Jewish people worldwide for the actions of a government you disagree with is akin to blaming Muslims worldwide for the extreme actions of Islamist regimes. Do you condone that?

The cognitive dissonance about the actions of the Palestinians on these threads is totally mind boggling. Anyone would think the decades of Palestinian terrorism, including Oct 7th, never happened.

Do you understand the very simple concept of actions having consequences?

The Palestinians have had many opportunities for hope and a future from 1948 onwards. Why didn’t they take them?

Today’s young Palestinians have no one to blame but their leaders and their funders, and their elders who supported them, and it is truly heartbreaking.

In Gaza, they had 20 years to choose peace, they chose Oct 7th.

No matter what mental gymnastics the pro-Palestinians try to do, the joy and celebration, and participation, of civilians on October 7th and in the hostage release parades, can’t be dismissed as they didn’t know what was going on.

Gaza is a tiny area, 4 times smaller than London, Gazans apparently have a high literacy rate and have access to the internet and social media. Don’t tell me the majority didn’t know what was going to happen before the celebrations, and it’s a WAR in a densely packed urban area, deliberately started to create as much civilian collateral as possible, as it was impossible to avoid with the enemy embedded everywhere and no safe areas for civilians, not a genocide.

Do you regard every war as a genocide?

This war was deliberately orchestrated to induce the rise of anti semitism, it’s the most effective weapon Hamas has for its cause.

It’s surprising people still don’t see that.

The contestant for Israel who survived October 7th and managed her trauma to such an extent she will now sing at Eurovision is preparing to be booked simply because of her nationality? How have we reached this point??

Over focus on one conflict on the world (and conflict is a bad thing by the way) fails to inform but does exacerbate antisemitism.

There should be news about Gaza but not ina way that inflames sensitivities or is based in countries like ours which are remote from thar part of the world.

Let's face it Muslim anger is only going to directed at Jews in this country and a pp has suggested that anti antisemitism is semi legitimised because of Gaza. We should be concerned about this.

Booed

I'd say lots of anger not just 'Muslim anger' because lots of people can tell right from wrong not just Muslims will be directed at the government who have been unwilling to condemn mass slaughter and starvation and worse than that helped the Israeli government along the way. Now it's gotten to the point where Israel ethnically cleansing is looking to be a certainty and the government still haven't pulled their finger out.

Although reading yesterday about British actions and child killings in the middle east it's not exactly surprising the British government would support Israel, they sound like 2 peas in a pod.

One witness who served with the SAS said that killing could become "an addictive thing to do" and that some members of the elite regiment were "intoxicated by that feeling" in Afghanistan. There were "lots of psychotic murderers", he said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3j5gxgz0do.amp

Can you decide who you despise more, the British or the Israelis...or the Americans? Who do you hold up as a model government at whom no criticism can be levelled so we know who to emulate?

I'm pretty sure some criticism can and should be levelled at every government. Do you not think criticism should be levelled at the British government and armed forces for murdering people in cold blood? If not murder then what would make you criticise a government?

So you despise the British government more than the Israeli government as that's your 'go to' example. Ok

And who is your ideal government?

I never said anything about despising anyone that was you.

Edited to add this is such a strange board isn't it? People here are more outraged at people criticising murderers than they are at actual murder. It's such a strange thing that I never knew existed before here.

You sound like you despise the British government and the Israel government @Mylegishangingoff even if you didn’t use that exact word.

Israel government are committing genocide according to you & the British government is “like 2 peas in a pod”.

Presumably you feel similar about the American government. Wish you were as outspoken about the Hamas government if you can call them that.

I would also be interested in who is your ideal government?

One that doesn't murder children and then refuse to accept responsibility for that would be a good start. Hth

Can’t you name one?

I think it is weird as that people spend months and months complaining that people are supposedly only highlighting war crimes by the Israeli government and no one else. Then someone highlights another government that committed war crimes in the middle east and people's reactions are 'No, not that country, why do you despise Britain 😭'.

I think that it is relevant to what is happening now, I think a government that has committed atrocities and war crimes very recently in the region are more likely excuse atrocities and war crimes committed by another government in the region. When governments flout international law it makes us all less safe, it makes awful things like killing children in their sleep seem 'normal' and acceptable and it should never be seen that way. Each and every instance where international law has been broken should be investigated and the perpetrators should be punished. Governments should be punished for cover ups and turning a blind eye. This shouldn't be controversial and you shouldn't be seen as a 'hater' for highlighting awful behaviour and expecting governments to follow the laws they have agreed to.

So you still can't name a government that fits your criteria?