The Academic Friends of Israel

AFI Digest Vol 8 No 1                                       8 January 2009 

 

1. The view from Britain -45 anti-Semitic incidents logged

2. Mass rallies In Manchester and London  

3. Britain Turns Ugly – Melanie Phillips  

4. Just Journalism 

5. Summary of rocket fire and mortar shelling on Israel  

6. The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center  

7. Essay- Did Israel Use "Disproportionate Force" in Gaza?

8. Worldwide Rallies and Events for Peace and Solidarity with Israel  

1. The view from Britain

The Community Security Trust, which is responsible for the safety of Jews in Britain, has now logged 45 anti-Semitic incidents - most of them in London and Manchester has also noted the emergence of anti-Semitic graffiti in Jewish areas across London.

These stories can be found at:

Attempted Arson at London Shul As Hate Soars

http://www.totallyjewish.com/news/national/c-10918/attempted-arson-at-london-shul-as-hate-soars/ 

Synagogue set alight during rise in anti-Semitic attacks in London

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23612225 details/Synagogue+set+alight+during+rise+in+anti-Semitic+attacks+in+London/article.do

 

2. END HAMAS TERROR! MASS RALLY IN MANCHESTER AT ALBERT SQUARE 

SUNDAY 11TH JANUARY 200911 am - 12 noonASSEMBLE 10.40am PROMPTWE NEED A MASSIVE ATTENDANCEEVERYONE YOU KNOW  

MASS RALLY IN LONDON AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE 

SUNDAY 11TH JANUARY 200911 am - 12 noonASSEMBLE 10.40am PROMPTWE NEED A MASSIVE ATTENDANCEEVERYONE YOU KNOW

3. Britain Turns Ugly – Melanie Phillips  

So let’s get this clear. You produce claims that Israel is slaughtering hundreds of civilians in ‘carnage’ in Gaza, even though the vast majority of the dead are said by both Israel and the UN to be Hamas operatives. You ignore totally the Hamas operatives and you focus instead emotively on the dead children and grieving parents. 

You make no mention whatsoever of the fact that Hamas are hiding their arsenals in and under civilian houses and apartments, in schools and hospitals and ambulances and mosques, thus making the inhabitants targets for Israeli forces trying to destroy the infrastructure of terror; instead you blame Israel for the deaths of those inhabitants. 

You fail to report that Hamas are herding Gazan civilians, including children, into buildings from where they are firing missiles at Israeli soldiers in order that the civilians should be killed; instead you blame Israel for the deaths of those civilians and those children……… 

To read the article in full:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/3215641/britain-turns-ugly.thtml  

4. Just Journalism 

Analysis of UK News media reporting of Israel including the BBC http://www.justjournalism.com/  

Latest featured analysis  

Transcript of BBC Ten O’clock News

BBC TV, January 5 2009 by Jeremy BowenTV report on Israel's Gaza operationsSHORTCOMINGS: FAILURE TO SEPARATE COMMENT AND OPINION FROM NEWS-REPORTIN...

http://www.justjournalism.com/media-analysis/p1999_articleid/197  

Pure politics is driving this war

The Independent, January 1 2009 Opinion piece about Israel's Gaza operationsSHORTCOMINGS: FACTUAL ERROR

http://www.justjournalism.com/media-analysis/p1999_articleid/195 

Why bombing Ashkelon is the most tragic irony

The Independent, December 30 2008 by Robert Fisk Opinion piece critical of Israel's Gaza operationsSHORTCOMINGS: FAILURE TO SEPARATE COMMENT AND OPINION FROM NEWS-REPORTING...

http://www.justjournalism.com/media-analysis/p1999_articleid/192  

Report: Facts and Figures - Quarter 3 2008 

Summary of key findings 

* The UK press continues to put Israel high on its agenda - 1 in 2 newspaper editions carries at least one story 

* The Israel-related stories receiving the most coverage in Q3 were Iran-Israel relations, the Kadima leadership and the Prisoner exchange 

* Comment and editorial pieces are twice as likely to be negative as positive 

* The Guardian has the highest proportion of critical comment and editorial pieces, with 53% negative, 6% positive and 41% neutral 

* There were nearly three times as many authored articles on the BBC News website portraying Israel negatively than positive. 

* The greatest number of breaches of journalistic standards occurred on the BBC News Website and in The Independent 

* The most common breach was 'Lack of context by exclusion of relevant information and facts' - 75% of all breaches in Q3 

* The number of individual breaches fell by 35% - from 43 last quarter to 28 this quarter This quarterly report analyses Israel-related coverage in the media from July to September 2008 (Q3). To read the report in full:

http://www.justjournalism.com/plugins/p1999_media_special_articles/pdf/1640_Q3Report_03.pdf 5.

Summary of rocket fire and mortar shelling on Israel Information can be found here:

http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/ipc_e007.pdf 

And here

http://www.bicom.org.uk/news/operation-cast-lead/facts-and-figures/bicom-statistics--total-number-of-identified-rocket-and-mortar-shell-hits-since-2001--daily-tally-for-2008-and-2009 

And here:

http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=6479919  

6. The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/site/home/default.asp

Hamas Exploitation of Civilians as Human Shields 

 http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/hamas_e028.pdf

7. Essay- Did Israel Use "Disproportionate Force" in Gaza?

By Dore Gold – Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

To read the essay in full:

 http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=378&PID=0&IID=2808&TTL=Did_Israel_Use_“Disproportionate_Force”_in_Gaza 

8. Worldwide Rallies and Events for Peace and Solidarity with Israel  

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Advisory Board: 

Dr Manfred Gerstenfeld - Chairman of the Board of Fellows, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.Henry Grunwald Q.C. - President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

Amir Lev

John D A Levy - Director of the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East

Andrew R. Marks, M.D. - Columbia University, USA

Dr Robin StamlerProfessor Leslie Wagner CBE

Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham 

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