Mr Bagel: The Spectra of Reuters Media Bias rises againA Picture tells a thousand lies.

Saturday 20 October 2007

The Spectra of Reuters Media Bias rises again
A Picture tells a thousand lies.

Another Palestinian Puff piece written by Gaza based Nidal al-Mughrabi, masquerading as News. It seems that Journalistic standards at Reuters continue to sink lower and lower. Despite the obvious bias to this piece of Journalism, it has been carried by many newspapers of the world's press. See just how many here: Palestinians live as "ghosts" in Gaza

When a news agency such as Reuters has such coverage, it has a responsibility to ensure its journalist operate in a Professional, objective and non biased way.

Have a look at this article and a Photo titled exactly the same released in Parallel with the article. Both article and Photo via Reuters.

El - Reuters is becoming the laughing stock of the media world.

Palestinians live as "ghosts" in Gaza [Reuters Oct 19]
This Photo has the same title as the story below.
It adds an emotive almost sad scene when paired with the story
bearing the same name. [But see the full description of the Photo**]

Palestinians live as "ghosts" in Gaza
By Nidal al-Mugrabi

JABALYA, Gaza Strip, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Officially, Mahmoud Jnaid does not exist. The 25-year-old Palestinian almost made that a reality earlier this month when he doused himself with petrol and tried to set himself alight.

Lets get this clear some one tries to set themselves a light? Are you kiding me? What sort of imbecile couldn't set themselves alight? Did he run out of matches? Lighter broke? Really this is Newsworthy that someone tried to light themselves on fire in front of an assembled News Media crew? You don't suspect it might of been a staged event for the weekly protests? Or rather is Nidal al-Mugrabi trying to sensationlise another biased boring poorly written propaganda piece for the Palestinians.

Jnaid is one of about 54,000 displaced Palestinians who returned to Gaza and the West Bank from abroad after an interim peace accord in 1993, but still have no identity cards because Israel refuses to approve them. Following years of silence, they recently started holding weekly protests in Hamas-run Gaza to demand the documents, which they need to travel as well as for daily basics like opening a bank account or getting a driving licence.

"I am Mr Nobody," said Jnaid, who, at one of the protests, doused himself in petrol and tried to set himself alight before onlookers overpowered him.

"When I poured the petrol on my body I felt life was the same as death," he said as he sat next to his wife and children.

Jnaid was born in Jordan after his family fled their home in the coastal strip after the 1967 war with Israel. He returned to Gaza in 1995 at the age of 13 but still has no ID card.

In a stroke of bitter irony, Jnaid's brother was finally granted identity papers two weeks after he was killed in a protest against Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

"It was worthless, they recognised him only when he died," Jnaid said.

Israel has closed Gaza's borders to everything but humanitarian supplies since Islamist group Hamas seized control of the territory, home to 1.5 million people, in June and ousted its secular Fatah rivals. The economy is in meltdown.

"I have to take care of six children now and I am out of a job for three months," said Jnaid, an unemployed carpenter.

"GHOSTS"
Israel granted identity cards to some 3,500 Palestinians in the West Bank earlier this month as part of efforts to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah ahead of an Israeli-Palestinian conference on statehood.

But there is little hope the goodwill will extend to Gaza, which Israel recently branded an "enemy entity" because militants in the territory regularly fire rockets into the Jewish state.

Under the 1993 peace accords, Israel must approve all Palestinian personal documents, including ID cards.

Yes and under these same peace accords known in the West as the Oslo Peace Accords Mr Nidal al-Mughrabi the Palestinians were supposed to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, and renounced terrorism, violence and its desire for the destruction of Israel. Yet you make no mention what so ever of this?

Jnaid says living in Gaza is like being in jail. His uncle and a younger brother died a few months ago in neighbouring Egypt, but Jnaid could not attend their funerals.

When he asked for permission to travel to Israel or Egypt for eye surgery, his request was rejected.

"Those in Israeli jails live in small cells, I am too a prisoner but in a large room called Gaza," Jnaid said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinian Civil Affairs government office in Ramallah, which negotiates with Israel over the issue of ID cards and travel permits, said there was no sign Israel would soften their position on documents for Gazans.

Jnaid said he feels like a ghost.

"Not only a ghost, I do not exist. Everywhere I go people ask for an identification card and I do not have one."

The Photo Description**:
Despite the photo having the caption: Palestinians live as "ghosts" in Gaza

Read the extended description of the Photo:
Palestinian children walk inside the destroyed house of a member of a clan loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah, after clashes with the Hamas force in Gaza October 18, 2007. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Yes you're seeing a Photo of the damaged caused when Hamas attacked a supporter of Fatah in Gaza!