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| Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| Maliha |
| 12/09/03 at 18:51:58 |
| [slm] OMG! These people really can't be serious?!!! Sigh..instead of spending those resources to educate people, this is the type of propaganda training we all really need >:( note the last line..... Meet the 'Terror Tourists' By Tim Tate Producer and director of Terror Tourists Lisa Reed is nervous. Wearing only a light T-shirt and combat trousers she is on patrol through the deserted Arab streets of Hebron. We were in New York when the Twin Towers were hit and we saw that there was a real gap in people's knowledge about what to do in the event of a terrorist attack Jay Greenwald After an upsurge in shootings and suicide bombings the Israeli army has imposed a daytime curfew on Hebron's Palestinian population: today the streets are empty and eerily quiet. Lisa is a part-time dental nurse from Newport News, Virginia. She has never been to Israel or the Palestinian territories before - much less been on an armed patrol of an Arab city under military curfew. She is acutely aware that she has no body armour - no flak jacket or helmet - to protect her from Palestinian gunmen in the shuttered buildings, which surround her. At this moment she feels a very long way from home. Lisa Reed is one of a unique new group of "Terror Tourists". She and four other American men have signed up for Operation Shiloh - an intensive five-day course in counter-terrorism run by Israeli entrepreneurs Yehoshua Mizrachi and Jay Greenwald in association with commandos from the country's Special Forces. Knowledge gap The aim is to equip ordinary American men and women with military survival skills in the event of a terrorist attack on their homes or neighbourhoods. Primarily I want to know what I can do to protect myself and my family from a terrorist attack on my neighbourhood Lisa Reed "We set up Operation Shiloh in the wake of 11 September," says Mr Greenwald. "We were in New York when the Twin Towers were hit and we saw that there was a real gap in people's knowledge about what to do in the event of a terrorist attack. And we figured that since Israel has been attacked since its birth, this is this best place for people to learn those skills." The 11 September attacks have left a deep and intractable sense of personal fear in the minds of ordinary American citizens. From the moment of its launch earlier this year, Operation Shiloh was inundated by applicants: ordinary men and women ready and willing to pay the $5,500 course fees. "I'm your typical average American mum," says Lisa Reed. "I'm not involved with the police, I'm not involved with the military: I'm a Christian who supports Israel but primarily I want to know what I can do to protect myself and my family from a terrorist attack on my neighbourhood." From the hundreds of initial applicants, Mr Mizrachi and Mr Greenwald selected a handful to take part in the inaugural course this summer. Which is how Lisa Reed - together with her husband, Jeff, and his brother, Don, plus a successful Virginia Beach real estate broker and a former IT consultant from Colorado - found herself preparing for an armed patrol in the locked-down streets of Hebron. Patrolling Hebron Hebron is one of the most dangerous cities on earth. Located in the heart of the Palestinian territories - the hotly disputed land Israel is under intense international pressure to hand over to the Palestinians - it is the stronghold of Hamas, among the most violent of all Palestinian militant groups. This year alone 30 people have died and 38 more been wounded on its streets. Hebron's 150,000 population is predominantly Arab: just a few hundred Jewish settlers refuse to abandon their homes inside the ancient city walls. Israeli soldiers on every street corner scour the streets and buildings from behind heavily fortified bunkers. The participants in Operation Shiloh are to patrol its streets to give them - according to the course organisers - a sense of what life is like for the Jewish residents. Both men live in nearby Jewish settlements threatened with destruction by the US-backed peace plan known as the roadmap: their political agenda dominates the entire course. Throughout the five-day course, Lisa Reed and her fellow Terror Tourists will fire machine-guns, learn hand-to-hand combat and take part in mock attacks by Israeli commandos pretending to be Arab terrorists. The Palestinian Authority condemns Operation Shiloh - but is powerless to stop it. And Mr Mizrachi and Mr Greenwald have deliberately constructed the course to protect the Terror Tourists from ever meeting a single real-life Palestinian. Terror Tourists is broadcast on BBC Two at 2100 GMT on Sunday 7 December. Story from BBC NEWS |
| Re: Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| deenb4dunya |
| 12/10/03 at 09:19:53 |
| SubhaanAllaah... how can they be so deluded? It's unbelievable...! |
| 12/10/03 at 09:20:29 |
| deenb4dunya |
| Re: Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| tincanman |
| 12/10/03 at 12:08:18 |
| "And Mr Mizrachi and Mr Greenwald have deliberately constructed the course to protect the Terror Tourists from ever meeting a single real-life Palestinian. " This is how. If you have never met a person, a Nationality or a race your only information about the individual/Group is what you have been told. This is a system that works. If these people have never met a palistinian why wouldn't they believe Palistinains are Monsters? The Crusaders Used to think Muslims ate their own Children, because this was what they were told and they had never seen a Muslim so didn't know it was false. And this was why Israel was Created. the Jewish faith is a dying faith. People who belong to this religion are leaving it. To keep people from leaving it the Zionists decided that Jews should be isolated from people of other religions to provent the jews from converting. This is why Israel has jew only kabutiz, Jews only roads, jews only factories. |
| Re: Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| Aafreen |
| 12/10/03 at 21:39:15 |
| aa this was a really bad documentary we (mpac) and arab media watch issued alerts on this pls respond.... Meet the 'Terror Tourists' http://mpacuk.org/mpac/data/3be09618/3be09618.jsp As-salaam Alaykum, Dear all, MPAC'ers were stunned yesterday after watching perhaps the most biased, unfair and unbalanced documentary ever to air on the BBC! We promptly called up the BBC and complained, we urge you all to do the same. The documentary in question 'Terror Tourists' was broadcast on BBC Two at 9pm on Sunday 7 December. Please make the following points: This was a completely one-sided documentary, there were no Arab voices, barely a mention of the other side of the story. Zionist settlers and Christian Zionists were shown in the best possible light while Palestinians were demonised/described as inherently violent, liars, untrustworthy and 'disgusting'. The Occupied Territories were constantly and incorrectly referred to as 'disputed', the word 'Palestine' was not even mentioned once. Hebron and other areas in the Occupied Territories were constantly referred to as Israel, the journalist made no attempt to correct or question this. The 'Occupation' was mentioned once! There were no other references to the living conditions of the Palestinians. No explanation of why any of them were taking up arms. The Zionist settlers were shown in a very sympathetic light, they were portrayed as the sole victims of unprovoked (Arab) terror. It was not mentioned that they live on settlements built on land confiscated from Palestinians and deemed illegal by international law. Their 'struggle for peace' and noble endeavours to defend themselves and teach others to do so was glorified, the fact that the majority of them are racist, violent Messianic Zionists who routinely attack Palestinians, seize their land, destroy their harvests, advocate ethnic cleansing and oppose an independent Palestine was also not mentioned. More sympathy is invoked for settlers who have had children killed, however again no mention of the hundreds of Palestinian children killed in this conflict. Similarly the Christian Zionist terror tourists are shown as caring family people, who of course sympathise with the settlers, and feel equally threatened by violent Arabs despite being surrounded by Zionist soldiers most the time. One woman, who views every Arab as a potential suicide bomber, says although she would like to speak to Arabs, she would not believe everything they say. No doubt is left in the viewer's mind that Palestinians are the only aggressors and enemies of peace, one training exercise has pretend Arab terrorists attacking a peace demonstration! The Zionist pretending to be an Arab, describes Palestinians as 'disgusting'. The reporter seems to condone such racist comments. The IDF were also shown in a sympathetic light as young soldiers who defend these beleaguered settlers. Even Palestinian women and children tendering their sheep were dehumanised and branded 'intelligence gatherers' who deserve to be treated suspiciously and shot at. The Zionists are portrayed as the only possible victims of terror, however what about Muslims, are we not under threat from Jewish Zionists who have plotted to blow up our mosques and schools and machine-gunned us down in prayer? Is this not terror? Perhaps we should under go similar training to protect and defend ourselves, in Afghanistan perhaps? Most importantly please make the point that this documentary was a prime example of the most biased and shoddy journalism ever seen! The reporter is complicit in the racist attitudes and lies of the Zionists. He never disagrees with them, no probing questions are asked, no attempt is made to shown the Palestinians, he reinforces the view that perhaps they are to dangerous, too violent to be shown or given a platform to air their views. Every effort has been made by the producers of the programme to glorify Zionists, excuse/ignore the occupation and vilify, dehumanise and ignore the Palestinians. Please take a moment to complain about this injustice. The Zionists have asked people to call in and congratulate the BBC on this 'excellent and truthful' portrayal of the plight of Israelis! Please call and make sure your get a call log number: 08700 100222 and/or email: info@bbc.co.uk A news report related the programme can be read at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3295067.stm |
| Re: Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| Aafreen |
| 12/10/03 at 21:39:48 |
| Complain to BBC Please write to the BBC Programme Complaints Unit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/contactus/serious.shtml And the Broadcasting Standards Commission: http://www.bsc.org.uk/index1024.htm The Independent Television Commission does not cover BBC 1 or 2. You can also forward your complaints to Malcolm Balen (malcolm.balen@bbc.co.uk), the BBC''s new supervisor of Middle East coverage, and Richard Sambrook (richard.sambrook@bbc.co.uk), head of BBC News. For reference, below is Arab Media Watch''s complaint. Please DO NOT copy parts of it for your own correspondence. Please remain polite, and inform us of your correspondence and replies at info@arabmediawatch.com. ---------------------------------------------------- Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to complain about "Terror Tourists", which was shown on BBC 2 at 9 pm on December 7. By any standards it was the most one-sided, inaccurate, offensive documentary I have ever seen. Most of the one-hour programme took place on the West Bank (occupied Palestinian territory), though producer Tim Tate did not talk to a single Palestinian. Indeed, the people on whose streets Israeli soldiers, settlers and "terror tourists" patrolled freely and with impunity were completely absent, save for a couple of passers by in the background. Was it not worth finding out how Palestinians felt about Operation Shiloh, the military occupation they face, the settlements on their land and the curfews in their towns and villages? The Palestinian Authority''s few words of condemnation in the closing seconds of the programme are woefully inadequate. On top of their absence of presence and opinion, Palestinians and Arabs were described on most occasions, by those on the programme and by Tate, as "terrorists" (at one point he even used the term "religious terrorists"). It is shameful that such a subjective term be used so freely by the documentary''s producer. Terrorism is not resisting occupiers but occupation itself. Terrorists are not those who defend their homes (such as Palestinians in Hebron), but armed occupiers imposing curfews, oppressing entire populations and colonising their lands. Tate obviously sided with the occupiers, and thus portrayed Palestinians and Arabs as faceless, inherent threats with no opinion worthy of broadcast. If armed Palestinians imposed a curfew on the entire population of Tel Aviv, built settlements amidst the population and invited foreigners to tour the streets with submachine guns, would the BBC produce a documentary that did not ask a single Israeli how they felt about this? This is the first documentary I have seen where the voice of one side in a conflict is completely absent, and as a journalist I am shocked that the BBC approved of it. The occupied Arab territories were described more than once as "disputed" by Tate, who allowed those on the programme to claim without challenge that those lands do not belong to its rightful, sovereign owners. This ignores their internationally recognised status as Arab lands, as well as numerous binding UN Security Council resolutions describing Israel as an occupying power whose occupation policies have "no legal validity" (Resolution 465) and are "null and void and without international legal effect" (Resolution 497). Resolutions 471 and 476 reaffirm "the overriding necessity to end the prolonged occupation of Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem." None of these facts were presented. Instead, Tate wrongly conferred legitimacy to Israeli claims by calling the lands "disputed", and referring to "the other side of the country" when moving from the West Bank to Tel Aviv. Though settlements featured prominently in the documentary, not once were they described as illegal under international law because they are built on occupied territory. This fact is evident in the Geneva Conventions and binding UN Security Council resolutions 446, 452, 465 and 471. The programme simply garnered sympathy for the settlers by portraying them as innocent victims amidst an inexplicably hostile "terrorist" population. With constant reference to attacks against settlers in and around Hebron and elsewhere, absolutely no mention was made of the widespread violence committed by settlers against Palestinian civilians, crimes well documented by Israeli and international human rights groups and censured in UN Security Council Resolution 904. When Tate described Hebron as "one of the most dangerous cities on earth", it is obvious he was coming from the perspective of the safety of settlers, though those in Hebron are well known to be among the most heavily armed, radical and violent, often supported by the Israeli army against unarmed Palestinian civilians. Indeed, Resolution 904 was passed after the massacre of 29 worshippers at a mosque in Hebron in 1994, by a settler who has since had a shrine built in his honour by other settlers. Israel''s B''Tselem, to name just one human rights group, has done a fine job of documenting such injustices. In conclusion, the programme can only be described as a one-hour propaganda tool for the Israeli government and a free advertisement for Operation Shiloh, which may well result in audience members with a racist or ignorant view of Palestinians or the Arab-Israeli conflict signing up to patrol Palestinian population centres alongside occupying settlers and troops. Indeed, Tate even mentioned that it was recruiting for another such operation. This is simply unacceptable in terms of journalistic integrity and any notion of balance, fairness and objectivity. It is deeply lamentable that such a skewed, shallow documentary should come from such an internationally renowned organisation as the BBC. I ask that a statement be issued by the corporation distancing itself from the programme, and apologising unreservedly for its broadcast and any resulting offence caused. I look forward to your response and consideration. Yours sincerely, Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi Director Arab Media Watch |
| Re: Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| BroHanif |
| 12/11/03 at 16:11:40 |
| NS |
| Re: Meet the 'Terror Tourists' |
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| Aafreen |
| 12/12/03 at 11:44:45 |
| aa, my dad also wanted to go to Jerusalem and had a similar experience. Bro Hanif you are absolutely right, Al-aqsa cries out in its abandonment and no one listens.....as for writing to your MP, or media monitoring you know i am an advocate of this being an MPACer, but the fact is sooooooo many brothers and sisters cannot even be bothered to do this, i have to beg my friends even my own siblings to respond to alerts, attend protests, actually be active etc...they still say whats the point?? the point is to start somewhere and do something even if you just start off by writing to your MP or complaining about bias......it all builds up influence....it does make a difference..alhamdulilah all the sucesses orgs like MAB, CAIR, MPAC have had prove this.... seriously how many people responded to the alert above?? the fact is more Zionists praised the programme.... ah aafreen |
| NS |
| 12/12/03 at 12:02:58 |
| Aafreen |
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