Melanie Phillips

Those who might have doubted that the British media is institutionally incapable of reporting the truth about Israel might note the remarkable vote by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) to boycott Israel. Admittedly, the vote was ludicrously small and at 66 to 54 only narrowly carried. Nevertheless, carried it was, and as the Guardian’s report shows, the terms in which it was framed demonstrate that when it comes to Israel British journalists are now in the business of propaganda, lies, libels and smears.

“This ADM [annual delegate meeting] calls for a boycott of Israeli goods similar to those boycotts in the struggles against apartheid South Africa led by trade unions and the TUC [Trades Union Congress] to demand sanctions be imposed on Israel by the British government and the United Nations…”

The vote on this motion was taken after it was split from a larger motion that condemned the “savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel” last year. This motion was carried by a large majority and also condemned the “slaughter of civilians by Israeli troops in Gaza and the IDF’s [Israeli Defense Forces] continued attacks inside Lebanon following the defeat of its army by Hezbollah.” The motion called for the end of Israeli aggression in Gaza and other occupied territories.

Israel, of course, is not an apartheid state. That is a baseless and libelous smear. The Lebanon war was not a pre-planned attack. That is a libelous misrepresentation of comments made by Prime Minister Olmert to the effect that Israel had planned for the eventuality of such a war if it was attacked by Hezbollah — which it was. To call its military actions in Lebanon pre-planned is like saying the Battle of Britain was pre-planned. Apparently, though, for the NUJ (and those enemies of Israel from whom this smear originated) the only acceptable position for Israel is for it not to have any plans at all to defend itself against the truly pre-planned aggression by the Arab and Muslim states that want it destroyed.

But it’s when it comes to Gaza that the NUJ’s departure from reality to the irrational terrain of Planet Hatred becomes most apparent. For incredibly, it appears not to realize that Israel is no longer occupying Gaza. It withdrew in 2005, with members of the NUJ actually reporting that seismic event. There is no “slaughter of civilians” in Gaza by Israeli troops. The slaughter that is going on in Gaza — including the recent murder of small Palestinian children by Palestinian gunmen as part of the vicious intra-Palestinian gang warfare that is going on — is by Palestinians on Palestinians. Not to mention the rockets being fired into Israel almost daily from Gaza, and the tunneling and huge military build-up going on there in preparation for a redoubled—and definitely “pre-planned”— assault yet again upon Israel.

Even more remarkably, given the deeply distressing (although unconfirmed) report that the kidnapped BBC correspondent in Gaza Alan Johnston has been murdered by Palestinians, the NUJ did not see fit even to discuss the fate of their colleague at the hands of Palestinian terrorists. It is a truly remarkable state of affairs when a collective body of journalists display total indifference to the kidnap and possible murder of one of their own, because he is the victim of terrorists they support on ideological grounds, and instead decide to take punitive action against the nation that is the principal and enduring victim of those terrorists, which they defame simply because it defends itself against them.

By this disgusting action, the NUJ has revealed the vicious face of British journalism. It is no longer in the noble business of telling truth to power. It is now the instrument of those who use brute power to suppress the truth and snuff out justice, life and liberty. And despite the tiny size of the vote, it is likely to be the harbinger of a redoubled effort to isolate Israel and prepare the ground for its annihilation. The attempt at an academic boycott two years ago may have been aborted, but there are moves afoot for an economic boycott of Israel involving the broader trade union movement. Of course, it is astounding that British trade unionists should seek to ostracize the one country in the Middle East where trade unions — along with academics — enjoy freedom of association and expression, while uttering not a peep against those regimes which really do suppress trade unions and intellectual inquiry. But this is now the madness of Britain.

Melanie Phillips Diary: www.melaniephillips.com/diary