John Humphreys and BBC Promotes Hamas

[indikit]

Old news maybe and I don't know where YouGov get these drooling articles from BBC grandad and terrorist sicophant John Humphreys, but just listen to him drone on in what is a transparent attempt to repay Hamas for their alleged involvement in securing the release of Alan Nazi Johnston.

www.yougov.com/interactive/humphrysMain.asp?aId=5268&jID=3&sID=5&pID=&wId=0&UID=


But just read the loaded questions Humphrey's 'asks' of us, like some ancient english schoolteacher in front of a class full of 6 year olds.

"What is your view? Do you think that Hamas should be recognised as a legitimate force in Palestinian politics or not? Has its behaviour over the release of Alan Johnston affected your view on this question, or not? Do you think it is hypocritical of the West to preach democracy and then refuse to accept the result of an election or do you think it legitimate for the West to refuse to deal with a group that does not accept that Israel should exist? Do you think Tony Blair can do nay good in his new job, or not? And how do you think Gordon Brown should deal with these issues?"

By the way, members of this forum could do some good by joining YouGov and taking part in their lefty infested opinion polls. The more anti-left that infiltrate this site, the less you should see skewed opinion results in various newspapers.

www.yougov.com/interactive/humphrysMain.asp?aId=5268&jID=3&sID=5&pID=&wId=0&UID=

[brianboru]

In its praise for Hamas's '[democratic' election the BBC failed to mention that Hamas spent a great deal of money on 'welfare' before the election, with practices that wouldn't stand for a minute under most western democracies. This was bribery on a vast scale with money supplied by Iran or Syria or both and other Arab countries. They are also supplied with weapons and ammunition by these countries. Yes I know that Israel is supported by the US, but as a sovereign country, not as a party,and who would doubt that Israel is a democratci state, considering the political shifts that have occured there. Does anyone believe that in a future election in Gaza any other party would be allowed to win?

[Teddy Bear]

One would think that after the kidnapping of the British troops in Iran earlier this year, and their subsequent release by the 'benevolent' Ahmadinajad, any intelligent human beings would suspect a similar ploy played out here by the 'benevolent' Hamas.

Even when there is clear evidence showing collusion between Hamas and the Dogmash clan, the BBC prefer to ignore it. After all, they're only journalists and can hardly be expected to research the subjects they cover, unless they feel it is in their own best interests.

It's hard to know who the lowest form of life is here. Whether it's the murdering, lying, oppressive, scum devoid of any higher qualities we want to consider human that is Hamas and their kind; or the BBC, hiding behind the values of a democracy which first established them, and without shame or conscience corruptly twist and writhe in the slime they create, as evidenced here by supporting such a group.

What goes around - comes around.

[Teddy Bear]

Two articles about the same incident; The first is the BBC's, and the second from AP.

Here's a clear example of how the BBC is misreresenting the scum Hamas and failing to report properly what really happened. This article is 8 hours old and they've had sufficient time to update it, as if that was ever their intention.

Anybody wishing to convince any of their friends or family of the reality of BBC bias, here's a current example.

The BBC report:

Hamas detains Fatah men in Gaza

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in mid-June
Hamas militiamen have detained at least 15 members of their rival Palestinian faction, Fatah, during raids in Gaza, officials and witnesses say.
Scuffles broke out in Beit Hanoun when the Hamas men moved in. Fatah members are reported to have been injured.

Television footage showed Hamas militiamen raiding a wedding party.

It was one of the biggest sweeps targeting Fatah since Hamas took control of Gaza in June. Hamas says the detainees had violated public security.

A Fatah spokesman described the raids as criminal acts.

The detentions followed a report, denied by Fatah, that it had sent undercover forces to Gaza in an attempt to overthrow Hamas.

The Islamist group's takeover in Gaza has left the Palestinian territories under the control of rival factions.

Israel and the international community has backed Palestinian Authority President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, whose group controls the West Bank, while increasing the isolation of Hamas and completely cutting off Gaza and its 1.5 million residents.

Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the US, EU and Israel, which refuses to deal with it directly until it recognises Israel and renounces violence.

Note the headline: Hamas DETAINS Fatah men in Gaza
And this sentence: Television footage showed Hamas militiamen raiding a wedding party.

So you'd think that it was a justified raid, like our police would do at a party where drugs were being used and detaining the culprits afterwards.

To understand what is really happening, read this article from AP, then ask yourself, if the above is really the way to describe what happened here:

Hamas, Fatah use TV in power struggle By KARIN LAUB, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 4 minutes ago

RAMALLAH, West Bank - First, Hamas militiamen were filmed beating guests at a bachelor party. Then, the deposed Hamas prime minister claimed Fatah forces had tortured a Hamas activist to death, only to have the prisoner, very much alive, presented in a TV broadcast.

The power struggle between the Palestinian rivals over image and credibility is increasingly playing out on TV screens. The two clips, broadcast repeatedly on Fatah-affiliated Palestine TV, were the talk of the Palestinian territories Saturday.

In the case of the erroneous death claim, Hamas might have been set up by the Fatah-allied intelligence service — a measure of how desperate both sides are to discredit each other and how deep the animosity runs between them after Hamas seized Gaza by force in June.

Even though polls indicate Palestinians are becoming more and more disillusioned with their two main parties after months of infighting, public opinion still has its weight.

"It brought Hamas to power and it can bring Fatah back," said Palestinian analyst Ghassan Khatib.

The latest round of claims and counterclaims began Friday with a bachelor party for a Fatah supporter in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.

The groom had set up a small outdoor stage and rows of plastic chairs alongside a road in town. Fatah songs in praise of its leader, President Mahmoud Abbas, and his predecessor, the late Yasser Arafat, blared from loudspeakers, and young men danced on stage.

A camera set up on a roof on the opposite side of the road was trained on the stage, occasionally moving to the right for a wider view. The celebration appeared to be almost over and guests had begun leaving when four jeeps carrying members of the Hamas police, or Executive Force, drove toward the stage at high speed.

The armed men jumped off, assault rifles raised. Some fired in the air, others wielded clubs as they walked toward the guests. Several Hamas policemen were seen clubbing guests or hurling chairs. As the police left, one man lay unconscious on stage and bystanders tried to move him.

Later, some 150 women and youngsters from Beit Hanoun marched to the nearby Hamas police station, and scuffling and shouting matches ensued, witnesses said.

Medics said 10 people suffered beating injuries in both clashes. Fatah said a total of 15 people were arrested, while Hamas put the number at four.

The video was repeatedly broadcast on Palestine TV and the cameraman, from the local Ramattan news agency, was detained and questioned by Hamas for several hours.

Hamas later said the police station about 100 yards away had come under fire from the area of the party, and that guests had also illegally fired in the air.

"We emphasize that we didn't arrest anyone for his political affiliation," said a statement by the Executive Force. "The four were arrested for committing crimes."

It was not clear to what extent the footage was edited. But as broadcast, it made the Hamas militiamen look heavy-handed at best, undermining their efforts to portray themselves as champions of law and order.

The other tug-of-war was over Muayad Bani Odeh, 25, a Hamas supporter from the West Bank who was arrested by Abbas' intelligence service last month and was being held in the city of Nablus.

After Hamas seized Gaza, Fatah formed a moderate government that rules the West Bank.

Bani Odeh's family and independent legislator Khaleda Jarrar said they were told by intelligence officials on Thursday that the prisoner was in serious condition in an Israeli hospital. Jarrar said she checked again later with the intelligence chief, Tawfiq Tirawi, and was told Bani Odeh was clinically dead.

The information reached Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, deposed as prime minister by Abbas after the Gaza takeover. In a speech after Muslim prayers Friday, Haniyeh accused Fatah-allied forces in the West Bank of persecuting and torturing Hamas supporters.

"The latest of these is Muayad Bani Odeh, a holy warrior, a son of Islam in the West Bank, who was tortured to death," Haniyeh said. Later, thousands of Hamas supporters in Gaza staged marches to protest the purported death.

On Saturday, Palestine TV broadcast footage from what appears to be an interrogation of Bani Odeh, in which he confessed to collaborating with Israel.

Sitting on a bed, he said he provided information that led to the killing of five fugitives, including three from Hamas, by Israeli troops in his home village of Tamoun in 2003. The TV also showed him being checked by doctors and shaking their hands.

Later Saturday, Bani Odeh was presented to reporters at his Nablus lockup, repeating the statements he had made on TV. He said he had ties to Hamas, but was never considered a serious operative. The prisoner said he was not mistreated, though it was not clear whether he spoke under threat from his jailers.

Bani Odeh's family said he had been coerced into making a false confession.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was asked why Hamas did not check more thoroughly before announcing Bani Odeh's death. Abu Zuhri said Hamas had relied on Jarrar, a legislator from a small PLO faction and prisoners' rights activist.

[Teddy Bear]

A British parliamentary committee is recommending that the international community should engage with Hamas, as an excerpt from the following article outlines.

Published: Monday, August 13, 2007 LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's and the international community's refusal to speak to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is doing more harm than good, a British parliamentary committee said on Monday.

Pursuing a "West Bank first" policy -- where Britain and others deal with the West Bank, which is run by the more secular Fatah group, and isolate the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip -- will further jeopardize peace, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said in a report on the Middle East.

"The government should urgently consider ways of engaging politically with moderate elements within Hamas," the all-party group of lawmakers said.

It said former prime minister Tony Blair should personally engage with Hamas to help reconciliation in his new role as envoy for the Quartet of Middle East mediators -- the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.

Well certainly the BBC has been giving Hamas a glowing reference of late, and doing their best to avoid any reports that might malign their 'friends'.
Like this one from Jeremy Bowen: Hamas hopeful after Alan's release
and this one MPs urging engagement with Hamas

They avoided going into the thuglike behaviour Hamas inflicted on guests at a wedding party as I reported in a previous post, but today the 'friends' of the BBC went a little far so the BBC had to report it, in an albeit diluted version.

Here's the AP version first so you get an idea of the subhuman mentality and actions of these twisted human beings that some of our MP's and the BBC think we should be engaging with.

Hamas militiamen beat protesters in Gaza By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer
26 minutes ago

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Security men for Gaza's Hamas rulers clubbed and slammed rifle butts into opponents staging a rare protest Monday, seizing the cameras of journalists covering the event and raiding media offices to prevent news footage from getting out.

The Islamic militant group claims it is willing to tolerate dissent, but the crackdown was the latest in a series of moves to squash opposing voices, including breaking up private parties Friday and Monday where people were singing songs of the rival Fatah movement.

After Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip routed forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah in five days of fighting in June, the group declared an amnesty for former Fatah fighters.

Yet when Fatah and allied groups announced plans for Monday's rally, Hamas banned "all demonstrations and public gatherings" that do not have official permission.

Buses carrying protesters were halted by Hamas guards who beat passengers, driving them away and confiscating Fatah flags. However, about 300 people got past the militia cordon and demonstrated for 20 minutes, shouting "We want freedom. We want to raise our voice!"

Security officers arrested several demonstrators and then confiscated equipment from news photographers and cameramen trying to cover the arrests, including an Associated Press still camera.

Hamas squads also raided the Gaza offices of media organizations, looking for material from the rally. Staffers at satellite broadcaster Al-Arabiyya said the militiamen seized a camera and videotape at their office.

The Palestinian journalists union urged its members to observe a three-day boycott of any events organized by the Hamas militia, known as the Executive Force, to protest its treatment of the media.

Saleh Nasser, a member of the small, leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine who was at the rally, condemned Hamas' actions.

"Treating people in this way when they came to raise their voice in a peaceful demonstration is something that is condemned, rejected and cannot be accepted," he said. "We are astonished by the decision to ban demonstrations."

The Gaza fighting in June, during which about 100 people were killed and 500 wounded, deepened the already bitter political rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.

Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza, Abbas expelled Hamas from the Palestinian coalition government and formed a West Bank-based administration of moderates in its place.

Undeterred, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh pledged to impose law and order in the formerly anarchic Gaza Strip. But his Executive Force is gaining a reputation for heavy-handedness, particularly when dealing with Fatah supporters.

On Friday, rifle-toting militiamen roared up to a bachelor party where revelers were dancing to Fatah songs. Video showed the Hamas men firing in the air to break up the celebration, clubbing guests, hurling chairs around and leaving one man lying unconscious.

The images were repeatedly broadcast on Fatah-affiliated Palestine TV. The cameraman who took the footage, from the local Gaza Ramattan news agency, was detained and questioned by Hamas for several hours.

On Monday, the Executive Force was in action again, breaking up the wedding of a Fatah activist and holing five guests for several hours.

One of those detained, Zaid Salem, said wedding participants were singing Fatah songs but did not break a Hamas ban on celebratory gunfire and were not charged with any wrongdoing.

"We were celebrating the wedding and we were astonished by this act," he said. "We were released, but we have no explanation for what happened."

Hamas did not comment directly on Monday's incidents.

But in a statement, it said the Executive Force is a nonpartisan enforcer of public order regulations, which require that demonstrations be authorized 48 hours in advance and that social events be low key — without shooting, fireworks, excessive noise or disruption of public streets.

"Anyone violating these orders will be subject to punishment," the statement said. "Nobody is above the law."

Now the BBC's version, notice no mention of coercion of the press.

Hamas forces 'beat Gaza rivals'

Protesters said the ban by Hamas was "illegal"
Hamas members have beaten protesters rallying in Gaza City, reports say.
Baton-wielding Hamas security forces tried to disperse the protesters from rival Palestinian factions, gathered to denounce the Islamist group.

Hamas - who seized the Gaza Strip in June - said organisers did not have a permit to hold a rally, violating a new ban on unauthorised public gatherings.

However, a number of people defied the ban and continued the rally, chanting "we want freedom".

"Hamas! What is happening in Gaza is not acceptable!" the demonstrators chanted, according to AFP news agency.

Among the protesters were members of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction.

Fatah said Hamas' actions amounted to the imposition of military rule in the Gaza Strip.

Reports say Hamas forces used clubs and rifle butts to beat demonstrators, confiscating cameras and videotapes used by journalists who had covered the rally.

Hamas banned unauthorised public meetings on Sunday, saying the measure was in the interests of public safety.

The group rejected claims that it was targeting its political rivals.

"There is no decision to ban rallies by Fatah or others," Ehab al-Ghsain, spokesman of the Hamas-run interior ministry, told Reuters news agency.

"Today's rally was stopped because organisers refused to seek permission," he said.

[steevo]

Here's more to speak of the inevitable as the Beeb willingly turns its blind eye propping up the heart of evil.

Just a few paragraphs of a more lengthy article with revealing detail:

The declared policy of Hamas to provide sanctuary to any jihadi fighter invites additional terrorist groups associated with al-Qaeda to plant themselves in the Gaza Strip.

According to Dr. Zakaria Zain al-Din, chairman of Hamas' largest charity organization, the extremist views of al-Qaeda are spreading among the senior leadership of Hamas. Expressions of this were evident in the adoption of the radical world view of al-Qaeda that accuses other Muslims of being "infidels" and permits their being killed. Radical religious rulings permitted the killing of Fatah operatives.

Abu Ashur, the right-hand man of Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) leader Mumtaz Durmush, confessed that their organization received funds and instructions from al-Qaeda outside of the Gaza Strip. Jaish al-Islam was responsible for the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in March 2007. Leading the cell that abducted Johnston was Khattab al-Maqdasi, a Palestinian who in the past had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.

[johnbull]

For anyone interested in the links between the BBC/ EU and militant Islam, in Palestine and elsewhere, I would highly recomend they read the book "Eurabia- The Euro-Arab Axis" written by Bat Ye'or. Its a real eye opener.

[Teddy Bear]

John I took the liberty of adding a link to a review of the book you recommend, I hope you don't mind.

[Teddy Bear]

In the continuing saga of how the BBC is distorting and misrepresenting the intent of Hamas, while doing their upmost to further aims of this insidious and evil organisation, consider the latest incidents.

Hamas has forbidden any kind of civil rally or demonstration for any group other than their own, except as they claim, where previous permission is applied for and granted because of 'security concerns'.

Since the only 'security' issue is Hamas itself, this is quite humourous. Naturally they don't give permission to any other group, and have been violently breaking up any demonstrations, even a wedding attended by members of other factions.

They have confiscated cameras, pictures, and tapes belonging to journalists, in effect, issuing a news blackout on their deeds. A civilized society would find these events rather disturbing, and at best would describe this organisation as despotic and totalitarian. The BBC promotes them however, which shows either they don't represent a civilized society, or don't belong reporting for one.

The choice is yours!

From Reuters:

Hamas cracks down on "unlicensed" rallies in Gaza
Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:14PM BST
By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas Islamists in control of the Gaza Strip enforced on Monday a new ban on unlicensed street rallies, firing in the air to disperse activists of the rival Fatah movement and confiscating cameras recording the scene.

Hamas's Executive Force said organisers had failed to apply for a permit to hold a rally, in accordance with new regulations issued late on Sunday.

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June after a brief civil war with Fatah, the long-dominant faction of President Mahmoud Abbas. A Fatah official called the ban an "illegal decision by an illegal and illegitimate force".

Members of the Executive Force fired in the air while others confiscated yellow Fatah flags at Gaza's main square, where activists had gathered for the rally.

The Hamas security men, shouting "filming is forbidden", confiscated news cameras and cellular phones equipped with cameras.

They also entered the office of the Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya and seized a video camera and a tape after journalists working for the station refused to hand over a recording of the events at the square.

The Palestinian journalists' union said the Executive Force action was an "attack against freedom of expression".

In a statement, the union called on local journalists in Gaza not to have any professional contact with the force for three days "because it attacked our colleagues".

Ehab al-Ghsain, spokesman of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza that is in charge of the Executive Force, said rally organisers must seek a permit 48 hours before a gathering "so we can prepare protection for participants".

"There is no decision to ban rallies by Fatah or others. Today's rally was stopped because organisers refused to seek permission," Ghsain said.

Jamil Mezher, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine that was to have participated with Fatah in the rally, urged Hamas to reconsider regulations he said would "hurt Palestinian democracy".

"What happened today was an ... attempt to suppress and terrorise people who have the right to hold peaceful demonstrations," Mezher said.

No mention of confiscation of journalist film and tapes by the BBC on any of their articles. Considering the solidarity shown by journalists for Alan Johnston, hopefully the BBC's 'see no evil, hear no evil' response will disgust them.

[Teddy Bear]

Bearing in mind that for the BBC to continue their recidivism and play the 'pity' card for the Palestinians whilst vilifying Israel as the scapegoat for their plight, the Pal's have to give some kind of decorum in their actions, even if we all know it's absolute bullshit.

However. Hamas is making it very difficult for the BBC to maintain this angle with too many of their escapades. So what do the BBC do? Simply avoid telling the news that would put Hamas into their true light.

Compare these two articles about the goings on in Gaza today. What do you see the BBC are leaving out?

First the BBC:

Hamas opens fire at Fatah rally

Hamas security forces have fired over the heads of rival Fatah supporters, to disperse an opposition rally in Gaza.
Witnesses say the gunmen opened fire when demonstrators started hurling rocks at a former Fatah compound, now occupied by Hamas forces.

Reuters news agency reports it was the biggest Fatah rally since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June.

Four cameramen were arrested during the scuffles but were later released.

Journalists later staged a separate protest against the crackdown outside a building which houses many media outlets.

Since taking power in June, Hamas has tried to stop journalists filming pro-Fatah gatherings.

Yup that's it!
Now the same story from AP:

Palestinian rivals clash at Gaza protest By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer
Fri Aug 24, 8:13 PM ET

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Hamas security agents clashed with supporters of the rival Fatah movement Friday, firing into the air and beating journalists covering a demonstration against the Islamic militant group's rule in the Gaza Strip.

It was the second time in recent weeks that Hamas has scuffled with Fatah protesters, a signal of possible cracks in the Islamic group's two-month-old takeover of Gaza. Harassment of journalists and political opponents has grown increasingly common in the coastal strip.

The demonstrators gathered after weekly Muslim prayers in an open square in Gaza City, organized by Fatah activists who say they have not been welcome in mosques since the Hamas takeover.

The protesters threw stones and bottles at a former Fatah security compound now used as headquarters of the Hamas paramilitary police. Hamas men fired guns over the heads of hundreds of demonstrators.

The Fatah activists shouted names of former leaders forced into exile. Some wore T-shirts with a photo of Samih Madhoun, a notorious Fatah strongman killed by a crowd of Hamas supporters during five days of fighting in June that led to the Hamas takeover.

When several Hamas security men roughed up a Reuters TV cameraman and tried to confiscate his camera, protesters surrounded the Hamas men, beat them to the ground and prevented the journalist's arrest.

The Hamas men also detained a photographer for Agence France-Presse and a cameraman for the Russian TV channel Russia Today, along with two other reporters working for local news outlets. They also broke a TV camera belonging to the Arabic-language TV network al-Arabiya.

All four detained journalists were quickly released and got their equipment back, Hamas officials and witnesses said. Later, journalists staged a protest against the crackdown.

Khaled Bolbol, one of the local reporters detained, said he was abused and ordered to speak to Hamas' al-Aqsa television station.

"I refused," he said. "I was beaten and stepped on ... I don't want to speak to (Hamas) TV or any other."

Hamas militia spokesman Islam Shahwan accused a small group of Fatah activists of "inciting chaos and bringing back the situation to lawlessness." He said Hamas "will not allow the situation to be repeated" and promised to arrest those behind the protest.

Hamas says it is willing to tolerate dissent, but has cracked down on the remnants of Fatah in Gaza, including breaking up private parties earlier this month where people were singing pro-Fatah songs.

At a recent protest, Hamas security men clubbed Fatah protesters, seized photographers' cameras and raided media offices to prevent news footage from getting out.

Hamas has closed down all opposition media and banned protests that lack official permission.

In southern Gaza, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said protests must be held "according to the law." Since taking control of Gaza in five days of fighting, Hamas has pledged to restore law and order to the chaotic territory.

"The right of protest for all forces and factions is unaffected, but it must be on the basis of the law and protect (Gaza) against the return of chaos," he told worshippers.

After Hamas' victory in Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah formed a new government in the West Bank, ousting Haniyeh. That government has been embraced by Israel and the international community while Hamas has remained largely isolated in Gaza.

Separately Friday, the Israeli army said it killed two Palestinian militants who fired at soldiers on the Israeli side of the border. An Israeli raid in search of militants in a West Bank village sparked a firefight that left two Palestinians dead, including an 11-year-old boy, Palestinian officials said.

And the BBC went into competition with Al Jazeera ;D

[Teddy Bear]

In its continuing policy of 'see no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil' as far as Hamas is concerned, there is no mention on the BBC website of this story, covered today by the Telegraph.

If Israel was perpetrating the same kind of behaviour towards the Palestinians, as is Hamas, described below, can you imagine the outcry, with the BBC the first to bring the story.

Hamas honeymoon ends with torture
By Charles Levinson in Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:42am BST 26/08/2007

With both legs badly bruised from a vicious beating, Shaher Abu Oda can only move around with a painful shuffle. In the town of Beit Hanoun, on Palestine's Gaza strip, however, he is just one of many young men bearing limps, plaster casts, and stitches - the black and blue aftermath of an unprecedented crackdown on dissent by the strip's new rulers, the Islamist group Hamas.

Its officials snatched Mr Abu Oda off the streets two weeks ago as he was trying to find his younger brother Miqbil, himself badly beaten after club-wielding Hamas policemen broke up a wedding party. The revellers' crime had been to sing a few songs associated with the Fatah party, the rival Palestinian faction which Hamas ousted from the Gaza Strip two months ago. "They threw me in a room," said Mr Abu Oda. "From 11.30 to 3.30 in the morning, they came in every 15 minutes and beat me with sticks, fists, kicks, and a black leather crop."

As many as 50 people are thought to have been arrested in Gaza's Beit Hanoun district around the night of the wedding, and similar sweeps have taken place elsewhere in Gaza since then. The detentions and beatings appear to mark the end of a relative honeymoon period for Hamas, which seized control of Gaza after five days of battle in June.

The early days of the group's reign saw aggressive crackdowns on drug dealers, theft, and violent clans, as well as the freeing of BBC journalist Alan Johnston from the clutches of a criminal faction aligned to al-Qaeda. Such moves led to calls for Britain and Europe to open formal dialogue with Hamas, despite its commitment to the destruction of the state of Israel.

Now though, human rights groups and ordinary Gazans say Hamas is committing exactly the same crimes as its Fatah predecessors, whose corruption and brutality were one of the main reasons why support for Hamas grew. "We are receiving reports of political detentions every day," said Mahmoud Abu Rahma, of the Gaza City-based Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights. "Hamas is conducting wide sweeps and interrogations to collect information. The interrogations include harsh treatment, and in many cases, torture and beatings."

advertisementAt a protest in Gaza City on Friday, Hamas gunmen broke up a demonstration by Fatah loyalists by firing on the crowd and smashing journalists' cameras. Similar treatment is often meted out in the opposite direction in the Fatah-controlled West Bank, where dozens, if not hundreds, of Hamas activists have been jailed - but since Hamas has long portrayed itself to the Palestinians as an upright alternative to decades of corrupt Fatah rule, such behaviour rankles all the more.

"Fatah arrested and tortured people too," said a senior official from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an independent political faction. "But during Fatah's rule we could give our opinions, and say anything we wanted about the Fatah leadership. Today people are afraid of saying anything about Hamas."

At least two detainees have died in Hamas custody since July 11. In the most recent case, Waleed Abu Dalfa, 45, was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. Thirty masked militants from Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, arrested him and his two brothers in the night. Seven days later his dead body was dumped at a Gaza City hospital. The doctor on duty reported "bruises on the hands and the legs, haematomas in the legs and signs of stranglehold on the neck."

While the Hamas crackdown has focused on its long-standing nemesis Fatah, other factions have not escaped their wrath. On August 13, Hamas broke up a peaceful protest rally that included a number of different Palestinian political groups, beating protesters with sticks and confiscating cameras from journalists. Newspapers have been banned, critical television talk shows have been pulled from the air, and a new Hamas decree prohibits demonstrations and even outdoor weddings without approval.

Even Islamic Jihad, a fellow militant group traditionally close to Hamas, has begun to turn against Gaza's new rulers. Hamas attacked an Islamic Jihad wedding on August 1, killing three people, and wounding at least eight. In an unusual public rebuke, Islamic Jihad issued a statement calling on Hamas to stop political arrests, release political prisoners, and to stop curtailing freedom of speech.

Hamas founder Mahmoud Zahar is untroubled by the rumblings of dissent: "Life is much better in Gaza than before," he said, insisting that the justice system, police, and internal security forces were undergoing total overhauls. "I don't deny there are some violations but this is not a policy. It's personal excesses … sometimes they resort to violence when they shouldn't, but it is not a policy."

He also accused Fatah activists of fomenting discord, but warned: "But we are watching their every move."

[Teddy Bear]

Let's have a look at how today the BBC covers a demonstration in Gaza by Fatah supporters against the Hamas regime.

Anti-Hamas rallies staged in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been taking part in protests against the territory's Hamas rulers - despite a ban on public gatherings.
Prayers were organised which turned into marches through main towns. Some people were injured in clashes.

Protesters accuse the Islamist Hamas of violating civil liberties and using mosques to spread political propaganda.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Gaza says this is the biggest show of opposition to Hamas since it took control in June.

Hamas had warned people not to attend the demonstrations, organised by rival factions including the long-dominant Fatah to protest against alleged civil liberty violations by Hamas.

Muslim Friday prayers became the focal point for anti-Hamas protests, our reporter says.

Thousands of supporters of rival factions organised prayers in public areas - saying Hamas was using the mosques to spread political propaganda.

The prayer meetings then turned into rallies, with protesters marching through the main cities of the Gaza Strip.

Up to this point one might think it was fairly tolerant of Hamas to allow this (as the BBC like to imply) 'illegal' demonstration. It's only the next line that gives some indication of what happened

TV news footage showed Hamas security forces arresting protesters and beating some them with long sticks, before taking them away in Jeeps.

At least six Palestinians were wounded when Hamas men reportedly fired stun grenades after Fatah supporters threw rocks at a Hamas figure's home in Rafah.

Two French television journalists received minor injuries in a similar incident near a police station in Gaza City.

If you really believe that this is just another way to cover this story, and that it puts things into perspective from the viewpoint of our society, you must be a Hamas supporter.

Notice the 'empathy' given in the final line about the French journalists injured in a "similar incident", as though they were taking part in the demonstration. I wonder how much solidarity the BBC will get from the media world next time one of their journalists get into trouble.

Here's how the same story was presented by AP, this time more in line with our perspective:

Fatah protest of Hamas ends in clashes By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 26 minutes ago

GAZA CITY, Gaza City - A protest of Hamas rule by Fatah supporters turned violent Friday when Hamas men began forcefully dispersing the crowd, firing in the air and beating demonstrators.

About 20 people were injured in the clashes, including children, according to doctors and witnesses.

Associated Press reporters saw the beating of two journalists by Hamas supporters, although neither was seriously hurt. Two other French journalists suffered minor injuries from a small explosion.

The violence began at the end of a Fatah prayer meeting held to protest Hamas, which seized control of the coastal territory in June. A similar protest a week ago also ended in clashes and harassment of journalists.

Fatah had called its supporters to hold weekly Friday prayers in the open throughout the Gaza Strip to protest what they said was persecution of its members in Hamas-controlled mosques.

After hundreds of Fatah supporters finished prayers in Gaza City, a group of worshippers pelted Hamas-controlled buildings with stones and pipe bombs. Some shouted insults at Hamas officials, including "Shiites," in reference to the group's links to Iran.

Hamas men began firing into the air to disperse the crowd. In a frenzy, Hamas security forces then began arresting protesters and taking them away in jeeps, chasing them in the streets and also beating several demonstrators. AP Television News video showed several uniformed Hamas men beating an unarmed protester with long sticks.

A similar protest in Rafah broke up when Hamas men fired in the air. Stun grenades also landed in the crowd, injuring the two children.

A statement from President Mahmoud Abbas' office in Ramallah said the crackdown on protesters "aims to impose a blind dictatorship and an extremist culture that contradicts the values of our people and their heritage."

"The events in the Gaza Strip prove to everyone that the (Hamas) coup is nearing its end. Our heroic people in Gaza will not be terrorized by these mercenaries," the statement said.

Hamas men in civilian clothes had also joined the uniformed forces in dispersing the protest, beating protesters with sticks.

A small explosion from an unknown source injured two French journalists, but neither was seriously hurt. A Hamas security spokesman said stun grenades and pipe bombs were used by the protesters.

Ihab al-Ghusain, the Hamas security spokesman, said "rioting is unacceptable in the law ... they had to be contained in anyway possible, according to the law."

After the clashes, heavily armed Hamas security agents entered AP's offices in Gaza City and instructed staff not to film or photograph a nearby security building from the balcony without prior permission.

Saber Khalifa, a Hamas security spokesman, said his force was rounding up "subverters." He didn't have a number of those arrested.

A Fatah official in Gaza said 25 men were rounded up.

Hamas said no figures were available yet and that those in detention would be interrogated to find out who sent them.

[Teddy Bear]

I'm amazed the general media hasn't picked up on and reported the continuing bias by the BBC concerning Hamas. Every time I see a story about fresh violence in Gaza, I know I'm assured of a post here about the way the BBC will 'cover' it (cover perhaps being an operative word for 'covering up', which would be more apt).

Today's example is so blatant it beggars belief.

First here's the story from AP

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Palestinian tensions spark in Gaza By SARAH EL DEEB, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 17 minutes ago

JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip - Hamas forces armed with assault rifles and clubs beat supporters of the rival Palestinian faction Fatah as they tried to hold street prayers Friday to protest against the Islamic group's rule in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas forces also assaulted at least seven journalists and detained five.

Fatah supporters took to the streets in defiance of a new Hamas ban on public protest, hoping to stage a comeback after their humiliating defeat by Hamas three months ago.

Tensions have been rising in Gaza since Hamas' bloody seizure of power in June from Fatah forces of President Mahmoud Abbas. Immediately after Hamas' takeover, most rank-and-file Fatah supporters kept quiet for fear of retribution.

But with the Gaza economy in tatters and Hamas suffering from an international boycott, its leadership appears to be showing signs of strain while Fatah backers are slowly regaining confidence.

Despite its fundamentalist Islamic roots, Hamas this week banned public worship after Fatah supporters began holding prayer meetings that quickly turned into raucous protests against Hamas rule.

Palestinian Information Minister Riyad Malki of Fatah likened the Gaza protests to the beginnings of Palestinian uprisings against Israeli rule in 1987 and 2000.

"What we have seen today in Gaza is a new intifada against the Hamas occupation," he said.

In a further challenge to Hamas' hold, Palestinian groups affiliated to the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization, of which Hamas is not a member, called on members to strike Sunday and demanded Hamas apologize for its actions and release protesters arrested Friday. It would be the first general strike since the Hamas takeover and the degree of observance will be an important barometer of opposition.

An explosive device thrown among protesters in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis injured four people.

In northern Gaza's Jabaliya refugee camp, uniformed and plainclothes Hamas security forces fired in the air to drive Fatah sympathizers away. They beat several people and detained one man, witnesses said. Two people were injured, rescue workers said, one by gunfire and the other was beaten.

In southern Rafah, masked security men brandishing sticks and guns chased Fatah supporters from a public square. Protesters threw stones at the men who then opened fire. Hospital staff said at least one person was injured.

Hundreds defied the on open-air worship and prayed outside the Rafah mosque.

Across Gaza, seven journalists covering the protests were beaten and two of them were later detained, witnesses and reporters said. Two Associated Press staffers and another news photographer were also briefly detained by Hamas men.

In Jebaliya, Hamas security forces ordered journalists to stop filming.

"If a single picture is shown on TV, you know what will happen," one security man said, drawing his finger across his throat. Another tried to take a photographer's camera.

"I identified myself as a journalist and showed him my card, my press card," Muhammad Abu Sido, a cameraman for a Palestinian news service said. "But they kept on beating me and took the camera."

The Foreign Press Association, which represents the foreign media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, condemned the Hamas actions against news-gatherers, calling them "premeditated harassment".

"We have received a steady stream of reports describing physical intimidation and arrests of journalists," it said in a statement. "These incidents have occurred in different places and at different times suggesting a coordinated policy by Hamas security forces."

Abbas said such attacks on freedom of expression were likely to provoke an anti-Hamas backlash.

"These are dark ages and this can't continue," he told reporters from his West Bank headquarters Friday night. "They are digging their own graves,"

Fatah said that among those arrested were two of its highest-ranking officials left in Gaza. Hamas said the two men were detained for "instigating riots."

Also Friday, a former member of a feared Fatah security unit was found shot dead in Gaza, and Fatah accused Hamas of killing him. Tarazan Doghmush and his brother were kidnapped by unknown assailants Thursday night. His brother is currently in intensive care at a Gaza hospital, medics said.

Now see if you can relate the following story by the BBC to what you read above

Gaza outdoor prayer ban enforced

Hamas security forces have broken up crowds of Fatah supporters, who were gathering in defiance of a ban on open-air Friday prayers across Gaza.
Medical sources say at least 11 people were taken to hospital for treatment following the clashes.

Taken to hospital for treatment?
They could have been suffering from heatstroke or a stomach ache for all that tells you about the real reasons for their 'malaise'. Bear in mind this report comes from a news organisation that likes to pride itself on its quality and need to exist.

Hamas's political rivals, Fatah have used prayers to stage big opposition rallies for the past two weeks.

Last Friday saw the biggest protest against Hamas since the Islamist group seized control of Gaza in June.

This week's rallies were banned by the Islamist group.

A Hamas security officer, Youssef al-Zahar, said his colleagues had been deployed in several places across Gaza to enforce the ban.

"Our religion encourages people to pray, but we are trying to prevent people from using prayers to incite chaos and sabotage public property," he told reporters in Gaza City.

Witnesses report that Hamas police fired into the air and arrested several people among crowds in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

Protestors were also dispersed in the north of the strip, according to witnesses.

Fatah death

Earlier, Fatah accused Hamas militiamen of killing one of its members.

The body of Tarazan Doghmush was found dumped south of Gaza City on Friday, the morning after he had been kidnapped with his brother.

Tarazan Doghmush had been a member of a Fatah security force. Medical sources say his brother is in intensive care in hospital.

Ismail Shahwan, a spokesman for the Executive Force paramilitaries - who act as police in Hamas-controlled Gaza - denied any involvement in the killing.

On Thursday evening, hundreds of Hamas supporters staged their own rally in Gaza City.

If you wouldn't have read the AP story, would you have quite a different take on what went on in Gaza?

That's the way the BBC wants it.