Ah interesting. That edited statement was not there when I first read the article. Frankly, I don't believe the ABC's claim. If it were true, that's an answer that could easily have been provided in time for publication. They've come up with a post-hoc excuse after seeing how much play this story was getting. They had initially hoped to quietly acquiesce to the pro-genociders without attracting as much attention as the last time they did so.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

And since they went through the bother of "accidentally" uploading it, why did they go through the extra bother to remove it?

They play both sides. Am sure they have their own internal battles of which side to support since they do not seem consistent to me.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

From what I can tell, the average ABC worker is on the right side of this. But ABC management seems to have a direct line to the genocide supporters. And when the Israel lobbyists tell Kim Williams (or formerly Ita Buttrose) to jump, he (she) asks "how high?" We only need look at the Lattouf case or, less sensationally, Sandy Gutman, to see that.

That's why what repeatedly happens is the right thing happens at first. Then management gets wind of it, usually because of DMs from lobbyists, and orders a reversal.

In this case, I think what probably happened is it got uploaded as normal. Because that's what they do. Any vaguely interesting segment of television gets uploaded to their website and iView. Then the Israel lobby saw it, saw that he was calling out their genocide, and got on the like to Williams or Hugh Marks or someone else on the board or management, and they sent down the instruction to nix it.

[+] Ilandar@lemm.ee 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe. I couldn't find the report if it did, but that's not a huge surprise given how hard this is to google for.

I'd be extra interested if it happened under the current Media Watch host, who has ties to zionist organisations (he studied at Moriah College, a member of the zionist "Jewish Communal Appeal"), and started on Media Watch in February or March this year.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org -4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

From what I can tell, the average ABC worker is on the right side of this.

The average worker is Left wing and therefore agrees with Hamas' position. I am Left but often disagree with them on the Gaza issues. In fact their dodgy reporting on Al Ahli hospital early on lost them their credibility.

I have not seen any news organisation consistently report "fairly". The only example of even-handedness was a pair of entries from a blogger a couple of months into the war (probably still valid - let me know if it has dated)...

https://yoavfisher.medium.com/israel-has-lost-the-war-d7b9b3934f73

https://yoavfisher.medium.com/hamas-has-lost-the-war-5bea9813fcf3

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I think it's very important to start from the place of acknowledging that nothing Hamas does or has done is relevant. Whether someone condemns Hamas or wholeheartedly supports them, or (as most people probably do) sit somewhere in between, really doesn't matter. Because genocide is absolutely, totally, inexcusable. Even if Hamas were committing genocide themselves, that does not excuse Israel's genocide. And the fact is that Hamas isn't committing genocide. They literally could not if they wanted to. They haven't the power necessary for it.

Any organisation that is censoring people who accuse Israel of genocide, or who play whataboutism games by trying to ensure that condemnations of Israel are always followed by condemnations of Hamas, are abetting genocide.

This meme summarises it nicely.

A cartoon of a cat saying "It's impossible to starve children to death in self defense"

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org -1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

That meme ignores Hamas hijacking aid.

Hamas could just surrender.

[–] IncongruousMonkey@aussie.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

ah yes "stop making me hit you, just do what I say! this is all your fault!"

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org -2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

And you want what? Israel to roll over and allow continuous repeats of Oct 7 (which Hamas vowed to do, on the record)?

Here is a more mature argument you could have used against me: How would Israel know if all of Hamas surrendered anyhow? What could possibly count as a surrender?

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Stop the whataboutism. Stop defending genocide. Nothing Hamas does or could do can defend genocide.

But if you really want to play that game: everything Hamas does is also Israel's fault. Israel created Hamas. They funded Hamas deliberately as a way to destabilise the Palestinians. They create oppressive conditions in which a militant organisation like Hamas is bound to thrive. Everything that Hamas does is a predictable outcome of Israel's actions, and the ultimate blame lies squarely on them.

But again, that's irrelevant. Because even if Hamas's own actions weren't Israel's fault, Israel's actions obviously are. Murdering children, doctors, and journalists by the hundreds are classic fascist moves. Displacing people en mass from their homes is genocide. Collective punishment is a war crime. Deliberately starving people is a war crime. Stop defending genocide.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org -1 points 2 weeks ago

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri.. [in an] interview, which aired on a Libyan television channel... referred with indifference to the number of Palestinians who have been killed in the Gaza war, calling this "the price we have to pay," and remarked that the women of Gaza will compensate for the loss by "producing" more babies than those who have been killed.

https://www.memri.org/reports/gazans-furious-hamas-it-has-nothing-contempt-victims-war-and-prepared-sacrifice-us-all

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org -2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

ProPals throw accusations of "whataboutism" when someone tries to discuss nuance as often as Zionists throw "anti-Semitism" when they are criticised.

The two points remain unaddressed by you:

Hamas hijack aid and are complaining now that IDF wants to control the distribution to prevent this.

Hamas could surrender for a swift end to the war.

everything Hamas does is also lsrael's fault. lsrael created Hamas. They funded Hamas deliberately as a way to destabilise the Palestinians.

Indeed. Bibi favoured Hamas over Fatah and for cynical reasons as you point out. You are not talking to a one-eyed football mentality person.

Hamas (being right wing fascists like Likud) should have known the consequences of Oct 7 well in advance but they naively thought they could rally Arab neighbours to battle like in the past.

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

You're not understanding. Theres a point when the crimes become so heinous that it doesn't matter what justification they claim, no justification is sufficient. Israel has passed that point, a long time ago in my opinion.

October 7th was heinous and likewise Hamas' crimes have no justification. That doesn't somehow ameliorate or absolve the Israelis of the crimes they're committing.

The difference between the two groups from an Australian perspective is, Israel is a so called liberal democratic nation and has been an erstwhile ally of Australia due to our percieved alignment in values.

What they are doing to Palestinians is so against these ideals that it must call into question our relationship with them.

In Hamas' case Australia has next to no relationship with, so our reaction to their behaviour is more simple, as its a contnuation of our determinations of them as a group.

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Hamas hijack aid and are complaining now that IDF wants to control the distribution to prevent this.

If the Israeli's had shown an ounce of good faith actions throughout this whole horrible period, then maybe this demand would be less critically read.

But as it stands they have constricted supply of food, electricity and everything else as much as they can, restricted the water supply to, i think, one desal plant, don't let journalists (even target them) in for a less biased appraisal of whats going on, continually attack the UN and International court for their calls for investigations, attack medical workers, as well as killing, through, bombs or other means, the Palestinians en-masse no matter their gender, age, or relation to their so called enemy Hamas.

Multiple internal surveys of Israeli public opinion paint a putrid picture of the overall societies vision for the ongoing survival of the Palestinian people.

And so, after all of this, the international community is supposed to trust the Israelis will act in good faith and fair dealing in their distribution of aid and resources?

I think not.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Luckily the distribution seems to be going well though. That is a good thing, yes?

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

No, what Israel and The US are doing is catastrophically bad. It is exactly what my comment warned against.

Israel cannot be trusted to deliver anything for the Palestinians in good faith. What happens as soon as the world's eyes shift.

The Israeli's cannot be trusted to be fair minded on this issue for the same reason victims of rape cannot be allowed to name the sentence of their rapist. An impartial party that can as genuinely as possible guarantee the actual aid delivery in the amounts is needed.

I think that video is shot like its a PR stunt, but it doesn't even matter if its real, fake, a PR stunt, or the sign of a genuine change. There can be no genuine assurances while the Israelis and the US allies control the aid flow, there is no impartiality, and every reason for them to use the aid to maximise their own benefit. Its grotesque that this needs to be explained.

These quotes are from your linked article, and summarise the issue well,

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA: "It is a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border; [aid] needs to get in."

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini was equally blunt. "This new aid model is not only wasteful but a distraction from atrocities," he told Reuters. The GHF system, Lazzarini argued, circumvents established humanitarian norms and risks using food as a weapon of population control.

[–] sqgl@beehaw.org 0 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

UNWRA was compromised so the impartial party option has been abandoned.

It requires military to keep Hamas from stealing the aid. It is not realistic to expect an outside neutral military to take on this task. UN could not keep Hezbollah in check in Lebanon.

It seems Hamas are annoyed not just that they are being denied supplies for themselves and to sell to civilians but also because they need civilians to be starving to win the PR battle. Full stomachs will divert attention from the war so should we starve the people? Which is it? Allowing Hamas to hijack it isn't going to happen so forget what the UN says (which is very vague).

Regardless of what we argue here, the distribution will continue. It is just two days into it so let's see if it going well. Of course for some ProPals it will not go well unless Jews vacate the Levant (an unrealistic fantasy regardless of whether one believes they should be there or not).

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago

UN aid teams plead for access amid reports Gazans shot collecting food

Your points read like propaganda, they're not a reflection of reality. I suggest you read the link above.

UNWRA was compromised

Doesn't matter that you think they're some cartoonish bad guy. Its not a spy agency, its an aid agency and it needs to work with Palestinian people in the country.

By Israel's conveniently umbrella-like 'assessments' of these compromised 'agents' half the US military would be classified Taliban because they farted in Kabul. They're people working in the place they're in, with the people they're with.

People don't get to both sides starvation or colllective punishment, or the myriad other crimes. Israel is starving the population of Gaza, simple. When/if we see Hamas doing it, you'll see my attitudes towards starvation of populations, and other crimes unchanged.

As i've said above, it doesn't matter Hamas' crimes, it doesn't mean Israel gets a free pass on their crimes, and withholding food aid, or using it as a method of coercion absolutely are ongoing crimes.

I've never seen any verified and independent evidence of this iron grip Hamas apparently has over this bombed out tent city. Read the linked article, who would have thought scarcity created by Israel has had spiralling and detrimental effects on the social cohesion of ~2 million men, women and children.

Unfortunately Israel attempts to block the worlds view of what is happening in Gaza, so their claims must be read down as suspicuous at best, but more likely lies, until one day their actions match their words.

Four rationing points, and this is for a free people of millions?

Aid distributed and closely guarded by their oppressors. Freely given, no coercion, you think?

Think about those questions as you watch this murderous State squeeze this population, and extinguish these people's lives.