On February 20, Australia’s 7.30 current affairs program on national broadcaster ABC included a ten minute segment on the Ahed Tamimi case.
In the report, it appears that video footage of Tamimi has been deliberately cut mid-sentence to alter the impression that Tamimi was inciting violence – a key allegation in her trial.
Regarding the report in general, while there is some comment from the Israeli side courtesy of Deputy Minister Michael Oren and NGO Monitor’s Maurice Hirsch, the bulk of the it is sympathetic towards Tamimi and her family.
Not surprising given that the segment was put together by Sophie McNeill, who has a history of advocacy journalism and vilifying Israel. McNeill recently came under the spotlight after Australian Labour MP Michael Danby took out two half-page ads criticizing McNeill and ABC’s anti-Israel bias.
After all of the publicity, one would think that McNeill would err on the side of caution to avoid further charges of bias. Indeed, presumably to demonstrate a semblance of balance, the Tamimi segment notes the allegation that the Palestinian teenager had incited to violence, a charge vehemently rejected by Tamimi’s lawyer, Gaby Lasky, who says:
She is not saying people should act in that manner or bring stabbing people or making terrorist attacks. There are some people who want to read into the video what they want but that’s not what it says.
There certainly are people who want to read into the video what they want and Sophie McNeill is one of them.
Prior to the interview with Lasky, the footage of Tamimi plays including subtitles:
Trump has declared the decision and they have to take responsibility for whatever our reaction is whether it’s stabbing attacks, or suicide attacks, or stone throwing.
This would seem to add credence to Lasky’s statement.
Except McNeill has deliberately stopped the footage mid-sentence, editing out the rest of Tamimi’s words (in full below) thus altering the meaning and interpretation of what Tamimi says. The actual monologue with the missing words:
Trump has declared the decision and they have to take responsibility for whatever our reaction is whether it’s stabbing attacks, or suicide attacks, or stone throwing, everyone must do things so we can unite this way so we can get our message across in the required way, and get this result, that is the liberation of Palestine, Allah willing.
It will be up to an Israeli military trial to judge whether or not Tamimi’s statements can be deemed to be a call to violence. That call isn’t for McNeill to make by selectively editing the Tamimi footage to suit her own biases.
HonestReporting will be lodging a formal complaint with ABC. You can do the same on this page.
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