The British Empire Strikes Back: UK Body Rules Tel Aviv is Israel’s Capital
May 21, 2012 15:12 by Simon PloskerThe terms of Clause 1 (i) of the Code make clear that newspapers “must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information”, and the terms of Clause 1 (ii) state that “a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement or distortion once recognised must be corrected promptly and with due prominence”.
In this instance, the Commission noted that the correction published had been a clarification of the newspaper’s earlier claim that Jerusalem was the Israeli capital. The Commission was mindful that while it is correct to say that Israel classes Jerusalem as her capital city, this is not recognised by many countries and those nations enjoying diplomatic relations with Israel have their embassies in Tel Aviv. As such, the Commission was of the view that the newspaper was entitled to refer to Tel Aviv as the capital of Israel. There was no breach of the Code in this instance.
This is astonishing and outrageous. Aside from a sovereign state’s right to determine its own capital, international convention maintains that a capital city is usually where a state’s central political institutions reside. The UK Foreign Office itself states:
Capital City: Israel maintains that Jerusalem is its capital city, a claim not recognised by the UK and the international community. The UK locates its embassy in Tel Aviv.
Unlike The Guardian and the PCC, it does not designate Tel Aviv as the capital.
Related content: BBC Sorry For Calling Jerusalem Israel’s Capital
We believe that this flawed ruling has the potential to further delegitimize Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital, giving the British media a carte blanche to follow The Guardian’s lead. And furthermore, the PCC accepts no appeals or complaints on the substance of its rulings, effectively slamming the door in our face. HonestReporting CEO Joe Hyams said in response:
64 years after the end of the British Mandate, it appears that imperialism is alive and well. This ruling is an absolute outrage. The PCC’s role is to maintain standards of media accuracy, not to make political and politicized rulings. That this has been released on Jerusalem Day adds insult to injury and is yet another example of how contaminated with anti-Israel bias, British officialdom has become.
Convention has it that the location of national legislatures, judiciaries and other formal institutions of state make a capital city. What mandate does the PCC, or Britain for that matter, have in deciding that the location of foreign embassies determines a host nation’s capital status?
We will continue to work behind the scenes to bring pressure to bear on this issue. This is certainly not the end of the matter as far as HonestReporting is concerned.
Image: CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com, flickr/playingwithpsp
Ray
5:46 pm
May 23, 2012
Hi m,
You have a point, I agree with some of your tactful thought..
The Guardian is a rag .. It used to be a fairly decent News Paper some years ago when I was a Social Worker (A long time ago LoL) ..
However, it has deteriorated enormously over the years to become an sycophantic supporter of the Palestinian issue albeit down right anti-Semitic a nasty and abusive news rag.
Hence it is not one of the top selling titles..
Ray
Micah 6: v8
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Ray
5:48 pm
May 23, 2012
Hey m,
You have a point, I agree with some of your tactful thought..
The Guardian is a rag .. It used to be a fairly decent News Paper some years ago when I was a Social Worker (A long time ago LoL) ..
However, it has deteriorated enormously over the years to become an sycophantic supporter of the Palestinian issue albeit down right anti-Semitic a nasty and abusive news rag.
Hence it is not one of the top selling titles..
Ray
Micah 6: v8
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Kerry
12:17 am
May 24, 2012
My complaint would not go through and I tripled checked the field???
Here is the link: http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/form.html
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emes
1:06 am
May 24, 2012
It is sad that the Guardian has plumbed the depths of incompetence and has employed staff that are less than brain dead. I am wondering why they haven’t underlined that London is not the capital of England but Salford has that privilege! – Oh yes, the majority of residents of that area are the very people the Guardian gives credence over any other and the eclipse is fast becoming that of a total occurrence.
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LAURENCE FREEMAN
5:36 pm
May 24, 2012
I have yet to understand why we Jews with a history of over 4000 years ever lower ourselves to dignify with responses, anti semitic remarks about Israel’s Capital and the abundant hateful remarks made my deniers of the Holocaust. Those Jews who are against the Zionist State should perhaps think some time what their parents would have been consigned to had the Nazis been successful, or the communists as well
Surely a country’s capital is where it has built its Parliament.not where the Americans have their Embassy.
Nobody says Australia’s Capital is Sydney or Melborne.
Anybody who doubts the authenticity of the Jewish claim should have been in Israel in 1967 when Jerusalem was re united and they found what had happened to old remains of the City under arab rule e.g. Jewish gravestones used to make roads.
Of course the Israelis have the right idea and propogate their Tourist Industry by making all efforts to conserve places of not only Jewish distinction but Moslem and Christian as well.
Those who deny the rights of the Jews to their own country are to be pitied and in many cases mocked. After all it has only taken 64 years of wars to get to the situation where numerous people in the South of Israel cannot pursue their lives in safety, because of the almost constant bombardment of missiles and mortars from Gaza. At this precise time the P A will not sit at the same table with the Israelis to secure a peace settlement, but they still expect Europe and
U S A to carry on providing them with grants for their people to survive. It should also be remembered that the Israelis provide them with various services like Electricity and the use of first class hospitals as well
Of course the economic woes of the West may mean a cessation of this economic support.
Maybe the Chinese will take over this onerous resposibility in the near future, but I doubt it.
Or maybe their arab brothers will come up with the solution apart from the annihilation of the Jews .
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Gordon Ross
1:49 pm
May 28, 2012
What do you expect from the Brits! In order to gain the Mandate and secure a foothold in the Middle East they undertook to foster the re-establishment of the Jewish state, but chose to sabotage, rather than foster, that re-establishment.
Around 1922 they hived off some 80% of the Jewish homeland in order to create what is now Jordan for the benefit of their clients, the Hashemites, and declared it ‘Judenrein’. In the 1930s through to the end of the Mandate in 1948, they severely restricted the return of Jews to the remaing 20% of their homeland, and even turned back to their persecutors the refugees fleeing from World War 2 Europe. In 1948 they had to pull out of that remaining 20% with a bloody nose, and despite the current facade of normal diplomatic relations, they continue to support those who are working for the eradication of Israel.
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m
4:13 pm
May 28, 2012
“Around 1922 they hived off some 80% of the Jewish homeland in order to create what is now Jordan for the benefit of their clients, the Hashemites, and declared it ‘Judenrein”
Gerald, isn’t it rich that the name of JORDAN is a Hebrew word with a meaning? So those hashemite camel jockeys reliving in a land with a Jewish name …LOL. Look it up; their is a meaning for the word Jordan in Hebrew but NONE in arabic. Truth.
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m
4:21 pm
May 28, 2012
Geral, I made a typo so am reposting my message.
“Around 1922 they hived off some 80% of the Jewish homeland in order to create what is now Jordan for the benefit of their clients, the Hashemites, and declared it ‘Judenrein”
Gerald, isn’t it rich that the name “JORDAN” is a Hebrew word with a meaning?
So those hashemite camel jockeys ARE LIVING in a land with a Jewish name …LOL. Look it up; THERE is a meaning for the word Jordan in Hebrew but NONE in arabic. Truth.
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Gordon Ross
6:32 pm
May 28, 2012
m, You are quoting from MY comment about the creation of Jordan, NOT Gerald’s.
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m
6:46 pm
May 28, 2012
Sorry. In any event then, I am on your side and Gerald’s.
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Jerry Meents
6:26 pm
Jun 04, 2012
Hello Gordon,
Before 1922 Palestine was promised to the Jewish people ( twice) as thwre homeland.
And you are right that the Brittish cut 75-80% of to create a new nation by the name of Trans-
Jordan, now Jordan, with 90% Palestinians as citizens, (and nobody complained)
The little pc that was left was cut in about half.
The Jewish people accepted but the Arabs did not.
So who are the victims? the Jewish people.
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Sylvie Schapira
10:09 am
May 25, 2012
I hereby declare with unilateral rights that Bradford is the capital of England. Please amend any previous references to any other city. That was a mistake. Crazy? Well, as we sink further into economic crisis so too does the level of hate that is projected onto the Jewish people and the Jewish State. It is history repeating itself, urged on by Islamo-facism, extreme leftist virulent hatred, and a rabid prejudiced media. This gives us one message: Violence to Jews.
We need to send out another strong, clear message: ‘Stop Bashing Israel to Deny Your Own Problems’. This is what Hitler and the Nazis should have been told, and we must learn from history before it is too late.
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Meg Sadoc
9:37 am
Jun 05, 2012
Before implementing the ‘final solution’, Germany’s propagands minister used the media to spew out day in and day out anti-Semitic poison till the people were brain-washed into believing lies as truth…. is it any wonder that we see similarities today?
What really has changed? One think- we can look back and see it being replayed and heed the warning – because it has happened before and the world looked the other way. Has world opionion changed? Why does Israel need to bend backwards to please those who seek her destrucion? The audacity to say that Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel. May the Lord have mercy.
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Klara
12:29 pm
May 25, 2012
Excuse me for my “ignorance,” but when did the designation of a country’s capitol become a subject for debate? In all of history, each sovereign country chose its own capitol . . . and NO ONE has ever contested. But, of course, the world has different rules for Israel and the Jews. JERUSALEM and ONLY JERUSALEM is the capitol of the State of Israel . . . NOW . . . and FOREVER !!!!!!!
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Doyle
4:32 pm
May 25, 2012
Thanks Klara and for what it is worth I agree with you 10000000000%. I am a Christian and love Israel and the Jews. Blessings
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Meg Sadoc
9:25 am
Jun 05, 2012
I’m in complete agreement with Klara’s views. Jerusalem is and has always been the capital of the sovereign nation of Israel, it will always be the undisputed capital. God bless you Klara.
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Jerusalem the Capital of Israel « The NeoConservative Christian Right
3:22 pm
May 25, 2012
[...] Honest Reporting [...]
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Liana
10:48 pm
May 27, 2012
It’s a very sad state of affairs for any nation that allows its own media to dictate foreign policy, whether that of the home state or of any other country. Facts that the members of the media wish were otherwise still remain facts, disputed or not.
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Gerald
3:25 pm
May 28, 2012
Apart from the fact that the guardian is a toilet roll and the uk so called cultural and political intelligentsia are snivelling, socialist toadies, one has to say Israel has brought a lot of misery on itself. If Israel is a soverign country and jerusalem is it’s capital – then act like it. The temple mount is jewish, should be policed by the israeli police, jews should be allowed to pray on the mount and the arabs should shut up or get out. The eastern part of jerusalem is soverign israeli territory – build and damn the international community. All illegal buildings to be demolished – both jewish and arab and Israel – get your hasbara act together. The arabs have been consistent in thier desire to destroy israel since 1948, Israel must and can do much more to educate the great unwashed public about jewish rights and arab lies.
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Gordon Ross
2:22 pm
May 31, 2012
One also cannot ignore the fact that there are too many weak-kneed Jews here in the UK who are either too nervous to speak out in support of our brothers and sisters in Israel or are actively part of the large brigade of Israel-bashers here, presumably feeling it necessary to ingratiate themselves with gentile “friends” and colleagues or out of concern for their own skins. For several years now I have declined to include among my synagogue membership dues any contribution towards the Board of Deputies in view of its failure to adequately challenge the British media and Establishment’s promotion of the ongoing propaganda campaign against Israel.
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jacko
7:42 am
Jun 01, 2012
The British have never forgiven the Jews for making them live up to the League of Nations and the United Nations mandate to provide a homeland for the Jewish people in “Palestine” but have always pandered to to and sided with the Arabs (because they are non Jews?)
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Gordon Ross
12:40 pm
Jun 01, 2012
The British (or perhaps more accurately, the English) have a long-standing love affair with the Arabs. They feel that they have a strong affinity with those noble desert warriors. You know, Lawrence of Arabia and all that! The feeling, ‘though, is not particularly mutual, since the Arabs often show ingratitude, as in the case of Jordan, a British creation, whose Arab Legion the Brits armed, trained and officered, but from where they were eventually shown the door.
Then, of course, there is anti-Jewish prejudice, which is endemic in the UK, disguised by many here today as ‘anti-Zionism’.
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m
4:24 pm
Jun 01, 2012
“The British (or perhaps more accurately, the English) have a long-standing love affair with the Arabs. They feel that they have a strong affinity with those noble desert warriors.”
LOL, more like lice infested s@nd n1gg3rs and sheep rapists. How noble is that….
Ya the new euphemism for Jew hatred is “anti Zionist”. Those morons are no fooling anybody.
FULL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, THE IDF, AND ALL SUPPORTERS
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Abie Werth
7:01 pm
Jun 03, 2012
Let London send their mail to Tel Aviv; send it back address unknown!
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Gordon Ross
1:05 pm
Jun 05, 2012
“How noble is that…”. I was being sarcastic, of course!
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Enoch
1:28 pm
Jun 05, 2012
But the Capital of Gibraltar and the Malvinas (Fakland Islands) is London.
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betty schneck
10:48 pm
Jun 18, 2012
Not even BBC or England has the right to tell another country the name of its capital city. It is Jerusalem and the British should remember that.
What’[s so important about the British. They were pro German isn the 1930′s. the prince comes from German roots. Chamberlain acquiesed to Hitler Mosley was a Nazi sympathizer and Edward abd the Duchess were friendly with the Nazis.
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Len Kurtz
10:40 pm
Jun 22, 2012
I always thought Nottingham was the Capital of Great Britain. Watch Robin Hood and tell me whether I am wrong.
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BBC Olympic Coverage Declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian Capital | Blogs about Israel aggregation
2:03 pm
Jul 19, 2012
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Robert Harsanyi
1:35 pm
Jul 20, 2012
Under the second world war, – was in eyes of the europian people – the BBC the sign of objectivity. If you want to know the trueth, you just had to follow the BBC.
During the last years, BBC turned to be a media for the anti-Israel propaganda. It turned to be a provocative way of an antisemitic company.
I am sure, that it is not what the British tax-payer want
It is high time to turn BBC back to the “old way”
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2012 Dishonest Reporting Awards | The Conservative Papers
1:32 pm
Dec 18, 2012
[...] HonestReporting complaint to the Press Complaints Commission was inexplicably turned down, so HonestReporting and the law offices of Trevor Asserson threatened legal action against the PCC. [...]
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