Passion Islam I June 2009 LOCAL & NATIONAL NEWS I 7
Blair questioned on lack of
work as Middle East envoy
Former prime minister Tony Blair was up economic enclaves in the West Quartet’s envoy two years ago, while
being questioned for the second time Bank but expressed fear they may also taking several lucrative business
by British MPs over his role as envoy legitimize the Israeli occupation. posts, spending time on speaking
to the Middle East Quartet of the UN, The committee warned that the tours of the US and writing his political
EU, US and Russia. projects must facilitate the creation memoirs.
The all-party Foreign Affairs Select of a viable contiguous Palestinian The evidence session with Blair is
Committee was asking Blair on his state, while criticising the continuing the third held by the Foreign Affairs
assessment of recent developments, expansion of illegal Israeli settlement. Committee as a follow-up to its
notably Israel’s latest slaughter of over The Quartet was also criticised for not inquiry in 2007 on the Middle East
1,400 Palestinians in Gaza and the pressing Israel to ease its inhuman in terms of global security, in which
election of a new US administration siege of Gaza. it criticised the UK’s refusal to talk to
and Israeli government. The former prime minister has Hamas as being “counterproductive”
After giving evidence last June, come under scrutiny in Britain over and concluded that the so-called
the International Development the extent of the work he has been Roadmap for Peace had “largely
Committee welcomed his plans to set doing since being appointed as the become an irrelevance.”
Misleading Israeli maps BBC offer apology
removed from Underground
to Muslim Council
of Britain
The BBC has offered to apologise to
the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)
after broadcasting claims that the
mainstream umbrella organisation
encouraged the killing of British
troops.
No final settlement has been
reached but the BBC has accepted
that the comments were unfair,
the state-funded broadcaster said
Posters showing misleading Israeli wiped Palestine off the map.”
Saturday. According to the Daily
maps are being removed from The Syrian Embassy in London
Mail, the BBC has also offered to
London underground stations also threatened to take “necessary
pay £30,000 ($45,000) in damages.
following a series of protests made legal steps” for the removal of the
The offer comes after the MCB
to be Britain’s Advertising Standards incorrect maps on the posters, which
threatened to take legal action for
Authority (ASA). also excluded the occupied Golan
comments made by former Daily
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign Heights.
Telegraph editor Charles Moore
(PSC), which led the complaints with The posters, which started to
during BBC television’s Question
Jews for Justice for Palestinians, appear last week, were due to go
Time discussion programme in
welcomed the decision as a “victory” up at 150 sites across London in
March.
in the face of attempts by the Israeli a campaign costing £40,000, but
Moore accused the MCB of being
Tourism Ministry to “deliberately deny according to the Jewish Chroncile,
reluctant to condemn attacks on
the existence of Palestine.” they were prematurely withdrawn by
British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“These adverts wiped Palestine the Israeli Tourism Ministry before
He went on to claim that it said it
off the map. It was particularly the ASA made a ruling.
was “actually a good thing, even an
grotesque to use this map in an A similar complaint was upheld
Islamic thing to kill or kidnap British
advert for tourism, given that under less than two years ago, regarding an
soldiers.”
the Israeli blockade of Gaza, even advert in the Radio Times magazine
The Mail reported that following
humanitarian aid staff are denied that also used false Israeli maps.
the threat of a writ, the BBC originally
entry,” PSC said. PSC said it was “astonishing”
made an offer of ‘amends’ and
In a series of letters, British that the new Israeli posters started
an apology on the Question Time
authorities were warned they to appear given that the earlier ASA
website, but said this was rejected
would be “complicit” in displaying ruling against similarly misleading
with MCB demanding an apology to
misinformation that “deliberately maps.
be broadcast.
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