Hamas prevents Gaza orphans visiting Israel - BBC News manage a not totally anti Israel piece!

This BBC article on Gaza, Hamas and Israel manages some straight reporting, but also the usual sly anti Israel line. 

I haven't done a fisking of a piece for a while but since I have 5 minutes...

'Thirty-seven children whose parents were killed in the recent Israel-Gaza conflict have been prevented by Hamas from visiting Israel on a trip organised by peace activists.

Hamas said they would have had to visit "settlements and occupied towns".'

No interest from the BBC as to what towns Hamas might consider 'occupied'. This leaves the casual reader with the impression that occupied means what the BBC line is, post 1948. In reality Hamas would call occupied any part of Israel. 

'The children, aged between 12 and 15 and accompanied by five adults, were turned back at the Erez crossing.

More than 2,100 people, mostly Palestinians, died in the 50-day July-August conflict, the UN said.

Israel said 67 of its troops and six civilians died.'

I'm not sure why the latest conflict's death toll is relevant but no others but still.  

What's more interesting is that the Palestinian figures are quoted as per the United Nations, which sounds independent but in reality the United Nations gets its figures from the Palestinian authorities, which in Gaza means Hamas. Meanwhile the Israeli causality figures are as per Israel.

'The visit, organised by kibbutz leaders, the charity Candle for Peace and Arab-Israeli officials, would have taken the children to Arab towns in Israel, southern areas targeted by militants' rockets in the 

conflict, a mixed-race school and the beach in Tel Aviv.'

A mixed race school in Israel? But surely Israel is an apartheid state, or is that just a lie?

'A visit to Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to meet the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also planned, according to Yoel Marshak of the Kibbutz Movement.'

Is the West Bank occupied? Really?

'The week-long trip had been approved by the Israeli security service.

But Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, said the cancellation was justified to protect children from "the politics of normalisation" with Israel.'

Normalisation being contrary to the Hamas policy of creating as much hatred of Israel and Jews as possible, including by demonising Israelis and Jews in television programmes and other media aimed at children. 

'Spokesman Eyad Bozum said Hamas would ensure such a trip "will never happen again".

Three weeks ago, Hamas too had given approval for the visit, Mr Marshak, said, expressing surprise that it was blocked.

Charity for Peace director Malek Freij told Reuters news agency: "They thought that Israel wants to exploit these children, and that's a mistake."'

I'm not sure how or why Hamas approved this trip, must have been a mistake. I wonder how the culprit has been punished. 

'Hamas refuses to recognise Israel, which it sees as occupying Palestinian land, and under its charter is committed to Israel's destruction.'

Well that's true and rarely pointed out by the institutionally anti Israel BBC. Shame it's so far down the report.

'Several nations, including Israel and the United States, count Hamas as a terrorist organisation due to its long record of attacks and its refusal to renounce violence.'

Subtext here is that 'But we, the BBC, disagree with this and consider Hamas to be freedom fighters. 

'The most recent Gaza conflict flared after tensions rose between Israel and Palestinian militants.'

True but why did tensions rise? Was it because Hamas was firing rockets at Israel for years?

'Hamas fired thousands of rockets and mortars towards Israel during the 50-day conflict this summer. Israel carried out an aerial bombing campaign and a ground invasion.'

A more truthful version of that last paragraph would read.

'Hamas fired thousands of rockets and mortars towards Israel during the months leading up to Israel finally responding. Following these attacks, Israel responded by carrying out a targeted aerial bombing campaign and a ground invasion which made every effort to minimise civilian casualties, a policy that was made harder by Hamas firing rockets from civilian areas contrary to the Geneva Convention.'