Itamar terror

BBC apologises over Itamar massacres coverage

Jessica Elgot — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:15:38 +0100

The BBC “got it wrong” by not giving prominence to the massacre of the Fogel family by Palestinians in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, the outgoing director-general has admitted.

Mark Thompson was quizzed by Conservative MP Louise Mensch, who made various complaints to the BBC about the coverage, at a Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee hearing on Tuesday. Mrs Mensch said the BBC’s decision not to include the story as part of its rolling news coverage generated “the most reaction I have ever had in all my time in politics.”

She said: “The BBC ran the story on Radio 4 and a lead item on the website but they never subsequently touched it in broadcast or on the 24-hour rolling news programme on BBC News 24. I only found out, after the event, from an American blog, called “Dead Jews is no news” and the more I went into it, the more shocked I was.

“I was overwhelmed by response from the Jewish community both here and abroad. There was a feeling the BBC just didn’t care and that, if a settler had entered the home of a Palestinian family, slit the throat of their children, that the BBC would have covered that.”

Mrs Mensch had subsequently received an apology from BBC News’s Helen Boaden but wanted Mr Thompson’s reassurance about the BBC’s “even-handedness” on the Middle East conflict.

Mr Thompson said the story had come during a “very busy news period” including the fighting in Libya and the tsunami in Japan.

“News editors were under a lot of pressure,” he said. “Having said that, it was certainly an atrocity which should have been covered across our news bulletins that day.”

But he added: “I don’t believe that should be taken as systemic bias. We try very, very hard… to reflect suffering on both sides of that conflict. When there has been a humanitarian incident in Gaza, we try to show the effects of rockets in Sderot.”

He said he stood by his decision not to have shown the DEC humanitarian appeal for Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. “I believe I was right, many people thought I was wrong. It might have given the impression we were more sympathetic to one side of that dispute than the other. Israel and Palestine, like Kashmir and Sri Lanka, are so hot in terms of people’s sensitivity.

“But I do want to say, to all our audience including our Jewish and Israeli audiences here and around the world, we do want to make sure we are fair and impartial. We made a mistake in this instance.”
Mrs Mensch said after the meeting that she was extremely pleased with Mr Thompson’s response. “I was very satisfied with his frank admission, He understood how this had affected the Jewish community.”

Fayad: Stop using Palestinians as excuse for killing innocent people

Jennifer Lipman — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:12:26 +0000

The Palestinian Prime Minister has called for an end to the use of the plight of Palestinian children as justification for acts of extremist violence against innocent people.

Speaking as police in Toulouse continued their stand-off with the gunman wanted in connection with the murders of four Jewish children and three paratroopers, Salam Fayaad said this was not an excuse.

"It is time for these criminals to stop marketing their terrorist acts in the name of Palestine," he said. He added that extremists should "stop pretending to stand up for the rights of Palestinian children".

His comments came two days after the murders of three children and a rabbi at Toulo u se's Ozer Hatorah Jewish school, and a year after the Fogel murders. The two men convicted of killing five members of the same Israeli family last March told investigators their motive was the "occupation".

The suspected gunman in the French massacre, a man named as Mohammed Merah, has told police his motive is revenge on behalf of Palestinian children.

"This terrorist crime is condemned in the strongest terms by the Palestinian people and their children," said Mr Fayad. "No Palestinian child can accept a crime that targets innocent people."

Murdered Fogel family remembered in Israel a year later

Jennifer Lipman — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:31:29 +0000

Friends and family of the five members of the same family who were slain last March in one of the most shocking atrocities in Israeli history have marked the first yartzheit of their deaths.

Udi and Ruth Fogel, and three of their children, including three-month-old Hadas Fogel, were found dead at their home on Friday March 11 2011.

Their bloodied bodies, including that of Hadas, who had been decapitated, were discovered by the eldest daughter Tamar, then 12.

Yesterday marked a year on the Hebrew calendar since the massacre, carried out by two Palestinian men. In Itamar thousands, including Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, gathered for the dedication of a new Beit Hamidrash (study hall) named in honour of Mr Fogel.

Haim Fogel, Tamar's grandfather, told the crowd that the task was "to fill this place with students who will continue Udi and Ruth's legacy".

He said: "A year has passed since the catastrophe, a difficult year of memories and nostalgia, of soul searching among public and private grief."

Israeli President Shimon Peres sent a letter of condolence to the surviving members of the family. He said: "Parents and their young children that were cruelly slaughtered in cold blood at their home in Itamar on the eve of the Sabbath.

"The year that has passed since that shocking day cannot dull, even a little, the awful pain, the yearning and the sorrow."

Fogel killer 'blessed' on television

Anshel Pfeffer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:23:40 +0000

The Palestinian Authority's TV channel broadcast greetings to the convicted murderers of the Fogel family last week.

During a programme in which Palestinian prisoners are sent messages by their relatives, the mother of Hakim Awad, one of the two men who brutally killed Ehud and Ruth Fogel and their three young children in Itamar last March, "blessed" her "dear son" who "carried out the operation in Itamar and was sentenced to five life sentences".

Awad's aunt also appeared, calling her nephew, "the hero, the legend", and the programme's host conveyed his greetings to the two murderers.

The Awad family of Awarta near Nablus are veteran members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and, following their messages, dedicated a song "to the sound of the bullets of Ahmad Sa'adat and Hakim Awad".

Sa'adat is the PFLP leader, currently serving a 30-year sentence for planning the assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi in 2001.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called upon Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to condemn the broadcast.

Fogel murderer's family praises 'hero' killer

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:24:19 +0000

A state-run Palestinian television channel has broadcast an interview with the family of the two men convicted of massacring five members of the same Israeli family last March.

The programme, detailed by monitoring organisation Palestinian Media Watch, saw one of the killers of Ehud and Ruth Fogel and three of their children described as "a hero".

Cousins Hakim and Amjad Awad were given 130-year sentences for the murders, which included the decapitation of three-month old Hadas Fogel.

Yet Hakim's mother spoke with pride of her son during the episode of the "For You" series, shown last week. She said he was "the apple of my eye".

His aunt went on to call him a "hero and a legend" while the programme's host added: "We, for our part, also convey our greetings to them."

Second killer sentenced for Fogel family murders

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:49:32 +0000

The second man found guilty of the gruesome murder of five members of the same Israeli family has been given five life sentences plus an additional seven years.

Amjad Awad was given the same 130-year sentence as his cousin Hakim, after the pair were found to be behind the massacre at the home of the Fogel family ten months ago.

They were convicted of killing Udi and Ruth Fogel and three of their five children, the youngest of whom was just four months old.

The bodies were found at their home in the Itamar settlement by Tamar Fogel, the eldest child , who was then 14.

During the investigation, a Shin Bet official said: "In the questioning, they said that their motive was simply to kill Jews and Israelis and to steal weapons to carry out further attacks."

Second conviction in Fogel murder case

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:29:06 +0000

A second Palestinian man has been convicted for the brutal murder of five members of the same family nine months ago.

Amjad Awad was convicted in an Israeli military court of five counts of murder. His co-conspirator and cousin, Hakim Awad, was given a 130 year prison sentence in September.

The pair broke into the home of the Fogel family in the West Bank town of Itamar on a Friday evening last March. They killed both parents and three of the children, including three-month-old baby Hadas, whose throat was slit.

The bloodied bodies of the victims were discovered by 14-year-old Tamar Fogel when she returned home.

Prosecutors said during the trial that they were seeking five life sentences for Amjad.

Confession in second Fogel murder trial

Jennifer Lipman — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:00:21 +0100

The second suspect in the murder trial of five members of the same Jewish family has confessed.

Amjad Awad, 19, is on trial for the killings of the Fogel family in Itamar in March.

Ehud and Ruth Fogel and three of their children aged between three months and 11 years old were found dead at the family home by the oldest daughter Tamar.

Awad's cousin, Hakim Awad was convicted of the attack in August and given a 130 year prison sentence.

The prosecution is seeking five life sentences for Amjad.

Fogel murderer sentenced as he says he is still not sorry

Jennifer Lipman — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:24:07 +0100

A man convicted of murdering five members of the same family in one of the most brutal attacks in Israeli history has been sentenced.

Hakim Awad was given a 130 year prison sentence by an Israeli military court for the slaughter of the Fogel family.

In August he was convicted of the killings of Ehud and Ruth Fogel and three of their children aged between three months and 11 years old.

The judges highlighted Awad's lack of remorse for "stabbing a baby in the head as it cried in its mother's arms" when they announced the sentence. Earlier, Awad said he was not sorry and had killed the infant "because of the occupation."

The victims, who lived in Itamar in the West Bank, were killed late on a Friday night in March. Their bloodied bodies were discovered by 14-year-old Tamar Fogel when she returned home.

Awad was allegedly joined by another a co-conspirator whose trial has not yet reached a conclusion.

Fogel family murderer convicted

Jennifer Lipman — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:49:36 +0100

A man has been convicted of the brutal slaughter of the Fogel family earlier this year.

Hakim Awad's victims included three-month-old Hadas Fogel, two of her siblings and her parents.

Their bloodied bodies were discovered by 14-year-old Tamar Fogel when she returned to the family home in the West Bank settlement of Itamar late on a Friday night in March.

Awad, 18, confessed to the killings and was convicted of five cases of murder. He was also convicted for weapons and security offences. During the trial, Ynet reported that he had told the court he was proud of what he did and had no regrets.

The trial of the man believed to be his co-conspirator, Amjad Awad, has not ecahed a conclusion.

The prosecution is not expected to seek the death penalty for Awad, who is likely to be sentenced in September.