Rachel Riley Misses Mass Slaughter

And so it came to pass that the Daily Mail, the Viktor Orbán of the press, showing solidarity with the state of Israel despite its history (some of it recent) of publishing straight-up anti-Semitism, went in search of a C-List Sleb to help tell the world how the Mail wasn’t really anti-Semitic, but all those Rotten Lefties™ certainly were, especially when it came to Israel and Palestine.

“Countdown star Rachel Riley says she has been left 'shaking with fear' due to amount of hatred for British Jews she has seen since Hamas terror attack on Israel” was the headline. There was even a photo showing “People celebrating the Hamas atrocity in Israel outside a café in Acton, West London”, except they were merely waving Palestinian flags.

The Mail, though, knows who is in the right, and who isn’t. “Pro-Palestinian demonstrations started almost immediately while there was a celebrity letter headed by actors Steve Coogan, Tilda Swinton [and] Charles Dance, in which the massacre of 1,400 Israelis wasn't even mentioned”. Do go on.

“But Rachel was moved by a contrasting action from Hollywood stars … She said: 'The new letter from the Hollywood stars feels in stark contrast to what we are dealing with in the UK where we have so many proud and open antisemites.’”. The Mail’s inference there, that those signing the “celebrity letter” included “proud and open anti-Semites”, is bang out of order.

She had more to say. “There are people in this country - and we've seen this conflict before - who appear to dedicate their lives to anti-Israel activism. They don't do that with facts, they don't do it calmly … And even when they have seen 1,400 innocent people brutalised in the most appalling way, they say nothing”. Something is missing here. What might that be?

It might just be that the daily rocketing, bombing and shelling of civilians across Gaza, where around 6,000 have been killed and more are buried under piles of rubble, is not getting much of a mention. And even when it does get a mention, its main purpose is to kick the BBC, an enduring obsession of the Mail’s legendarily foul mouthed editor-in-chief.

“The presenter also criticised media organisations, particularly the BBC, over its reporting of a bomb blast at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza when it repeated Hamas propaganda that it had been deliberately attacked by Israel and 500 were dead … ‘There is a phrase that a lie will get halfway around the world before the truth has got its pants on … the BBC saying one thing even as others were saying it was likely to be a misfired rocket’ said Rachel”.

Sadly for this black-and-white open-and-shut analysis, Aric Toler has told us “Israeli and U.S. intelligence officials believe that a projectile captured on videos shortly before the Ahli Arab Hospital explosion was a Palestinian rocket. [New York Times] Visual Investigations found that this object was launched from Israel, and likely unrelated to the deadly blast”. Jury still out.

Also, the IDF has a history of falsehood and misinformation. This conflict has no Good Guys. And calling “anti-Semitism” on anyone who passes adverse comment upon the actions of the Israeli Government and its armed forces, when we know that innocent civilians are being slaughtered, their homes flattened, their food sources cut off, and aid denied, will solve nothing.

Nor will Ms Riley win friends and influence people by saying “I don't want innocent people to die, of course I don't. BUT this is something that Hamas has started with its horrific actions”. BUT nothing. Hamas is not driving the rocketing, bombing and shelling of Gaza. 24 hours ago, the death toll was 6,000. Now it will be higher. And around 2,500 of those will be children.

Nevertheless, no-one should take the bait Ms Riley’s article dangles before anyone with a Twitter feed. Going after anyone who is Jewish, or even just supports the Israeli actions, is totally out of order. It is as totally out of order as going after anyone who is Muslim, or even just wants to show solidarity with Palestine. Reaction to this conflict demands calm and clear heads.

It is a pity that Rachel Riley appears to miss that opportunity. That is all.

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