On Wednesday, the Jewish Chronicle’s Jenni Frazer reported an outrageous allegation being made by Christian Aid. The charity was offering for interview with people who “who have spent months in Israel and the West Bank monitoring Human Rights Abuses”.
One of the interviewees is a lady called Miranda Pinch. Christian Aid claimed: “Miranda patrolled a school to prevent Palestinian children being attacked by Israeli settlers. Their presence ensured that the children would be safe. The head mistress had told her some of the children had been sexually abused on their way home.”
This is a sensational allegation, so I wrote to the media department of Christian Aid and asked:
Can you let me know precisely what Christian Aid’s evidence is for this allegation, and how thoroughly you have investigated it?
They replied swiftly:
Dear Mr Newkey-Burden
Christian Aid unreservedly apologises for mis-reporting an interview with Miranda Pinch, an English social worker who travelled to the West Bank in January 2010 with ecumenical accompaniers whom we support.
Ms Pinch told Christian Aid that a Palestinian headmistress in Hebron had described how Jewish settlers verbally sexually harassed children on their way to school.
Verbal sexual harassment is clearly different from sexual abuse and we apologise for the inaccurate representation of what Ms Pinch said.
So that was a swift backdown. I thanked them for the swift reply, but asked:
On the ‘verbal sexual harassment’ allegation can you let me know precisely what Christian Aid’s evidence is for this allegation, and how thoroughly you have investigated it?
I have yet to hear back on that but I will let you know the moment I do. In the meantime I am going to predict that they have no evidence and have not investigated. After all, even Miranda Pinch admits that she never witnessed anything firsthand. But who cares about evidence? It’s only Israeli settlers!
Well, some of us do care. I’ve recently been reading Anthony Julius’s impressive book Trials Of The Diaspora: A History of Antisemitism In England. The stories of how medieval blood libels were spread about Jewish people attacking children are shocking. Yet in the 21st century we have a leading charity, a Christian charity for goodness sake, spreading lies about Jews and children.
The very concept of charity is a central plank of Judaism and we have the Jewish people to thank for charity originally becoming institutionalised. Which makes it all the more dismaying to see the now routine demonisation of the Jewish state by British charities. They should clean up their act.
I have spent a great deal of time in Hevron. I have watched the Palestinian students walk to and from school. I have spoken with them, laughed and exchanged some thoughts. Hevron is heavily monitored but European organizations, most of whom are polite. However, what I experienced was the way members of organizations such as Shalom Achshav deliberately taunted the Jewish community. My movements were all captured on video cameras that are handed out to these foreign students. They were eager to incite violence and have a free reign in Hevron.
I hope the British people know the British Embassy in TA is funding this organization.
Pinch works for EAPPI:
http://tinyurl.com/3xrrxvx
“Claiming to act in the name of peace, EAPPI’s policies reflect a radical pro-Palestinian agenda, such as the Ecumenical Campaign to End the Illegal Occupation of Palestine. “Its mission is to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in their non-violent actions and concerted advocacy efforts to end the occupation.” EAPPI presents a biased Palestinian narrative, and fails to make any mention of Palestinian terror or of the human rights of Israelis. ”
Hardly unbiased. True to her name, all she says about Israelis must be taken with a large pinch of salt.
As a Jew, I am starting feel I hsve no “Human Rights”, and I’m a Londoner, living in my home town.
Amazing how the biggest anti-Israel trumpets are all lapsed Jews.
For the record, here is Christian Aid’s reply to my second email:
Christian Aid unreservedly apologises for mis-reporting an interview with Miranda Pinch, an English social worker who travelled to the West Bank in January 2010 to monitor human rights abuses with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme.
The programme, which is part funded by Christian Aid, sends volunteers to the West Bank and Israel to offer protection by their non violent presence to Palestinians, and Israeli activists.
A briefing document sent to journalists about the programme said Ms Pinch had been present at a school in a Hebron neighbourhood to prevent Palestinian children being attacked by Israeli settlers.
The note added that she had been told by the head teacher that some children had been sexually abused.
The children had in fact been subjected to verbal sexual harassment, which is clearly different, from both settlers and Israeli soldiers. This was an unwitting mistake on Christian Aid’s part and we apologise for the misrepresentation of what had taken place.
Christian Aid has interviewed the head teacher, who has confirmed that teenage girls had suffered verbal sexual harassment while passing through a nearby army checkpoint. She had also witnessed Palestinian children in the street being verbally sexually harassed by Israeli settlers.
Oh well, then thanks to Christian Aid for that positive proof behind the (amended) allegation. If they say that the headmistress says so, then that settles it. [irony off]
Indeed. Okay, I know someone who knows someone who says that Palestinians sexually assault Jewish children. No, I didn’t mean sexually assault them – I meant they verbally abuse them. But anyway, it’s true. Honest.
Amazing story Chas. This is a big scoop and puts you firmly at the top of your profession. Cue more investigation of Christian Aid’s disgusting record vis-a-vis Israel. Well done Chas.
Thanks Duvid. Keep on rocking in the free world, dude!
At school, as part of “Community Service”, we were forced to deliver Christian Aid leaflets. I remember one of them went on about “The Holy Land” (notice how certain Christians can never bear to utter the dirty “I” word) in a quite unpleasant way. So I tore them up in front of the Chaplain, who then forced me to creosote fences for a month. Better than deliver antisemitic propaganda, I thought!
The situation in the west bank is a conflict. There are two sides. This site is a pro-Israel site, and therefore could be considered anti-Palestinian. I am sure you do not feel as though you are anti-Palestinian, although you clearly consider Christian Aid as anti-Israel.
The statements in the Christian Aid reporting are clearly very flimsy, this is very poor reporting. When reporting on a situation as tender as the west bank, people need to stick to facts. The problem is for people like me, who rely on blogs and indy media coverage, both sides view is distorted beyond use. There is very little ‘middle-ground’ reports being made. I quite like the BBC, although they seem to lean everso slightly towards pro-Palestine (or anti-Israel, if thats how you see things).
The problem is I think, the Palestinians seem like the victim in the settler situation. Israel won the war, and in the 40′s laid down new borders. So in effect Palestinians were the losers. Many people are supporting the perceived underdog, rather than taking an antisemitic stance.
There are definitely antisemitic people. I call them the ‘Zionist Occupation Government Brigade’ or conspiracy nuts for short. This whole Jewish conspiracy thing has been going on for over 100 years, and does not look likely to go away.
Do you think that Christian Aid is part of the hardcore Jewish defamation industry, or are they just very hammy reporters? I am sure Palestinians do need some help and support in their situation. I am pretty sure the Palestinian women and kids do get abuse from settlers, even if it just verbal. Abuse is not fun, and it helps if you have folk who are on your side. You support the Israel Jewish people, and that is good too.
The whole underdog thing is highly attractive and a useful fig-leaf if you have a latent resentment/hatred of the Jews (‘chosen people’? who do they think they are?’)
Trouble is, when the Jews were the underdogs – in the 1930s and 40s for example – no one was interested. Most non-Jewish people in Nazi-occupied countries just went along with the extermination. Virtually all (there was one small Caribbean island – the Dominican Republic – that bucked the trend) closed their doors to Jewish refugees. They even closed the doors of Palestine to try and suck up to the Nazi-funded Mufti and his pals.
I apologise butI need to make an edit :
I said ‘This whole Jewish conspiracy thing has been going on for over 100 years, and does not look likely to go away.’
By this I mean the whole industry of savagely defaming Zionism/Israel has been going on for over 100 years, and does not look likely to go away. The big bucks neo-Nazi conspiracy publications really got up to speed in the 70′s, and then just exploded into 100′s of camps by the time the WWW became of age.
I do not like this conspiracy theory horsepoo. In fact I feel that the whole conspiracy industry needs some serious investigation and publicity with discussion.
I think this is an example of the type of verbal abuse we are speaking of.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSKQsZdpzME
The settler teenager in this video, is not very pleasant at all. Not much fun living here if you are not a settler I would think. The settler also directly attacks Christianity, and make claims he is proud ‘the Jews killed Jesus’. I think Christian Aid are in deep.
Teenagers all around the world behave badly sometimes.
Indeed they do. However the chants of this angry kid are the darker more racist side of the settlers. Do you believe there is no abuse being aimed at Palestinians in the region?
Of course the video I linked to is just a narrow window. Maybe the camera guy in the clip had trespassed near the home of a settler, and caused upset, in an attempt to inflame a reaction. But the reaction spoke volumes about the feelings amongst some of the settlers.
“Do you believe there is no abuse being aimed at Palestinians in the region?”
Of course there is and it should stop immediately. Just as appalling behaviour by people of all races, faiths and colours across the globe should.
To be honest it’s hard to know whether your various comments are serious or not. Just a few days ago you wrote: “Admittedly I know very little of the situation in Israel/West Bank”. I hope you can begin to form a balanced and fair position rather than continuing to make lazy generalisations and singling out Israelis for behaviour patterns which are seen across the planet.
I have read through my comments. I do not think I am singling out Israel. Maybe my research is a little lazy. Please believe me when I say I do not take any particular side when examining the situation in the middle east. I am pro-peace.
Have a look on YouTube and see if you can find videos of racist comments by Arabs against Jews.
Here’s one to be getting on with, although it’s more scripted than off-the-cuff (Gaza uni footlights production)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRnjsiyXcBk
Och, here’s another comedy classic – Farfour the Mouse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8fRMqWOBuM
Once you’ve had a look through those and others, compare and contrast the lives of ordinary arabs living under Israeli rule and ordinary jews living under PA rule – or any other arab rule for that matter.
And here’s one I’ve just found: the reaction among innocent civilians in Gaza to the news that 8 students (most under 18) had been killed in an attack on a Jewish religious school (yeshiva) in Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMxPUzEBWDU
What do you make of that?
Just for balance, here’s some scripted Jewish comedy featuring Arab/muslim stereotypes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U13JjV5dsfE&feature=channel
Many seem to agree with your current world view, Monkey. In this satirial retrospective on the darkest moments of the decade, your angry teen video is noted. (`~`)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVAbkq6EkA0&feature=channel
I sometimes get Christian aid bags through my letter box in order to give donations of clothes/money etc. In the past I would have given. Not now. I won’t ever give to Christian aid again. I will boycott them in favour of a charity who don’t spread nazi style anti-semitic lies.