Israel undercover: Your comments

Below are your comments regarding "The ugly war: Israel undercover".

Send your emails now and your questions will be answered by John Kampfner and guests in a live web forum on Monday 25 February at 1430 GMT.

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I make the point of watching your program whenever I can possibly manage it, but: After watching your double issue about the Palestinian-Israeli question I was left with the impression that there is an Arab gene which causes some individuals of the Muslim religion to blow themselves up just to annoy Westerners and particularly Israelis. Your program never mentioned the root causes of the conflict: how hundreds of thousands if not millions of people have been displaced to accommodate the descendants of some people who left 2000 years ago; how the occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, contain most of the water supplies available to Israel... You also seemed to forget to mention that desperate people tend to turn to religion for comfort, hence Islamic Fundamentalism. I sincerely think that your treatment of the Middle East in that program (February, I think) was racist by omission.
Ana Williams

John Kampfner and his team did a good job. Those who see the Israel-Palestine conflict in stark blacks and whites are either unaware of the tangled history or partisans of one side or the other. The tragedy is that both sides are victims.
Anonymous

It was horrifying to see the sophistication with which they carry out their murderous activities

Dr Kamran Siddiqi

Thank you for the fascinating insight into the working of the largest terrorist organization in the world - The Israel Army. It was horrifying to see the sophistication with which they carry out their murderous activities. The scenes of the devastation caused by the suicide bombers in Israel was shown as an obvious explanation for the activities of this highly effective killing machine. No mention however, of what could drive a human being to act in such an extreme manner. I did wonder exactly how much of the script was actually written by the terrorists themselves as it ran very much like an advert of the Israel army.
Dr Kamran Siddiqi Sec. Leeds Muslim Forum

I enjoyed this program, although I think if a program about the Middle East conflicts is to be made, maybe it should have focused more on who actually is entitled to the land, and a look at history.
Hanns

I found the programme very interesting and look forwards to next weeks edition. Whilst appreciating that this will give the "other side's" view, I do feel that you have unwittingly, perhaps already shown bias. Almost certainly you showed IDF action in settlements that are considered illegal under international law, the Geneva convention and condemned by numerous UN resolutions. You could have made this point, albeit briefly.
Peter Moore, Kent

Congratulations on courageous journalism. It makes a refreshing change from the platitudes and truisms that characterise so much reporting of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Avoiding judgement, you focused on facts - real people, real situations, real challenges.
Josh W, London

In so far as it went I found this documentary on the Israeli military approach to apprehending Palestinian "terrorists" interesting and informative. However, I was not impressed with its balance. It suffered badly from a lack of perspective, focusing on the mechanics of the military operations concerned, and taking at face value the opinions of the figures interviewed.
Dr. Mark Godfrey Aberdeen

Anyone will tell you that intense memories such as these can never be wiped from a young mind

A. Sleiman

I would like to thank the BBC for the incredible insight that "Israel undercover" has provided. The last scene of the raid on the "ticking bomb's" home was particularly informative. I believe the next part of this series can use the same exact footage and events, with just a change of the narrative, because this is what I saw in the programme: A young Palestinian boy is woken up at 2am to the sound of broken Arabic being shouted from the direction of the entrance door. The story of that little boy which your cameras showed only for a few seconds. This is the birth of the suicide bomber. It's that little boy that the IDF should have taken away, not his father. The father has a whole family to lose. The boy has lost a lot of the values that we take for granted in the west. Anyone will tell you that intense memories such as these can never be wiped from a young mind. In their fight to exterminate "terrorists", the IDF are actually creating them. And for what?!
A. Sleiman

Your programme this week was disgustingly one sided, as a political news programme you should be stating facts that represent the true story including historical references. I think you are more concerned with towing the government line than you are with truth.
Sajid

I, for one, am happy to inform you that I found your report on Israeli defence forces against terrorists to be objective and revealing. It is far more interesting to read reports that are unbiased and straight forward.
Rafael Mareyna

I write to register my outrage at the propaganda advertisement the BBC chose to pass off as investigative journalism this Sunday. This programme was a disgusting portrayal of an "ugly war" which is imposed on the people of Palestine by a fully equipped "Terrorist" Army. The programme appeared to justify the unjustifiable acts of aggression against an unarmed (in military terms) civilian population who are denied the right to fight this oppression and expected to lie down and give up their rights to freedom. It will be interesting to see the second part to this programme...but so far I remain totally un-impressed.
S.Khan

I would just like to thank you for the excellent programme on Sunday night. I spend a lot of time in Israel with people from all political persuasions and walks of life. All people who at some time do serve or have served in the Israel Defence Force. I always get the impression ,that you so clearly portrayed, that no-one wants loss of life either Arab or Israeli. So I was so delighted to see a film that echoed what I see and hear. As programmes do get repeat showings could this be shown again?
Elizabeth Shapiro

Seeing a programme which shows the Israeli side makes a refreshing change

Dr. Mark Shupac

I am writing to thank your for your "Correspondent" programme recently showing the difficulties faced by Israeli soldiers dealing with suicide bombers. Seeing a programme which shows the Israeli side makes a refreshing change - thank you!
Dr. Mark Shupac

I am writing to complain about your program on Sunday night in which you tried to create sympathy among the British public for the actions of the Israeli army in occupied Palestine. Rather than highlighting the fact that the Israeli's are illegally occupying Palestinian land which has even been stated by the UN, you decided to portray the Israeli occupying forces as benevolent people who are defending their land from foreign aggressors while taking painstaking efforts not to harm the Palestinian people.
Andrew Payne

I'm absolutely disgusted to find yesterday's edition of correspondent to be one sided and biased. I think it's high time we the public saw the truth, and unfortunately the truth is not from the BBC, rather from other sources (usually more humane too).
Thomas Hanbly

I believe that it is not fair to broadcast such a program while a lot of the Palestinian nation are oppressed by the Israel

Ahmad Almazeed

The programme viewed the Israeli point of view to lead to a completely one-sided and biased program. I believe that it is not fair to broadcast such a program while a lot of the Palestinian nation are oppressed by the Israel. Family houses are being destroyed for nothing but a suspicious that there son might be involved in an attack (thus even if true punishing the whole for the crime of member). I believe it is time for the BBC to at least deliver the point of view of both sides if it is pushed to deliver the Israeli point of view.
Ahmad Almazeed

At a time when Israel is suffering from so much misrepresentation, and being labelled as the aggressor in the Middle East conflict, it was so refreshing to see the honest, first hand report in your Correspondent programme last night. I only returned from Israel yesterday, after a 10 day visit and can only marvel at the spirit and resilience which enables the Israeli people to get on with their lives relatively normally. I have a sixteen year old grandson who has just two more years before he could be one of those young soldiers in your film. When he was born in Jerusalem I honestly believed by the time it came to his time to be in the army it would be an army of peacetime. Sadly I have very real doubts that that is likely now. While I am aware next week's programme may well present an entirely different picture, that is more palatable when it is balanced with both sides of the story.
Joy Wolfe

BBC Two Correspondent programme was fair and should be repeated thank you for your outstanding effort.
Dr C Feingold Cheshir.

I am an avid fan of your Correspondent programme, and have been for some time. However the pro-Israeli documentary was disgusting in its apparent justification of Israeli brutality.
Jinnah

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