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| By: israelinsider staff and partners |
| Published: April 25, 2005 |
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Israeli officials have expressed dismay that BBC reporter Orla Guerin, who has come under sharp criticism for what some perceive as an anti-Israeli bias in her coverage, will receive an MBE - Member of the British Empire - honor from the British government for "outstanding service to broadcasting."
Guerin, who has spent 10 years reporting from war-torn countries, was to receive the honor last year, but the ceremony was postponed so she could report from Ramallah on Yasser Arafat's funeral.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Natan Sharansky, who last year wrote a formal letter of complaint to the BBC over Guerin's coverage, said it is a pity that the absence of anti-Semitism was not a criterion for the award. If it were, he said, Guerin would not be receiving the honor.
The award is one of a number of honors issued each year by the queen.
"It is very sad that something as important as anti-Semitism is not taken into consideration when issuing this award, especially in Britain where the incidents of anti-Semitism are on the rise," said Sharansky.
One Israeli official, who responded to the news by saying he was "shocked," said Guerin is among the most anti-Israeli journalists reporting from Israel today.
According to this official, granting her an award fits into a pattern that began in 2003 when the United Kingdom's Political Cartoon Society awarded Dave Brown of The Independent its "cartoon of the year" award for a cartoon he drew depicting a naked Ariel Sharon biting off the bloodied head of a Palestinian child.
"It seems if you are anti-Israel, you will get an award," he said.
Full Story: |
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BBC reporter's award stuns Israel
- (Herb Keinon)
04.25.2005
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