GB News versus JVL: “Can Jews Trust Labour?”
JVL introduction
Watching, listening to and reading mainstream media coverage of the past fortnight’s events in Palestine has been a painful experience for anyone who places the same value on Palestinian lives as on the lives of the rest of humanity.
Time and time again we’ve heard of Palestinians “dying”, as if afflicted by some mysterious malady, while the Israeli deaths on October 7 are graphically described as the result of a massacre by barbarian murders.
Yes, a little airtime and a few column inches have been granted to Palestinian voices – political commentators or people directly affected by Israeli bombardment – but always attention shifts back to Israel. Not just to bereaved families and relatives of people taken hostage, but to Israeli propagandists and their loyal friends in the West offering unstinting solidarity to Netanyahu and his vengeful government.
Listen carefully to how a Sky interviewer states “Hamas first launched its attack on Israel which saw 1400 people killed” – an indisputable fact with no source required – followed by “Palestinian officials say 4000 people have died in Gaza” – subtly hinting that Palestinian sources cannot be trusted to tell us how those alleged 4000 deaths occurred. In this case, the interviewer was called out magnificently by Palestinian journalist Yara Eid.
It’s arguable whether right-wing broadcaster GB News deserves to be classed as part of the mainstream media. On October 19 Jewish Voice for Labour’s media officer Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi had a run-in with their presenter Patrick Christys who asked her “Can Jews trust Labour?” There’s nothing subtle about his adherence to the pro-Israel narrative!
After a blood-curdling introduction linking past allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party to current carnage in Palestine, GB News presenter Patrick Christys confronted Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi with a series of somewhat bizarre questions.
Naomi
Wow
Up there with Gerald Kaufman
I think the clarity you bring to these issues resonates with the majority in Israel and the Jewish community
Netanyahu’s days are numbered, the people know who is to blame and the West can no longer hold the line against their own electorates
Regards
Superb Naomi – not sure how you managed to keep so calm and courteous but you were a model opponent
Excellent responses to a boorish interviewer pushing the standard script which conflates sympathy and support for Palestinians with anti-semitism and support of Hamas terrorism.
Things are beginning to change as we see the bombings and the videos of shocked, maimed and dead Palestinians in the aftermath. Even that bête noir of thinking minds, Simon Tisdall, wrote an insightful and obviously deeply felt meditation on the West’s acceptance of the intolerable outrages which have been and are being committed against the people of Gaza: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/23/israel-palestine-children-onslaught-gaza-survivors-killed-traumatised
Absolutely brilliant Naomi looking forward to hearing you on Sunday in Canterbury xx
Hugely impressed by the way Naomi W-I coped with one of the most meshugah interviews I have seen. Though I would also note that, for the most part, the interviewer didn’t interrupt her – unlike those arrogant know-all BBC interviewers, who are generally know-very-littles. However, I must ask – given who watch GB News – is it worth talking to them?!
Congratulations Naomi on your skill, intelligence and integrity in holding your own against what is an extraordinarily difficult and unrewarding type of “interviewer”. This presenter clearly had no interest in listening to his guest or in any other point of view than his own.
Fantastic self-control, Naomi in facing leading question after leading question followed by many non-sequitur crazy questions. It must take a lot of courage to be interviewed on GB News, knowing what to expect: anything but a calm and fair opportunity to give your views. But you managed to do just that. Brilliant.
That has to be some kind of record for the number and ferocity of interruptions of an interviewee. Brilliant performance on Naomi’s part — so calm, good-tempered and focusing on the reality.
Naomi for prime minister!
Naomi for chief rabbi!
I’m sure she wouldn’t want either of those jobs, but she would do them a great deal better than the current incumbents.
So impressive , Naomi. A hostile interviewer making polemical challenges and yet you held your ground and put it all so well
Superbly done Naomi – arguments clearly and astutely expressed in the face of a series of ludicrous questions pre-loaded with biased assumptions.
Well done Naomi. You kindly went into the lion’s den on our collective behalf. Thank you.
OH MY GOD, What a moronic interview, what a stupid interviewer! Naomi Wimborne Idrissi must be congratulated for refusing to allow herself to be dragged into the mire of dim-wittidness and making herself clear in the face of such confusion.
Patrick Christys is perfect for GBNews, which takes great pride in its own unanalysed bigotries. Naomi Wimborne Idrissi was a perfect match for those sorts of idiocies.
What a shame that GBNews is largely watched by people who will have their own answers to his questions without bothering to listen to hers.
Naomi, you were great – you expressed a humane point of view with politeness and dignity despite the oafish questions.
Your best performance yet against hostile quick fire comments and questions.
Well done Naomi, I don’t know how you kept your cool. I have written to GB news to complain about the conduct of their presenter, Patrick Christys.
You handled that brilliantly Naomi. Thank you.
I’m with Naomi ( also Jewish)
To whom it may concern
I recently had the good fortune of meeting Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi when she gave a talk at a meeting I attended. What an elegant, articulate, experienced and gracious woman. I was particularly impressed by her even handedness and her appropriate condemnation of Hamas.
A short time later I was told of the interview on GB News which I have since watched. I was appalled by the inarticulate, rude and bullying manner of the so called journalist interviewing her. He talked over her constantly, showed no regard for her perspective as a Jewish Labour woman – who was clearly far more knowledgeable than him – and was misogynistic and overbearing both verbally and non verbally.
Whilst I recognise that GB news is not well known for its journalistic integrity this interview, I believe, broke every rule in the ‘how to interview fairly’ book!
I expect a reply and will hope for an apology to this woman. She is a beacon of hope in otherwise vicious media attacks on the people of Palestine.
Yours faithfully,
Leigh Derbyshire
She is a great lady. I’ve l left Labour under Starmer he lied to gat leader and I wouldn’t trust him. Why doesn’t this interviewer listen? Jeremy hasn’t got a racist bone in his body It was a scam