Al-Jazeera Rips Lid Off Latest Zionist Plot!

Breathtakingly, head-smackingly malicious stupidity by my media "colleagues" over at al-Jazeera.



This morning's imbicilitude is all about the nefarious Zionist plot to hurt Palestinians by long red traffic lights during morning rush-hour at Jerusalem's northern French Hill junction:

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No, no really - they're seriously claiming this. Either that, or poor Brit brat reporter Jacky Rowland is miffed over getting to their plushy offices late at the far southern end of town (I've been at those offices - they're in the shiny office tower at Malcha mall) - so, I mean obviously the Israeli occupation's at fault.

So let's fisk (see below), shall we? Oh golly, where to begin...

• The so-called "Israeli settler road" shown in the story is used by West Bank Palestinians coming into town from their cities, towns and villages, and Israelis, alike.
• It has to be wider at the intersection, since it carries much more traffic throughout the day, into, and around the city center: the traffic artery links up with the two main western and northern exits from the city.
  
• The rail line is part of the Jerusalem rail system which all Jerusalemites are "suffering" from, including traffic delays across much of the city, years-long delays, cost overuns, and gridlock - for Israeli Jew and Palestinian Muslim alike.
• Oh, and the rail line workers? Palestinians. Willing to bet. Good jobs with a major construction company, bringing home the, umm, bacon, as it were to their families.
• The Jerusalem Municipality, at a cost to taxpayers (note: mostly not the Palestinians embroiled in the am traffic jams) of tens of millions of dollars to improve traffic flow around town, including Palestinian towns of Beit Hanina, and Shuafat, noted in the story.
• The same Palestinians in Beit Hanina and Shuafat will also have use of the rail system - whenever it's completed.
• No Jerusalem traffic official is quoted about the computerized monitoring system that changes to timing to reflect the varying traffic loads throughout the day.
  
• I used to live in the immediate area, and am familiar with the issues of traffic on and around this junction, and I say: the woman's talking unmitigated rubbish.
• I could fisk more, but why bother - since this is what passes for "hard news" from here.
  
• Sigh.

* Fisking: A point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or (especially) news story. A really stylish fisking is witty, logical, sarcastic and ruthlessly factual; flaming or handwaving is considered poor form.^[2]