http://www.medianetwork.nl curtacy Glenn Hauser http://www.worldofradio.com
Sounds of destruction and hate Listening to the Lebanon-Israel conflict on shortwave and Web radio Mika Palo 24-07-2006 Listening to the Middle East"Good evening and shalom (peace) from Jerusalem" is how Kol Israel closes its radio broadcast full of terrible news from yet another Middle East war. Let us next tune our receiver to the frequency of 7540 kHz. What on earth are we hearing there in the midst of the typical noises and fading of shortwave... "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, hello and welcome to the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran!" Indeed, it is our friends from Tehran who are calling Europe through a recently leased transmitter in Lithuania. Now then, just what might be Iran's message to us Europeans? The news bulletin begins: "The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called the Zionist regime's devastation of the Middle East region concrete proof of the Satanic and cancer-like nature of the illegal Zionist state of Israel..." This is tough talk. It seems hell has come closer and peace, compassion and mercy have all but disappeared from the Middle Eastern airwaves. Listening to the protagonists Radio news and propaganda from the crisis area's own media can be heard around the world on shortwave and through the Web. Listening is possible even with a small portable "world receiver". I believe that the background to the new conflict and the differing views held by its parties can be grasped more clearly by listening directly to the English-language external service radio broadcasts from Israel, Syria and Iran than through western television news coverage. Also some Lebanese voices can be heard through Webcasts - however, mostly in Arabic or French. The Hizbollah Movement's Web radio has no longer been audible, but its allies Iran and Syria will certainly keep beaming to the world the views of Israel's arch enemy. Hizbollah logo The shocking television images of the Israeli bombardments of Lebanon certainly appeal more to human emotions than the "dry" and imageless radio news. Nevertheless, Kol Israel, the external service of the Israeli public service broadcaster IBA, has managed to bring some sad dramatics to its news bulletins by reading lists of names of the victims of Hizbollah's rocket attacks as well as informing about the funeral times and places of each victim. Furthermore, Kol Israel has been warning Israeli citizens not to accept any suspicious offers of free trips abroad, since such offers might be Hizbollah's next trick for kidnapping more Israelis! Otherwise, I feel Kol Israel's news service has been quite balanced and varied - it has openly told about the Lebanese civilian casualties caused by the Israel Defense Forces. Mixing news and propaganda It would be extremely interesting to understand Hebrew in order to make some sense of what is being said in the broadcasts by Galei Zahal, the Israel Defense Forces Radio. A glimpse into the mind of Israel's far right supporters and their "Re-engagement War" triumphalism is provided by a former pirate station turned Web radio, Arutz Sheva. By clicking on the station's Web page one can, for example, hear Knesset member Aryeh Eldad recommending that Israel should attack Iran. According to the vocabulary of Arutz Sheva journalists, Hamas and Hizbollah fighters are "terrorists", while Kol Israel has been calling them by the more neutral word "gunmen". On the propaganda front, the state broadcasters of Iran and Syria have been particularly busy. Instead of Israel they always speak about "Occupied Palestine" or "the illegal Zionist regime", against which the "heroic Hizbollah freedom fighters' movement" is battling. The destruction caused by Hizbollah rocket attacks on Northern Israel and the number of Israeli casualties have been exaggerated. Thus, according to the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran's news bulletin (16 July 2006), "in another Hizbollah rocket barrage on Haifa, the railway station was completely destroyed" and the rockets also "hit the oil refinery and the gas storage tanks". Also, the "Zionist regime's air force" was claimed to have bombed a hospital in South Lebanon on 16 July, "killing or injuring at least 90 patients and visitors". If these pieces of news were true, it is strange why the media in the rest of the world did not even mention them. Storm clouds over the region Last but not least, the Iranian news bulletins have been parroting Iran's radical president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's anti-semitistic views. In a recent speech the president said: "The Zionists think that they are the victims of Hitler, but they act like Hitler and behave worse than Genghis Khan." Indeed, the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran has openly announced that the Iranian leadership's goal is the destruction and eradication of the state of Israel. Unfortunately, nowadays listening to radio broadcasts from the Middle East is not always a very cheerful hobby. A selection of radio broadcasts recently monitored in Portugal on shortwave and on the Web (all times UTC) Iran Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran English at 1930-2030 on 6205, 7205, 7540 (via Lithuania) & 9925 kHz. Web: english.irib.ir & www.irib.com ( English broadcast audible on the Web at 0030-0130, 0130-0230, 1030-1130, 1130-1230, 1530-1630, 1930-2030 & 21.30-2230). Israel Kol Israel (the external service of the public service broadcaster IBA): News in English 0930-0945 on 15760 & 13680 kHz 1730-1745 on 9345, 11590 & 13675 kHz 1900-1925 on 9400, 11590 & 15640 kHz. Web: www.israelradio.org & reka.iba.org.il Galei Zahal (Israel Defense Forces Radio): Hebrew daytime on 15785 kHz, nighttime 6973 kHz. Web: glz.msn.co.il ( only in Hebrew). Arutz Sheva (former pirate station representing the far right of Israeli politics): e.g. English Webcasting: www.israelnationalnews.com Lebanon Radio Orient, Beirut: mainly in Arabic, also news in French and English. Web: www.futuretvnetwork.com/RO/radioorient-www/news.htm Voice of Lebanon, Beirut: mainly in Arabic, also news in French and English. Web: www.vdl.com.lb Syria Damascus Radio: English approx 2005-2105 & 2110-2205 on 9330 & 12085 kHz. Web: www.rtv.gov.sy ( only in Arabic on the Web). Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Radio Netherlands. Ray T. Mahorney WA4WGA Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
