I don’t think I’m the only person who saw the BBC Panorama programme, Death In The Med, who will be totally disgusted with another distortion of colossal proportion.

This is from a corporation that failed in its duty to show a DEC appeal for Gaza, after Operation Cast Lead killed 1,400 Palestinians, including 400 children.

The Mavi Mamara was to take much needed aid to Gaza following the illegal blockade. The programme did not emphasise this humanitarian mission.

Instead, the impression was given that terrorist activists were hell bent on trouble, attacking Israeli commandoes, whose sole aim was to peaceably stop the flotilla and gently turn them back.

What absolute rubbish. The attack took place on an unarmed ship in international waters. The only guns were held by the commandoes. Indeed, when three Israelis were taken below, they were disarmed, given water and released.

It begs the question, if someone attacked your home in the dead of night and fired on your family, would you be willing to disarm, control and then set a murderer free after a refreshing drink?

The IDF had to retract another falsehood that the Mavi Mamara broadcast the message, “Go back to Austwitzch”, a fact omitted by Panorama.

The BBC tried to smear the IHH, the charity behind the flotilla, saying it had its HQ in “the most Islamic part” of Istanbul.

It was, more likely the cheapest part of town to hire premises.

Thousands of rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza, said Panorama but not a mention that 23 Israelis were killed in these attacks, against hundreds of Palestinians, at the same time. Neither was their any mention that Israel broke the cease fire, not Hamas.

The only people shot and critically wounded were activists. The autopsy report dosen’t show defence wounds but shots to the upper body and head, some from close range, and shots in the back.

The commandos released are alive and continue to lead active lives, unlike nine activists with numerous other victims, having traumatic wounds.

The Israeli military kill with impunity, meanwhile, 800,000 kids need aid because of the illegal blockage of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of a people.

The BBC deserves all the criticism it gets.

Tim W Siret

Millmoor Crescent

Eynsham