The BBC has said it will investigate news presenter Tim Willcox after his questioning of a Jewish woman in Paris following the terrorist attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris.
A “very large number” of complaints had been received following his suggestion that “Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands”.
When the woman objected that the situations in Paris and the Middle East could not be compared, Mr Willcox said: "But you understand, everything is seen from different perspectives".
In a letter to one viewer who complained, Andrew Bell, director of the Editorial Complaints Unit, said the comments would be investigated for accuracy, impartiality and offensiveness.
Mr Bell said viewers had complained that Mr Willcox's question was misleading in that it linked the killings at the supermarket to events in the Middle East; that it was offensive and antisemitic in that it suggested all Jews were responsible for Israel's actions, and that it was offensive because it displayed bias against Israel.
Viewers also felt Mr Willcox did not treat the interviewee with appropriate respect, that his apology on a private Twitter account was inadequate and that he failed to address what they felt was inaccurate and offensive about his remarks.
Mr Bell said he aimed to let complainers know the outcome of the investigation by February 23.
