Catalogue of shame: how the BBC keeps getting it wrong on Jews and Israel

20 May

The BBC posted a live blog describing the death of Iran’s notorious former president — widely held responsible for the killing of thousands of political opponents — as “tragic”.

Ebrahim Raisi has long been dubbed the “Butcher of Tehran” for sitting on the so-called Death Panel of four Islamic judges in 1988. He was killed in a helicopter crash on 19 May, one which the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet called a “tragic accident”.

Another BBC piece about his death, headlined “Raisi’s mixed legacy in Iran”, was met with ridicule.

Defending the article, a BBC spokesperson told the JC: “The article rightly states that Raisi ‘was loved by hardliners of the Islamic Republic of Iran for his loyalty and obedience to Iran’s supreme leader’ and refers to ‘Iranian state media's depiction of Raisi as the president of the unprivileged and poor’.

"It goes on to say: ‘However, he was equally hated by many Iranians for his role in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s, and his more than four-decade involvement in the security and judicial systems which suppress opponents and critics of the Islamic regime.’”

4 June

In early June, a cricket pundit for the BBC apologised over social media activity in which he appeared to suggest that Hamas was justified in attacking Israel on October 7.

Qasim Sheikh, who previously played cricket for Scotland, also shared a post that showed politicians such as Benjamin Netanyahu, Rishi Sunak, and Joe Biden with Hitler-style moustaches and labelled, “Kid Killers Union”.

In a letter to the broadcaster on the issue, over 100 BBC staff and contributors, including tens of Jewish employees, expressed their “despair” at the corporation for platforming the pundit and failing to act against Jew hate.

They wrote of their “disbelief” that Sheikh was permitted on the BBC and called on the broadcaster to explain whether “due diligence” was completed around the former batsman.

Sheikh apologised for his past statements, saying: “I am against all forms of racism and discrimination and I believe in the need for peace in Gaza.”

4 July

The JC reveals that Mayssaa Abdul Khalek, a Lebanon-based television pundit who called for “death to Israel” and publicly defended a disgraced journalist who had joked about Hitler barbecuing Jews, is still appearing as a commentator on the BBC despite the corporation knowing about her disturbing remarks.

She had also been seen on BBC Arabic referring to Israel as “an imperialist colony” and describing its cities as “occupied Palestinian territories”.

The BBC said in response that while the reporter was not a presenter, she should have been “challenged” on her comments on air.

12 July

The BBC’s former director of television, Danny Cohen, told the JC that had he been running the national broadcaster on October 7, he would have resigned over its failure to call Hamas fighters terrorists.

In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, the broadcaster refuses to call the group “terrorists”.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “If one doesn’t use the term ‘terrorist’, it is as if one is providing a window of opportunity for justification, and nothing can justify this.”

Today, the corporation will only use the term “terrorists” to describe Hamas when quoting others.

18 July

In a call with the UK Jewish community, the BBC’s director of news, Richard Burgess, defended the corporation’s decision not to label Hamas as terrorists.

When questioned on this, a BBC spokesperson told the JC: “No-one consuming BBC News can be left unaware of the horrific nature of Hamas’ acts. We’ve made our long-standing position on this matter very clear – we use the word terrorist when it is attributed to others, such as the UK government.”

28 July

The BBC courted outrage after its article on the deadly Hezbollah rocket attack on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, headlined: “Ten dead in rocket attack on Israeli-occupied Golan.”

The headline, which was altered after a few hours, did not mention Hezbollah, the Druze community, or that the rocket hit children playing football, while it appeared to imply a political justification for the killings.

The strike – which killed 12 young people aged 10-20 years old playing football in the Druze village – was the deadliest day in Israel since October 7.

A BBC spokesperson said: “This was a breaking news story that was developed line by line as details were confirmed and new lines emerged. We routinely change headlines as more information becomes available.”

31 July

The BBC courts controversy after suggesting that analysts would describe Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas assassinated on 31 July, as “moderate and pragmatic”.

1 August

A letter of complaint sent to the corporation in June about perceived bias and alleged antisemitism — signed by more than 200 Jews in the BBC and broadcasting industry — was made public.

The media figures then spoke anonymously to the JC about how the letter was met with a response that they claimed was “an example of the gaslighting of the entire Jewish community”. Some compared the corporation’s handling of antisemitism to the Huw Edwards scandal.

Board of President Phil Rosenberg went on to discuss the community’s “deep anxieties” over the BBC’s coverage and culture in a meeting with its director-general Tim Davie.

8 September

The Telegraph reveals that the BBC violated its own editorial guidelines 1,553 times during a four-month period beginning October 7, 2023, repeatedly downplaying Hamas terrorism and presenting Israel as an aggressor.

The revelation followed research published by British lawyer Trevor Asserson, who runs Israel’s largest international law firm, Asserson Law Offices.

His damning report found that Israel is far more likely to be accused of war crimes, and crimes against humanity, than Hamas.

The corporation is “at the mercy of personal whims and biases of individual journalists,” he told the JC.

Responding to the claims in the report, a BBC spokesperson told the JC that the corporation does not think its metholodogy leads to reliable conclusions

“We do not accept that impartiality can be assessed using ‘sympathy’; nor by quantifying daily coverage of events or counting words. We believe the use of AI to measure impartiality in this way is unreliable and unproven,” a spokesperson said.

They added: "The methods used in the report fail to take account of basic journalistic principles and practice, and often rely on selective interpretations and incomplete evidence.

"In conclusion, we do not see any new evidence to suggest we have breached our obligations for due impartiality and accuracy during our coverage of this highly complex, challenging and polarising conflict.”

18 September

The JC reveals that the corporation’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, claimed that Hamas is a “good” source of information on Gaza casualty figures during a closed-doors “masterclass” on reporting war impartially.

He also labelled the Asserson Report a “smear”.

A BBC spokesperson told the JC: “We will consider the report carefully and respond directly to the authors once we have had time to study it in detail.

“The most recent research shows that audiences are significantly more likely to turn to the BBC for impartial coverage than to any other provider. Independent research from More in Common found that the highest proportion of people thought BBC coverage of this story was mostly neutral.”

30 September

The Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust accuse the BBC of being “institutionally hostile” to Israel over its “inaccurate” coverage of the war with Hamas.

The accusation followed a report compiled and edited by the former director of television, Cohen, which criticsed the corporation for making “false and damaging claims about Israel’s conduct of this war” and having fuelled “the flames of antisemitism that have spread across the world”.

1 October

A pro-Hezbollah professor, with links to most extreme wing of the Iranian dictatorship, appears on the BBC’s Today Programme where he rants about how Israel’s “chosen people” seek to colonise the “whole region”.

Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, who has previously been photographed in an IRGC uniform, was able to launch into an uninterrupted rant about Israel on air, sparking outrage among campaigners and politicians.

“Just as the UK supports this Holocaust in Gaza... we have no doubt they will be with the Israelis until the very last Palestinian,” he told BBC presenter Mishal Husain.

“They are the chosen people, they are your allies.. It’s an expansionist regime, it believes in ethno-supremacism, it believes they are the chosen people, [that] they have exceptional rights to the whole region.”

When questioned by the JC, a BBC spokesperson said: “Mohammed Marandi was interviewed to gain an understanding of the view from Iran, and what their response is likely to be.

“This was a live interview and he was challenged during the course of the interview, and the Israeli position was reflected. However, we accept we should have continued to challenge his language throughout the interview.”

The BBC has previously referred to Marandi’s links to the Iranian government and role on Iran’s nuclear team in 2015 – when the regime had a more “moderate” president, Hassan Rouhani – during interviews. But he is usually introduced as an academic at the University of Tehran, and his links to the very extreme wing of the regime – the Raisi government, the ayatollah and the IRGC – have been omitted.

7 October

The BBC was criticised for hosting a Middle East commentator who claimed that Iranian aggression against Israel was “fairly rational” – moments after the dictatorship launched 180 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state.

A spokesperson for the BBC told the JC that the corporation was “committed to reporting impartially and to featuring a wide range of different voices in its coverage of the complex political situation in the region”.

“Dr Krieg is an academic who was analysing the military strategies of those involved in the conflict and we would encourage people to watch the interview in its entirety,” the spokesperson added.

9 October

The JC reveals that the BBC continued to platform Gazan doctor Amira Al-Assouli who praised Palestinians who “killed the Jews”, even after the broadcaster had been told about her social media history.

A BBC spokesperson said at the time: “We refute these allegations. BBC News Arabic, like all BBC News output it is committed to hearing from a range of contributors and experts to offer a variety of views and perspectives from the Middle East. Across our coverage, we frequently hosted experts and interviewees with varying viewpoints and our journalists will continue to routinely question and challenge the views of contributors on air. We are clear that there is no place for antisemitism in our output.”

2 December

The BBC was accused of breaching editorial guidelines in using Palestinian political figure Mustafa Barghouti as a commentator. 

Barghouti openly referred to October 7, 2023, as “a glorious day for the Palestinian resistance and people” when speaking to Al-Jazeera Qatar following the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel.

In an October article, Barghouti is represented as the voice for Palestinian people and introduced as a "respected Palestinian analyst and politician in the occupied West Bank”.

In response, the BBC said that the article in question “looked at Israeli and Palestinian perspectives ahead of the US election, [and] contained a range of voices and views as BBC News’ global correspondents explored the potential impact of the election result where they are. The BBC is committed to reporting impartially and independently.”

3 January

The JC reveals that the BBC apologised to a rabbi after ambushing him live on air about Israel in an interview which was pitched to be about Chanukah.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We interviewed the leaders live from the Middle East and challenged their views where necessary. While the interviews intended to cover recent news events as well as matters related to faith, we acknowledge that we should have allowed more time to speak with Rabbi Gideon Sylvester about his religion and the impact of the conflict on Hanukkah.”

27 January

A survey by the Campaign Against Antisemitism reveals that more than nine in ten (92 per cent) of British Jews feel that the BBC’s coverage of matters of Jewish interest has been unfavourable.

10 February

The broadcaster sparks concern after referring to Palestinian prisoners as hostages. 

On Saturday 8, during the release of Israeli hostages Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy, the BBC captions its coverage throughout: “Concerns over appearance of hostages on both sides”.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Earlier on BBC News a strapline was incorrectly worded. It referred to Palestinian prisoners released yesterday as “hostages”. It has now been corrected.”

18 February

The broadcaster sparks concern after it is accused of using the son of a senior Hamas official as a narrator in its documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.

Investigative journalist David Collier alleged that one of the main children in the film, 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of Ayman Al-Yazouri, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Gaza, and called the documentary a piece of “propaganda” for the group.

19 February

A group of 45 prominent Jewish media figures including former BBC governor Baroness Deech and actress Tracy Ann Oberman signed a letter to the corporation, demanding more details about the making of the film and questioning whether it violated Ofcom rules.

The BBC pull the documentary off air on February 21. A spokesperson for the corporation said: “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company that made the film. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”

Later, the broadcaster was accused of “whitewashing Gazan antisemitism” in the dropped documentary, after it was alleged by critics that the film edited out references to “Jews” and “Jihad” when translating interviews from Arabic.

A spokesperson confirmed that further “due diligence” was taking place with the production company of the film.

21 February

The broadcaster is accused of "whitewashing" Hamas propaganda following an article about the return of the bodies of Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir to Israel.

“Once again, there was a stage, flanked by huge posters highlighting the catastrophic consequences of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and the Palestinian determination to stay put,” journalist Paul Adams wrote, omitting that that the “posters” depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, with slogans labelling him as a Nazi war criminal responsible for the deaths of Israeli hostages.

A BBC spokesperson defended Adams, stating: “We strongly reject this suggestion of bias. The BBC is committed to reporting the Israel-Gaza war impartially, with no agenda and to the highest standards.”

27 February

The BBC apologises for “serious and damaging” mistakes in its Gaza documentary, including paying money to a family with Hamas links.

In a statement, the broadcaster said that the controversial film’s production company, Hoyo Films, told the BBC it paid Abdullah’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, a “limited sum of money” for the narration.

"While Hoyo Films have assured us that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates, either directly, in kind, or as a gift, the BBC is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure,” the spokesperson added. 

The corporation admits it asked the production company several times about any connections the narrator might have with Hamas. Hoyo films has since admitted it knew the boy’s father was a Deputy Agriculture Minister in the Hamas government.

"It was then the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired,” a BBC spokesperson said.

28 February

A number of senior MPs from Labour, Reform and the Conservatives call for an independent inquiry into the production of the BBC’s controversial Gaza documentary.

1 March

Counter-terrorism police are called in to assess whether any police action is required in relation to the documentary. 

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We’re aware of a BBC documentary about Gaza and we have received a number of reports raising concerns. “Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are currently assessing whether any police action is required in relation to this matter.”

In response to this article, a BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC is fully committed to reporting the Israel-Gaza war impartially, with no agenda and to the highest standards of journalism.

"We have delivered comprehensive coverage of the conflict with breaking news, ongoing updates on developments and in-depth analysis. BBC News has a duty to our audiences to provide a range of perspectives on the conflict and as appropriate to challenge views on air.

"When mistakes are made, we are transparent and accountable in acknowledging them and making corrections. When matters about our coverage are raised with us, we look into them with care.”