President of Israel slams BBC over its neutrality

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, has strongly criticized the BBC for its refusal to label Hamas as a terrorist organization.

He expressed his concern over Israeli families affected by the conflict, stating that they have been “wiped off the face of the earth” and questioned why the BBC has not recognized Hamas as a terrorist group.

Herzog stated,

“I feel the BBC’s reporting is atrocious. The fact that it does not recognize Hamas as a terror organization requires a complete legal battle and public battle. It’s unbelievable.”

He further emphasized the severity of Hamas’s actions by referencing a booklet he had seen, which instructed terrorists to enter innocent villages, kibbutzim, or cities and immediately torture anyone they abducted.

Herzog asked,

“What other type of torture do they want before they decide it was a terrorist organization?”

The BBC, following its editorial guidelines, does not use the term “terrorist” but makes it clear that Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organization by the UK Government.

In a statement from the BBC board, they acknowledged the scrutiny and criticism their coverage has received, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict.

The statement reads,

“No one who has watched or listened to harrowing reports over the last 10 days could be left in any doubt about the horror brought about by Hamas’s attack on defenseless civilians in Israel.”

While the BBC defended its editorial guidelines, it acknowledged that they would continue to review and debate these issues in the future, particularly during the next planned review in the spring.

The network also recognized that complaints and accusations of bias have been raised from both sides of the conflict.

The BBC’s stance on not using the term “terrorist” to describe Hamas remains a subject of debate and controversy in the ongoing coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.