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| Israel accuses BBC of ‘modern blood libel’ over reporting of hospital strike | Israel accuses BBC of ‘modern blood libel’ over reporting of hospital strike |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| BBC defends initial comments, saying they were made in immediate aftermath but were then clarified in later reports | |
| The Israeli government has accused the BBC of perpetuating a “modern blood libel” in its reporting of the catastrophic explosion at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. | The Israeli government has accused the BBC of perpetuating a “modern blood libel” in its reporting of the catastrophic explosion at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. |
| In the immediate aftermath of the incident on Tuesday evening, a BBC reporter suggested that Israel was likely to be at fault. This was likened by the official Israeli government account on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the antisemitic lie that Jews have murdered Christian boys to use their blood for religious rituals. | In the immediate aftermath of the incident on Tuesday evening, a BBC reporter suggested that Israel was likely to be at fault. This was likened by the official Israeli government account on X, formerly known as Twitter, to the antisemitic lie that Jews have murdered Christian boys to use their blood for religious rituals. |
| “Hey @BBCWorld, as of this morning your modern blood libel about the hospital attack is still up,” a statement on the Israeli account said on Thursday. “We see you, and now everyone else does too.” | “Hey @BBCWorld, as of this morning your modern blood libel about the hospital attack is still up,” a statement on the Israeli account said on Thursday. “We see you, and now everyone else does too.” |
| A BBC spokesperson defended the corporation’s coverage. | A BBC spokesperson defended the corporation’s coverage. |
| “Anyone watching, listening to or reading our coverage can see we have set out both sides’ competing claims about the explosion, clearly showing who is saying them, and what we do or don’t know.” | “Anyone watching, listening to or reading our coverage can see we have set out both sides’ competing claims about the explosion, clearly showing who is saying them, and what we do or don’t know.” |
| The hardening of the Israeli government rhetoric follows criticism in the UK of a BBC report aired in the immediate aftermath of the explosion in which correspondent Jon Donnison suggested it was likely that it was the result of an Israeli rocket. | The hardening of the Israeli government rhetoric follows criticism in the UK of a BBC report aired in the immediate aftermath of the explosion in which correspondent Jon Donnison suggested it was likely that it was the result of an Israeli rocket. |
| “The Israeli military has been contacted for comment and they say they are investigating,” Donnison had said in his report from Jerusalem. “But it is hard to see what else this could be, really, given the size of the explosion other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes because when we’ve seen rockets being fired out of Gaza we’ve never seen explosions of that scale. | “The Israeli military has been contacted for comment and they say they are investigating,” Donnison had said in his report from Jerusalem. “But it is hard to see what else this could be, really, given the size of the explosion other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes because when we’ve seen rockets being fired out of Gaza we’ve never seen explosions of that scale. |
| “We might see half a dozen, maybe a few more, people being killed in such rocket attacks but we’ve never seen anything on the scale of the sort of explosion on the video I was watching earlier, which as you say is still to be verified.” | “We might see half a dozen, maybe a few more, people being killed in such rocket attacks but we’ve never seen anything on the scale of the sort of explosion on the video I was watching earlier, which as you say is still to be verified.” |
| Israel has said its own investigation into the blast suggested the explosion on Tuesday was the result of a rocket fired from within Gaza that dropped short of its target. Hamas has claimed, without providing evidence, that the explosion was the result of an Israeli missile. | Israel has said its own investigation into the blast suggested the explosion on Tuesday was the result of a rocket fired from within Gaza that dropped short of its target. Hamas has claimed, without providing evidence, that the explosion was the result of an Israeli missile. |
| The Israeli government claims this initial take by the BBC and other media organisations has further destabilised the region and led to the cancellation of a summit in Amman between the US president, Joe Biden, and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders, which was due to take place on Wednesday. | The Israeli government claims this initial take by the BBC and other media organisations has further destabilised the region and led to the cancellation of a summit in Amman between the US president, Joe Biden, and the Egyptian and Palestinian leaders, which was due to take place on Wednesday. |
| Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday morning, the UK’s security minister, Tom Tugendhat, criticised “irresponsible speculation”, adding that it had not been “the BBC’s finest hour”. | |
| “To see a BBC reporter say that the Israeli military have said they’re investigating, but it’s hard to see what else this could be other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes, at a time when it was uncertain, is really serious,” he said. | “To see a BBC reporter say that the Israeli military have said they’re investigating, but it’s hard to see what else this could be other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes, at a time when it was uncertain, is really serious,” he said. |
| Today presenter and former BBC political editor Nick Robinson responded by citing comments from the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen. | Today presenter and former BBC political editor Nick Robinson responded by citing comments from the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen. |
| He said: “Jeremy was on this programme pointing out that viewers of the 10 o’clock news and people across our footage were left in no doubt that there was no clarity about who’d carried it out. I think you’re talking about a broadcast that was in the immediate aftermath of the explosion.” | |
| In response to Donnison’s report on Tuesday evening, the former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick, whose wife and children are Jewish, wrote on social media that “reporting of the tragic explosion at al-Ahli hospital by the BBC and others was like a 21st-century blood libel. Jewish people at home and in Israel will suffer as a result of their carelessness, ignorance and irresponsibility.” | In response to Donnison’s report on Tuesday evening, the former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick, whose wife and children are Jewish, wrote on social media that “reporting of the tragic explosion at al-Ahli hospital by the BBC and others was like a 21st-century blood libel. Jewish people at home and in Israel will suffer as a result of their carelessness, ignorance and irresponsibility.” |