LONDON: The Israeli government has issued a stern warning to the BBC, suggesting that the network may be prohibited from reporting in the country due to its refusal to classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
A senior Israeli official voiced the government’s concerns, emphasizing that the BBC might face repercussions if it continued to operate in a manner “inconsistent with our legal framework.”
In an interview with the Daily Mail on Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the BBC’s stance “atrocious.”
“The fact that it does not recognize Hamas as a terror organization requires a complete legal battle and public battle,” Herzog said. “What other type of torture do they want before they decide it (is) a terrorist organization?”
Herzog also highlighted what he claimed was a double standard in the way the BBC has characterized similar acts of violence in the past, citing the London Bridge, Westminster, and Paris attacks as examples of events the BBC has reported as terrorist acts.
Another Israeli official, discussing potential measures against broadcasters, told The Telegraph, “We’re a democratic country and we will use all the tools a democratic state has. If any broadcast channel uses terminology we think is crossing the line in accordance with our laws, we will (take action).”
Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that Shlomo Karhi, the communications minister, had been given the green light by the attorney general to set up regulations aimed at curbing Al Jazeera’s reporting on the ground in Israel.
Karhi called the network “a propaganda mouthpiece” for Hamas and accused it of exposing Israeli soldiers to potential attack from Gaza.
The reports triggered an international reaction, with media and press-freedom organizations urging Israel not to block the Qatari broadcaster, citing the importance of a “plurality of media voices.” Any move to ban the BBC from Israel is expected to further raise concerns about press freedom.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the BBC has faced numerous criticisms over its reporting. On Thursday, Israeli officials criticized the British broadcaster for its coverage of the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, describing suggestions it made in the immediate aftermath of the blast that Israel might have been responsible as a “modern blood libel.”
On Saturday, during a pro-Palestine march in London, activists splattered the BBC’s New Broadcasting House in Oxford Circus with red paint to protest what they called the network’s “biased” reporting of events in Israel and Gaza.
