'Shameless!' BBC slammed after Palestinian chief who labelled Hamas massacre 'glorious' given platform
BBC slammed after Palestinian chief who labelled Hamas massacre 'glorious' given platform
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The BBC has been slammed as “shameless” after they interviewed a Palestinian chief who called Hamas’ October 7 massacre “glorious”.
Mustafa Barghouti, the General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative party, spoke on Radio 4’s World at One show on Wednesday. His appearance comes after the Israeli military launched a series of strikes in the West Bank, killing nine Palestinians.
The broadcaster has been lambasted for inviting him to appear on the show, following remarks he made on October 7 about Hamas’ attack, which saw 1,200 Israelis killed and 251 civilians taken hostage.
“Today is a glorious day for the Palestinian resistance and people,” he told Al-Jazeera Qatar.
BBC slammed after Palestinian chief who labelled Hamas massacre 'glorious' given platformGetty“The resistance paid with interest for the attacks of the terrorist settlers and the attacks against the al-Aqsa mosque. It paid with interest for those who normalise [their relations] with the occupation.
“It paid with interest for those who normalise [their relations] with the occupation,” he continued.
Asked by BBC’s Sarah Montague on Wednesday whether he supports attacks by Palestinians on Israelis, he replied: “Look, you don't need to ask me this question because I am so well-known for being an activist calling always for non-violent resistance.
“And I don't want anybody to be killed but let me tell you, the war here is one-sided from one side or another.”
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'Today is a glorious day for the Palestinian resistance and people,' he told Al-Jazeera Qatar
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Montague did not dispute his claim, however, the corporation said their conversation on the whole had been “robust and challenging”.
An Israeli official has since said that the broadcaster should have tried to challenge Barghouti's claims that he had "always" called for non-violent resistance.
“The BBC’s failure in letting Barghouti get away with the claim that he is peaceful is shameless,” said the official. “His celebration of the Oct 7 massacre was on public record and he should have been challenged over his views.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “This was a robust and challenging interview with a veteran political activist about the current situation in the occupied West Bank and the programme featured a range of views. The BBC is committed to covering this polarising story impartially and independently.
Six Israeli hostages have been found dead in Gaza terror tunnel after ‘brutal’ Hamas kidnapping
ISRAEL IN UK“The Israel-Gaza conflict is a challenging and polarising subject to cover, but when asked to choose the one provider they would turn to for impartial reporting on this story, three times as many pick the BBC as choose our closest competitor. The BBC remains the world’s most trusted international news source.”
Earlier today, six Israeli hostages were found dead in Gaza after being “brutally” murdered by Hamas terrorists.
Hersh Goldberg, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Carmel Gat, 39, Almog Sarusi, 26, Alex Lubnov, 32, and Ori Danino, 25, were retrieved from Gaza by Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “According to our initial estimation, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short time before we reached them.”