The BBC's biased Israel reporting is fuelling anti-Semitism

I was in southern Israel last September, close to the border with Gaza, researching an article on the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacres. Our driver was taking us along Route 232, now known as the 'Road of Death' since so many people were murdered there. A line of pensioners waiting patiently for a bus were machine-gunned, I was told. We passed a number of small roadside shelters called meguniots which normally offer protection for civilians from incoming rockets. Young partygoers fleeing the Nova music festival hid in these concrete bunkers when they came across dozens of terrorists on the broad highway through the desert.
We stopped at one and I stepped inside. Incredibly narrow and cramped, no bigger than a garden shed, the space had been turned into a shrine with flickering tea lights, photographs of the beautiful boys and girls who breathed their last in there, and QR codes that allowed you to download individual stories. 'We are in a horror movie,' a girl's voice said. 'Many people are dead, we are shot in the legs, please help,' yelped a boy. He didn't make it.
Up to 50 children were packed closely together in that meguniot. Hamas threw grenades in, killing several of them instantly. The injured groaned while those who were still OK made whispered calls to their parents and the police begging for help. Yuval Raphael managed to reach her father. In a recording, you can hear her crying: 'Dad, lots of people are dead. Send the police here. Please Dad, send the police, it's urgent... they're crushing me.'
'Be quiet,' he replied. 'Yuvali, my daughter. Yuvali, breathe deep. Hide. Play dead.'
'Bye,' the 23-year-old said, thinking that was the last time she'd hear his voice.
Yuval Raphael was one of the lucky ones, if anything which happened that pitch-dark day can be called good fortune. The bodies of her friends, and people she'd only just met, fell on her. Every so often, the terrorists would come back and strafe the pile of corpses with bullets, determined none would be left alive. Yuval managed to stay very still and silent, even though her leg was badly wounded and the dead and the dying pressed down heavily on her. It was hard to breathe. Eight hours later, she was rescued, one of only 11 people in the shelter to survive. Eight hours when she knew the veil between life and death could be wrenched aside at any moment and ghosts were her close companions.
The trauma is hard to imagine. Yuval could be forgiven for retreating from the world and never trusting it again. Tragically, some who lived – girls who were raped and mutilated at the festival site – ended up in psychiatric units. Survivors' guilt could be too hard to bear. A year after the massacre, Shirel Golan, aged 22, died by her own hand at home. Shirel's family said she had found media misinformation about the barbaric atrocities, even downright denial and mockery of what had taken place, extremely distressing. 'She is lying through her teeth and reading a script,' said one reply to a young girl's account of her ordeal.
Yuval Raphael defied the haters and did something remarkable. Although she had always known she had a good voice, she didn't begin a professional singing career until after the attack. At the Eurovision Song Contest a fortnight ago, she was Israel's entry, delivering a knockout performance of a hauntingly beautiful ballad, New Day Will Rise. Still with shrapnel in her leg. 'I wished for myself to be happy and to really understand the gift that I had been given, and that's to live,' she told one journalist.
Graham Norton, the BBC's commentator for Eurovision, said nothing about the nightmare Yuval had lived through, although you can guarantee a British entry who had hurt his big toe in a tobogganing accident would doubtless have been praised for his astonishing fortitude. 'Israel, continues to be controversial,' Norton murmured when there were boos from the audience. Later, when Yuval won the popular vote by a landslide (coming second overall to Austria) Norton quipped: 'Organisers breathing a sigh of relief they're not faced with a Tel Aviv final next year.'
That was how the resurrection of a young woman who survived a massacre by some of the world's most evil men was covered by the BBC.
The shabby treatment of Yuval came back to me on Monday morning when I listened to Jeremy Bowen, the BBC's International Editor, talking on the Today programme about the killing of 31 Palestinians at a US-backed aid hub in Gaza. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) denied it had fired on civilians and an Israeli government spokesman claimed rumours were circulated by 'bad faith actors'. Then, on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the BBC over its reporting, saying it constantly took Hamas's word as 'total truth'.
While it's hard to know for certain, it seemed perfectly possible that Hamas, furious about losing control over the aid, a lucrative Mafia-like arrangement which it enjoyed when UNWRA (United Nations relief agency – accused of being riddled with corruption) had a monopoly, needed a quick propaganda win to cast doubt over the new American system.
But Bowen had other ideas. First he said that 'information I've been getting from medics' backed up what a British doctor had just told Today. Because UK medics based in Gaza are always reliable witnesses (and children are never, ever gravely injured or starved or murdered by Hamas to turn the international community against Israel). As is that UN bloke, Tom Fletcher, who, only recently, told the programme that '14,000 babies in Gaza will die in the next 48 hours' if Israel's 'egregious' action continues. Really? How was that horrifying statistic arrived at? BBC journalists apparently thought it was rude to press Mr Fletcher too hard. His appalling claim, made, he later said, in the heat of a desperate situation, was swiftly debunked, but not before that disgraceful blood libel (a common anti-Semitic trope is that the Jews are baby killers) had travelled around the world. Astonishingly, Tom Fletcher, while admitting his language needed to be more precise in the future, doubled down on suggestions that aid was not being allowed in and it was a 'war crime'.
'That many casualties,' continued Jeremy Bowen, 'included shrapnel as well coming from shells... I think we have to assume that… the Israelis were shooting because that volume of casualties is the kind of volume Israelis only are able to inflict.'
Again, really? Why do we always 'have to assume' the worst possible behaviour by the IDF when independent experts say they have inflicted historically low casualties for warfare in a built-up area. Not that all casualties aren't dreadful and distressing (and 27 more Palestinians were tragically killed on Tuesday while waiting for aid to be distributed), but Allied forces inflicted worse when they drove the equally wicked Islamic State out of Iraq. President Obama ordered a siege of the city of Mosul because the terrorists had embedded themselves within civilian areas. There was a notable shortage of media outrage about the 10,000 civilian deaths because the world mainly agreed that the planet was a better place without those fundamentalist b------s in it.
Oh, and by the way, what possible motive would Israel have for shooting scores of civilians when it has a vested interest in proving those aid hubs can succeed?
Let's not forget it was the BBC which reported that an explosion at Al-Ahli hospital simply must have been caused by Israel before overwhelming evidence emerged that a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket was responsible. Jeremy Bowen said he didn't regret 'one thing in my reporting, because I think I was measured throughout, I didn't race to judgment.' When the interviewer pointed out that Bowen falsely reported that the hospital building was flattened, he said, 'Oh, yeah, well, I got that wrong.' No biggie, Jeremy.
Not coincidentally, Monday's Today programme also carried news of an attack on an event in Boulder, Colorado, which was raising awareness about the Israeli hostages. Twelve people were badly injured, some burned by Molotov cocktails including an elderly lady who had survived the Holocaust.
The appalling worldwide surge in anti-Semitism since October 7 2023 – including the recent murder of a young couple who worked for the Israeli embassy in Washington DC – is undoubtedly fuelled by grossly partisan reporting. A week ago there was a racially-motivated knife attack by a group of men on three Jewish boys at Hampstead Tube station; one lad ended up in hospital. More and more British Jews, among our most successful and patriotic citizens (I have never been to a Jewish event where they didn't sing God Save the King), are being driven out of the UK. What on earth must they think when they hear Jeremy Bowen's palpable contempt for Israel – it's so bad I can't bear to listen any more. And much of other BBC reporting is barely disguised anti-Semitism.
They say the devil has all the best tunes and Hamas has played the media like a violin. Surely very little by the way of civilised conduct is to be expected from men who strangled the tiny Bibas brothers, baby Kfir and toddler Ariel, with their bare hands. Monsters who streamed over the border and killed nearly all the young women soldiers at the border observation station; most of their bodies so savagely mutilated in acts of sexual rage and depravity what remained of them was unfit to be shown to their grieving parents. Yet the Western media, and a large proportion of the educated liberal world, including the BBC, has been entirely captured by this extremist Islamist group which would murder in cold blood every value, every enlightened idea, every uncovered woman, every gay person, they hold dear.
All of the sane Muslim states have banned the crazies, knowing what destruction they wreak, how murderous their creed, how anti-life they are. 'Hamas are terrorists' – a message on a placard that my friend from Our Fight: For Israel Against Anti-Semitism, Mark Birbeck, has been arrested for even holding in central London. A truth – Hamas are terrorists – that the BBC will still not speak.
You know, I took some comfort from Yuval Raphael's amazing win in the Eurovision popular vote. Despite the relentless propaganda, a vast number of viewers across the continent decided to support New Day Will Rise and Israel's entry.
'Be quiet,' he replied. 'Yuvali, my daughter. Yuvali, breathe deep. Hide. Play dead.'
Hamas massacred 40 beautiful young people in that roadside shelter, and their bodies protected Yuval, so that one day she would sing. And the death-cult shall have no dominion, and they will not win. Must never win.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Fox News

43 minutes ago

• Fox News

Extra: A Former Hamas Hostage Returns Home. His Father Tells His Story.

Edan Alexander, an American taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, returned to the United States this week and was given a big welcome by his hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, on Thursday afternoon. Edan was serving in the Israeli Defense Forces when Hamas terrorists ambushed and captured him. For 584 days, Edan was a hostage in the Gaza tunnels until he was freed on May 12th of this year. Just days before his return to the U.S., his father, Adi Alexander, joined FOX News Rundown host Dave Anthony to describe what Edan endured while he was being held captive and how difficult it was for him and his family knowing their child was in so much danger. Adi also weighed in on the multiple wars Israel is engaged in and his hopes that the remaining hostages being held by Hamas will be released. We often must cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear the full interview. Today on FOX News Rundown Extra, we will share our entire interview with Adi Alexander, allowing you to hear about Edan's harrowing story of survival and how his family never lost hope during the treacherous ordeal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Jews Fight Back in Trailer for Neo-Western ‘Guns & Moses' (Exclusive)

Amid a proliferation of antisemitic acts of terror in the United States — last month alone saw two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead in D.C. and 15 Jews burned, some severely, by a man wielding a makeshift flamethrower in Colorado — comes a controversial new thriller. Guns & Moses presents a scenario where American Jews arm themselves and fight back. More from The Hollywood Reporter Israeli Missile Strike Hits Iranian State Broadcaster on Live TV Caitlyn Jenner Escapes Israel Amid Escalating Conflict With Iran Israel-Iran Conflict Dominates Global News Despite a jokey title, the trailer, debuting exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter, suggests a dead-serious and violent revenge story sure to enrage critics of Israel's deadly military campaign in Gaza — itself provoked by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas ambush that killed 1,200 Israeli civilians. Israel's recent attacks on Iran and the potential of U.S. involvement in the conflict will only serve to heighten the controversy. 'This film is more than a story — it's a conversation we need to be having,' says Guns & Moses director Salvador Litvak in a statement. 'Every moment on set carried the weight of real lives at stake. Jews are under attack. When we say 'never again,' it means we need to step up and defend ourselves. And thank God we have allies in this fight. Moving toward release, we're not just sharing a movie — we're inviting audiences into a movement for security, partnership and responsibility around firearms.' The thriller, which gets an exclusive theatrical release on July 18, stars a quartet of seasoned actors: Mark Feuerstein, 54, Neal McDonough, 59, Dermot Mulroney, 61 and Christopher Lloyd, 86. Feuerstein plays Moses Zaltzman, a beloved Hasidic rabbi serving the small Jewish population of a desert town. The script is based on a 2019 incident at Chabad of Poway, an Orthodox synagogue in Poway, California, where a 19-year-old shooter entered on the last day of Passover and began firing. A 60-year-old woman was killed and three other people were wounded. 'When his congregation is violently attacked, police quickly arrest a young white nationalist who threatened them in the past, but Rabbi Mo thinks the troubled teen may be innocent,' according to a synopsis. 'With no one else willing to investigate, Rabbi Mo becomes the detective, and as the bodies pile up, he must learn how to use a gun in order to battle the real enemy.' Despite the Charles Bronson-goes-to-Yeshiva energy of the trailer, there may be more to the story than producers are letting on. 'At the heart of the film is the unexpected bond between the rabbi and an antisemite,' reads the synopsis. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT

Fox News

2 hours ago

• Fox News

Israel says it killed Iranian commander who helped fund, arm Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said it had killed an Iranian commander who for years helped arm and fund Hamas on behalf of the regime. Saeed Izadi, commander of the Palestine Corps in the Quds Force, was killed early Saturday during an Israeli strike in the city of Qom. Izadi was also "one of the orchestrators" of the Oct. 7, 2023, unprovoked Hamas attack on Israel, according to BBC News. "The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands," IDF chief Eyal Zamir said in a statement, calling it a "tremendous intelligence and operational achievement." Following the killing of Mohammed Sinwar, the head of Hamas' armed wing, at a hospital in Gaza in May, a joint operation between the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) discovered an underground command center underneath the hospital. Israeli troops found documents in the command center revealing that Hamas' military wing had maintained contact with Izadi in recent months, including Sinwar. Correspondence between Sinwar and Izadi planning an operation in which Izadi would arm Hamas with $21 million in weapons followed by an additional $25 million in weapons was found in the command center, the IDF said. "Due to the intensive efforts of the Southern Command, the Intelligence Directorate and the ISA, these two projects to arm Hamas's military wing in the Gaza Strip with advanced weapons worth tens of millions of dollars did not come to fruition," the IDF said. Izadi had been sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. over his ties to the Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, which also helped plan the Oct. 7 terror attacks. The IDF said later Saturday that it also had killed a second Iranian commander, Benham Shariyari, during a strike on his vehicle in Tehran. Shariyari had been "responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East," including missiles and rockets launched by Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis at Israel, the IDF said. "Since the outbreak of the war, the IDF has been working to dismantle the military capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization. The IDF will continue to act against any attempt by the Iranian regime to arm and fund the terrorist organizations that threaten the State of Israel and its civilians," the IDF said. "The elimination of Izadi constitutes a significant blow to the Iranian regime's weapons supply and terror financing network."