A BBC quoted NGO and a big question

As readers may recall, almost a decade ago the BBC tried to backtrack following the publication of a report (which was subsequently amended, with a footnote added four days later) on the topic of casualty figures in the Gaza Strip during Operation Protective Edge.

Among those brought in by BBC Radio 4 to explain “[w]hy are men over-represented in civilian death tolls and how are the statistics gathered?” was a representative from the political NGO Al Mezan (which was one of the sources used at the time by the UN to collect casualty figures then quoted and promoted by the BBC) who told BBC audiences that more men were killed than women “because of the suspicion”.

BBC RADIO 4’S ‘MORE OR LESS’ DOES DAMAGE CONTROL ON GAZA CASUALTY FIGURES ARTICLE

Al Mezan was at the time involved in lawfare against Israel. A decade on, the same NGO – which is linked to the PFLP – is part of the South African delegation that is trying to persuade the ICJ that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

On March 30th, Israel’s Channel 12 aired an interview with one of the released hostages from Kibbutz Nir Oz, Ada Sagi, who – while held in an apartment in Khan Younis – was forced to write a document dictated by her Palestinian Islamic Jihad captors for a propaganda video produced by that terrorist organisation.

NGO Monitor noticed something interesting about that document.

Given the BBC’s record of quoting and promoting Al Mezan itself as well as the casualty figures to which it contributes, the question of how that NGO’s notepaper arrived in the hands of PIJ terrorists holding hostages is surely one that should be of interest to a department set up in order to “build trust with audiences by transparently showing how BBC journalists know the information they are reporting”.

Related Articles:

THE BBC’S JANUS-FACED APPROACH TO THE ISSUE OF CASUALTIES IN GAZA

VITAL STATISTICS: STEALTH CHANGES MADE TO THE BBC’S GAZA CASUALTY FIGURES ARTICLE

BBC WATCH UNCOVERS THE SOURCES OF JEREMY BOWEN’S CITED CASUALTY FIGURES

More from Hadar Sela
BBC Radio 4 misleads with inaccurate portrayals of Israeli citizenship law
The July 6th edition of BBC Radio 4’s ‘The World Tonight’ included...
Read More
Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. says: Grimey

    The article by Richard Littlejohn in the Daily Mail today (Friday) is an outstanding example of common sense and eloquence. It should be accoladed by the entire Jewish world – and I hope it will be so.

  2. says: Neil C

    Only. the Iranian backed, Hamas linked BBC, know of the true entanglement and the wicked web of liars and cheats who are conning the world out of their money in support of a Sharia based Islamic society sworn the take over Western society. It is high time the BBC were held to account #defundthebbc

Leave a comment
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *