As we have previously documented, the BBC self-conscripted to a PR campaign against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) even before that organisation began its operations in the Gaza Strip in late May.
HOW BBC FRAMING OF THE GHF TOES THE UN LINE
It therefore did not come as much of a surprise to find the BBC News website (and individual BBC journalists) promoting a filmed report by Jeremy Bowen titled “‘I witnessed war crimes’ in Gaza, former worker at GHF aid site tells BBC” on July 26th.
The synopsis to Bowen’s filmed report reads as follows: [emphasis added]
“A retired US special forces officer has revealed to the BBC why he resigned from his work with US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centres.
“I witnessed the Israeli Defense Forces shooting at the crowds of Palestinians,” Anthony Aguilar told the BBC.
He added that in his entire career he has never witnessed such a level of “brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population, an unarmed, starving population”.”
Within hours of the appearance of Bowen’s report on the BBC News website, the GHF clarified that Aguilar had not “resigned” but that his contract had in fact been terminated. The BBC News website did not however amend its claim. On July 28th the Jerusalem Post reported the IDF’s rejection of Aguilar’s allegations, noting that:
“The US-backed organization [GHF] said that Aguilar was terminated for misconduct over a month ago, and said that they had “seen written communications in which he pleaded for his job back and threatened retribution if not reinstated, which raises substantial questions regarding his motives. We also have evidence that he may have falsified documents and presented misleading videos to push his false narrative.””
In television and radio versions of Bowen’s report which were aired on July 25th, Aguilar was described as a “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation whistleblower”.
On July 29th the GHF issued a comprehensive filmed statement explaining the background to the story.
“Today the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) conducted a virtual briefing alongside legal counsel regarding a personnel matter that has attempted to distract from GHF’s life-saving mission to feed the people of Gaza. David Panzer, counsel for UG Solutions, presented facts and various pieces of evidence related to former UG Solutions contractor Tony Aguilar’s false accusations.”
Of particular interest is the revelation that “as late as July 4th, Mr. Aguilar informed the company leadership that he had submitted a new application to come back to work in Gaza”.
The day before that – July 3rd – saw the appearance on the BBC News website of a report by the BBC Jerusalem bureau’s Lucy Williamson (with “[a]dditional reporting by Gidi Kleiman and Samantha Granville”) titled “Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians”.
“A former security contractor for Gaza’s controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid distribution sites has told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat, including with machine guns. […]
Continuing his description of the incident at one of the GHF sites – in which he said guards fired on a group of Palestinians – the former contractor said: “As that happened, another contractor on location, standing on the berm overlooking the exit, opened up with 15 to 20 shots of repetitive weapons fire at the crowd.
“A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor who was standing there was like, ‘damn, I think you got one’. And then they laughed about it.”
The contractor, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, said GHF managers had brushed off his report as a coincidence, suggesting that the Palestinian man could have “tripped” or been “tired and passed out”.
The GHF claimed the man who made these allegations is a “disgruntled former contractor” who they had terminated for misconduct, which he denies. He showed us evidence that he left the post on good terms.”
Williamson’s report includes video footage filmed at a site in the Gaza Strip (which she says was given to the BBC by her anonymous interviewee) along with commentary from that “former aid contractor” with an American accent.
The same footage also appears in Bowen’s later report.
Williamson’s July 3rd report was also promoted on BBC television and on BBC radio using the loaded term “whistleblower”.
It would therefore appear that the BBC had been in contact with Aguilar at least since July 3rd – some twenty days after he was dismissed and one day before he again applied to be re-employed by the GHF’s security company.
In other words, the BBC had over three weeks in which to check out Aguilar’s background and his claims (which, notably, in the meantime had evolved from GHF security contractors “opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians” to “the Israeli Defense Forces shooting at the crowds of Palestinians”) before the appearance of Jeremy Bowen’s report. That process was apparently not carried out.
Instead, the BBC’s international editor was clearly keen to use his interview with Aguilar in order to promote a particular narrative.
Bowen: “Based on the knowledge you have, do you think that you were a witness to war crimes? I think you’re saying that very emphatically.”
Aguilar: “Without question I witnessed war crimes.”
With Jeremy Bowen having already promoted that ‘war crimes’ narrative in early June and again on July 22nd, it is perhaps not surprising that when that “whistleblower” opportunity to promote it further arose, due diligence flew out of the BBC’s window.
Updates:
A BBC News website report published on August 1st – “Trump envoy visits controversial Gaza aid distribution site” by Alys Davies – includes further promotion of Jeremy Bowen’s report.
