ISRAEL’S ambassador to Britain says she has “no confidence” in the BBC’s head of news following controversial remarks about Hamas.
Tzipi Hotovely criticized Corporation executive Deborah Turness for her insistence on distinguishing between Hamas’ political leadership and its military branch.
Ms. Turness caused controversy this week during an all-staff call about the BBC’s Gaza documentary scandal by stating that “we need to continually remind people of the difference.”
It is despite the British government saying any distinction is “artificial” and Hamas is a “single terrorist organisation”.
In a letter to BBC chief Tim Davie, Ms. Hotovely expressed her disapproval, stating: “This is an utterly outrageous position to take… it demonstrates a shocking lack of understanding about Hamas by the head of BBC News.”
She added: “I have absolutely no confidence in Mrs Turness’s ability to deal with this issue sufficiently and believe that a fundamental change is required in the approach of the BBC to address this systemic issue properly.”
A BBC spokesman said earlier this week that Ms Turness was not implying that Hamas was a single terrorist organisation.
They added: “The BBC constantly makes clear on our programmes and platforms that Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK Government and others.
“We are also clear that we need to describe to our audiences the complexities of life in Gaza, including within the structure of Hamas, which has run the civilian functions of Gaza.”
