BBC's Laura Kuenssberg slammed live on air for platforming Israeli president
Isaac Herzog was interviewed on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme after the US bombed three key nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday morning.
The BBC journalist also spoke with Iranian ambassador to the UK Seyed Ali Mousavi.
But the platforming of Herzog amid Israel's genocide in Gaza was questioned by independent MP Zarah Sultana, who was a guest on the show.
READ MORE: John Swinney calls for 'diplomatic solution' after US bombs Iran
Kuenssberg, after interviewing both officials, asked Sultana: 'Listening to our two interviews, did it make you more fearful of what might happen next? The UN suggesting that this could be a dangerous spiral.
She then added, referring to fellow guests Piers Morgan and Tory MP Tom Tugendhat: 'Or as these two are both arguing, actually, America had justification to do this in order to try to rid Iran of its nuclear weapons or its aspirations for nuclear weapons.'
Sultana responded: 'The attacks on Iran are definitely an escalation, and it worries me about the UK's position, whether we will blindly follow the US into another war as we have done before.'
Isaac Herzog on the show (Image: BBC)
She then added: 'But I just want to talk about Isaac Herzog if I can. This is the head of a state that is committing genocide, where over 55,000 people have been killed in Gaza – over 17,000 children.
'In fact, after the October 7 attacks, Israel Herzog himself accused all of Gaza's population of collective responsibility.'
In the days after the attack, Herzog said it was not only Hamas militants who were responsible but 'an entire nation' and vowed that Israel would fight 'until we break their backbone'.
The comments were cited in South Africa's International Court of Justice case as expressing genocidal intent.
Sultana went on: 'This is a man that should be at The Hague, not platformed on the BBC.'
Kuenssberg then intervened to state, referring to the ICJ case: 'But that legal process has not concluded yet. There is no legal ruling that they are engaged in genocide in that way.'
Morgan then interjected: 'But they are ethnic cleansing. I mean you listened to Smotrich, the finance minister last week. He's one of the senior members of that Cabinet talking brazenly and openly about cleansing Gaza of all Palestinians.
'That is ethnic cleansing, that is a war crime.'
Sultana wasn't the only one concerned with Herzog's appearance.
Ex-SNP MP Anne McLaughlin took issue with Kuenssberg's questioning.
'I cannot believe what I just heard from Laura Kuenssberg. At the end of an interview with the Israeli president she FINALLY asked him to justify the 10 plus reports of Palestinians being murdered by Israeli forces as they queued for food,' she said.
'He [Herzog] said some of the 10 were unverified. So he asked again and noted witnesses but then allowed him a lengthy monologue about how it was Hamas' fault.
"No explanation, just an assertion that the shootings were their fault. No interrogation of that, just thanked him for his time! Not watched for some time and sorry I did!'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
40 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
John Swinnney: 'This situation is a threat to us all'
He said he agreed with the UN Secretary General on the need for an end to the conflict through diplomacy. Mr Swinney said: 'The conflict in the Middle East has escalated to an intensely more dangerous and alarming level as a result of the US intervention overnight, which risks spiralling into disaster for the region and the wider world. 'The world finds itself at a profoundly dangerous moment and must pull itself back from the brink.' READ MORE: He added: 'I agree with the Secretary-General of the United Nations that we need to see immediate de-escalation and an end to the conflict through diplomacy. It is vital that the UK Government takes any and all steps it can through diplomatic channels to insist upon that. We also call on Iran to return to negotiations. 'And while the danger is clearly greatest for those in the region, make no mistake that this situation is a threat to us all. The consequences for international peace and security could be severe and it is vital that all nations work through the United Nations to de-escalate this conflict and bring about peace.' United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said earlier on Sunday he was "gravely alarmed by the use of force" by the United States against Iran. 'This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security," he said. President Donald Trump in the White House on Saturday 21 June (Image: AP) He added that there is a 'growing risk' that this conflict could 'rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world'. Mr Guterres called on member states to 'de-escalate' and 'uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law'. He said: 'At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace.' The First Minister's response to the developments in the Middle East came after Sir Keir Starmer urged Iran to return to negotiations. US President Donald Trump said early on Sunday that three key nuclear sites in Iran were 'completely and fully obliterated' in the military strikes. The US is thought to have used B-2 stealth bombers to drop bunker-busting munitions on the sites – including the deeply-buried Fordo facility – as well as 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from submarines. The US-UK base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is not thought to have been used in the operation. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed attacks took place on its Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz sites, but it insisted its nuclear programme will not be stopped. Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog said there are no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the three locations following the strikes. The strikes came just days after President Trump said a decision on whether to join Israeli attacks on Iran would be delayed as international leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urged restraint. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday the US president was still hopeful of reaching a negotiated solution with Tehran and would decide on military action within two weeks. But speaking after the strikes on Iran early on Sunday, President Trump said: 'Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. 'Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat.' Trade policy minister Mr Alexander, who is the MP for Lothian East and a former international development minister, spoke to the BBC's Sunday Show. He said: 'I understand that people have woken up this morning to the news that was breaking overnight with a real sense of concern. 'I want to assure your viewers that the British Government has been putting contingencies in place. 'There have been a whole series of meetings, I and other have been attending Cobra meetings in the course of the week.' He said plans are being put in place to move UK nationals in affected countries to safety, stressing the UK 'took no part in this military action'. The Prime Minister had earlier said Iran should 'return to the negotiating table', noting the region remains 'volatile'. Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf was critical of the Prime Minister's response. He posted on social media: 'An awful statement from the PM, which ignores our collective responsibility to uphold international law. 'Supporting illegal military action in Iran, and gas-lighting us about an imminent nuclear threat, is hauntingly reminiscent of the lies told in the run up to the Iraq war.' During a protest march in London, Mr Yousaf had earlier accused the UK Government of 'abusing' anti-terror laws against the Palestine Action group, which vandalised two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton. Meanwhile, business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said today it would be 'naive' to think the risk of Iranian-backed terrorism in the UK will not increase as a result of the US strikes on Irainian nuclear sites. Speaking to Sky News this morning Mr Reynolds said the UK was not involved in the strikes against Iran but was informed in advance by the US. He said "no request was made" was made to the UK by the US for support. He told Sky News: "We were not and have not been involved in these attacks." But asked about the potential risk to the UK, he added: 'This is not hypothetical. There is not a week goes by without some sort of Iranian cyber attack on a key part of UK critical national infrastructure. 'There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable.' He added: 'It's already at a significant level. I think it would be naive to say that that wouldn't potentially increase. The Iranian ambassador to the UK branded the US military strikes on Iran as a violation of a United Nations charter.
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Trump administration warns Iran retaliation would be ‘terrible mistake'
The morning after the U.S. military executed an operation against three Iranian nuclear facilities, the Trump administration appears unified in their message to the regime, that retaliation would be a severe mistake. NBC News' Garrett Haake reports from the White House on President Trump's message, along with his Cabinet secretaries.
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
How does America's Iran strike affect UK security?
What have we learned of material relevance to the UK's security from Trump's bombing of Iran's uranium enrichment sites? First, Trump does not need European support for offensives of global significance. This is a military version of the American unilateralism he manifested with his tariffs. It feels a lifetime away from the courtship between Bush and Blair more than 20 years ago that preceded the invasion of there is a conspicuous limit to how much sensitive information the American president will share even with a leader such as Keir Starmer, whom Trump says he likes. Note that on Tuesday the prime minister was at pains to try to persuade me that none of Trump's public statements were suggestive of an imminent US strike on Iran. I was sceptical and the PM insisted I was quite wrong. Starmer's denials make sense only if Trump did not confide in him and - possibly - misled Starmer and all European leaders will know that the corollary of the US as the supreme military superpower acting unilaterally is that European countries are under even more pressure to invest more in their/our own defences, because if Trump does not need us, he will feel even less obliged to help us. This week's NATO leaders meeting will now be even more about accelerating a rapid increase in European spending on defence than it would anyway have it is conspicuous that Starmer has not endorsed the American strike on three nuclear sites. Trump will have noticed. It is however unclear whether this will introduce tension into the relationship between Downing St and the UK intelligence experts continue to believe that it is impossible to eradicate the nuclear threat from Iran using only missile and air attacks, no matter how devastating the bombs that are deployed. This is why Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammy continue to hope Iran will come to the negotiating table. Sixth, this is a super high risk moment for the stability of the Middle East. But those who know the Iranian regime well tell me they believe the likeliest outcome is neither a major escalation of the conflict into a wider regional war or a peace breakthrough. They expect a tawdry muddling through that saves the face of the Tehran regime. Which means the pernicious tit-for-tat attacks between Iran and Israel would continue - till the next crisis. PS The UK and European position is that a sustainable end to Iran's conflict with Israel requires a ceasefire in Gaza and meaningful progress towards the creation of a peaceful Palestinian state. But European leaders shed no light on how this can possibly happen, given that Trump is so supportive of the belligerence of prime minister Netanyahu and his government.
