BBC bans journalist who said ‘Israelis are not human beings'

Telegraph

2 days ago

A Gaza reporter who was exposed after describing Jews as 'devils' has been banned by the BBC.
The corporation has ordered its Arabic channel to stop using Ahmed Alagha, who was a regular contributor to its coverage of the Israeli war against Hamas.
The ban came after The Telegraph revealed in April that Mr Alagha had been accused of describing Israelis as sadistic and less than human.
He appeared twice on BBC Arabic after this newspaper exposed his social media comments, once just a few hours after The Telegraph's story had been published, and again on May 12.
When Mr Alagha's continued appearances were brought to the BBC's attention, corporation sources stated he would no longer be used on its programmes, ordering its Arabic channel to keep him off air.
It comes after continued controversy over the output of BBC Arabic, which critics have described as being biased against Israel, amid claims that several of its contributors have repeatedly made anti-Semitic comments.
In May, the BBC's chairman, Dr Samir Shah, announced the broadcaster will appoint an independent figure to investigate its Arabic channel as part of a review of the standard of its reporting of the Middle East conflict.
'The Jews are the devils of the hypocrites'
Mr Alagha, who was billed on air as a Palestinian journalist, has appeared on BBC Arabic reporting from Gaza numerous times since January last year.
He has appeared to have singled out Jews for condemnation and praised the killing of Israeli civilians on his social media accounts.
Responding to footage of Gaza tower blocks being bombed by Israel following the October 7 attacks, Mr Alagha posted on X, formerly Twitter, a few days later: 'This is not a Hollywood film; this is what was done to these towers in Gaza City at the hands of the Israeli occupation, and it's happening to us in Gaza.
'It [the Israeli occupation] is the embodiment of filth, the unrivalled swamp of wickedness. As for the Jews, they are the devils of the hypocrites.'
The following day, he posted: 'And as we know, the 'Israelis' are not human beings to begin with, rather they are not even beasts. Perhaps they belong to a race for which no description can capture the extent of their lust and sadism.'
'BBC is trapped in an echo chamber'
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera), a media campaign group, has called for the BBC to crack down on its Arabic channel's use of contributors it says cannot be trusted to deliver objective and balanced broadcasting.
A spokesman for Camera UK said: 'The BBC has finally done the right thing regarding Ahmad Alagha. Nevertheless, his and Afifa's stories clearly demonstrate that the process by which the BBC obtains and broadcasts Gaza Strip information is deeply flawed – with Israel's restrictions on journalists entering Gaza not being nearly as relevant as the corporation claims they are.
'BBC Arabic's editors specifically seem to be trapped inside an echo chamber. Such dehumanising statements about Jews and Israelis reflect a deep failure to meet even the most basic standards required from a journalist reporting live from Gaza; yet the editors kept using the individual who made them, even when his record was publicly known.
'This precedent, which would be unimaginable were Alagha to target any other minority group in the UK, let alone a group involved in the same conflict he purports to cover.'
Danny Cohen, the former director of BBC Television said: 'It is both horrifying and astonishing that a reporter who has spouted anti-Semitism was allowed back on air after his vile racism was exposed.
'His appearing on BBC Arabic in the first place was indefensible – simple checks would have revealed his unacceptable views.
'The fact that he was allowed to return after his racism became public knowledge is further evidence of the deep-seated systemic problems of bias, extremism and antisemitism at BBC Arabic.
'BBC management needs to get a grip. If the BBC Arabic service cannot be reformed, it should be shut down.'
Broadcasting sources said BBC Arabic had been instructed not to use Mr Alagha as a contributing reporter or commentator again.
A BBC spokesman said: 'Ahmed Alagha is not a BBC member of staff or part of the BBC's reporting team. His social media posts do not reflect the BBC's view, and we are absolutely clear that there is no place for anti-Semitism on our services. We will not be using him as a contributor in this way again.'
Mr Alagha has recently removed his X social media account.