BBC executive tells staff: ‘Hamas government different to its military'
Deborah Turness made the comments in a meeting intended to reassure staff after the 'catastrophic failure' of broadcasting the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.
The BBC broke editorial guidelines by not disclosing that Abdullah, a boy at the centre of the now-pulled documentary, was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, the Hamas-run government's deputy minister of agriculture.
Ms Turness addressed the coverage of the scandal, suggesting that there was a difference between Gaza's Hamas-run government and its Hamas-run military.
The UK Government makes no such distinction, and the group is 'proscribed in its entirety'.
In a video shared with The Telegraph, Ms Turness tells staff: 'I think it's really important that we are clear that Abdullah's father was a deputy agriculture minister, and therefore was a member of the Hamas-run government, which is different to being part of the military wing of Hamas.
'Externally it's often simplified that he was in Hamas, and I think it's an important point of detail that we need to continually remind people of the difference.'
Sources have suggested that a request for response on this issue was made by a member of the BBC Arabic service.
Ms Turness made no suggestion that the BBC documentary should not have been pulled.
The suggestion that there is a difference between the military and civil wings of Hamas is unlikely to quell the fierce criticism received by the BBC since it emerged that the star of the documentary had family links to the terrorist group.
The documentary, made by independent procure Hoyo Films, featured 13-year-old Abdullah Alyazouri as a narrator.
The day after it was broadcast, it emerged that Abdullah was the son of Ayman Alyazouri.
An internal review conducted by Peter Johnston, the BBC's director of editorial complaints, ruled that the documentary breached editorial guidelines on accuracy by failing to disclose 'critical information' about Abdullah's family history.
Jewish groups have called for Tim Davie, the director-general, to resign over the scandal, which Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, has listed among the BBC's recent 'catastrophic failures'.
Other failures listed included the live broadcast of a set by the band Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, during which Pascal Robinson-Foster, the lead singer, led chants of 'death to the IDF'.
The BBC has apologised profusely for both incidents, but the suggestion by the BBC's head of news that there are divisions to be drawn within Gaza's Hamas regime may raise further questions from critics of the broadcaster's handling of the conflict in the Middle East.
Lord Austin said: 'It's absolutely clear that after all the complaints and controversy and even after their own investigation BBC bosses still just don't get it.
'The UK has proscribed Hamas in its entirety and it therefore absolutely unacceptable to pretend there is any meaningful distinction between members of Hamas. Deborah Turness presided over this mess and still tries to defend the BBC's colossal mistakes. Surely her position is untenable.'
The UK government itself has refused to draw a line between the civic and military wings of Hamas, stating online: 'The government now assesses that the approach of distinguishing between the various parts of Hamas is artificial. Hamas is a complex but single terrorist organisation.'
Danny Cohen, the former head of BBC Television has branded Ms Turness's comments 'staggering'.
He said: 'The head of BBC News does not appear to understand that all elements of Hamas comprise a single terrorist organisation, as the UK government have made very clear.
'A terrorist organisation dedicated to the genocidal destruction of Jewish people. I'm shocked that Ms Turness wishes to make this distinction and actively encouraged BBC journalists to do the same.
'It is both ignorant and dangerous and is further evidence of why so many British Jews do not feel they can trust the BBC.'
The BBC has said that staff did not know about the Hamas connections of the contributors in the controversial Gaza documentary.
The broadcaster has been contacted for comment.
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