BBC Arabic apologises for claiming Jews spit on Christians in ‘holiday ritual'
The BBC has been forced to apologise following claims by its Arabic service that Jews spit on Christians in a 'holiday ritual'.
Claims were made in a video released by the corporation alongside an article titled 'Sukkot: Spitting and Assault on Christians and Harassment of Muslims on the Jewish Holiday'.
In the video, released in October 2023, a caption claimed observant Jews celebrated their religious holiday, Sukkot, in Israel by spitting on Christians.
After the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera) complained to the BBC, the caption was corrected to say: 'Some observant Jews consider spitting on Christians a holiday ritual.'
However, Camera had to wait 19 months for a written apology to be issued.
In the correspondence, the BBC said: 'We apologise for the errors and thank you for your patience in waiting for this reply/confirmation of corrections that were made in October 2023.'
The footage sparked outrage after ultra-Orthodox Jews could be seen spitting on the ground alongside a procession of foreign Christian worshippers carrying a wooden cross in Jerusalem.
The spitting scene, captured by a reporter at Israel's Haaretz newspaper, showed a group of foreign pilgrims beginning their procession through the limestone labyrinth of the Old City.
They were retracing the steps along the route they believe Jesus took before his crucifixion, raising a giant wooden cross.
However, ultra-Orthodox Jews in dark suits and broad-brimmed black hats squeezed past the pilgrims through narrow alleyways, their ritual palm fronds for the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot in hand.
At least seven ultra-Orthodox Jews spit on the ground beside the Christian tour group.
A second BBC Arabic article, published on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 and titled 'The story of suicide bombers throughout history: from the fanatical Jews, through Assassins, to the Jihadists', linked 'fanatical Jews' to the US terror attacks.
The article describes the Sicarii, a militant Jewish group active during Roman occupation, as the earliest example of suicide attackers. It then went on to link them to modern jihadist tactics.
The Sicarii seized Jerusalem with other forces during the Jewish revolt in 70AD, before retreating to Masada.
However, Camera complained and argued that while the Sicarii did commit mass suicide at Masada, they did not carry out suicide attacks.
Camera wrote in a complaint to the BBC: 'Since the Sicarii's attacks weren't suicidal, and their mass suicide was not an attack, they do not fit a narrative about suicide attacks at all. Yet, they are the only ones labelled 'fanatics' and 'extremists' in the entire article.'
'Material inaccuracy'
The BBC executive complaints unit agreed the original article contained a 'material inaccuracy' after Camera made further complaints.
In a ruling issued on April 10, they said: 'Although the Sicarii may have preferred suicide to capture, there was no evidence of their using suicide as a means of an attack.'
The headline was changed to 'The Story of Suicide Bombers Throughout History: From Assassins to Jihadists'.
Lord Carlile, the government's former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, condemned the piece at the time and warned the BBC about publishing 'deliberate and sometimes even casual anti-Semitism'.
He told The Telegraph after the apology was issued: 'I'm glad they have apologised.'
Camera also said there were six other complaints about BBC Arabic content that have not been resolved as of June 9.
A Camera spokesman said: 'Having demonstrated such ignorance in covering Jewish affairs, it seems that part of the problem lies not only with the Arabic service's inability to respond to complaints on time, but also in the lack of training its staff undergo upon hiring.'
Last month, the BBC announced it would appoint an independent figure to investigate its Arabic channel over repeated allegations of anti-Semitism exposed by The Telegraph.
The Telegraph has previously revealed a number of BBC Arabic's contributors have posted anti-Jewish sentiments and expressed their apparent support for Hamas, both before and after the Oct 7 attacks.
Speaking to Times Radio in May, Dr Samir Shah, the chairman of the BBC, said: ' The Arabic service, we are looking at it, we've been examining it. I think this whole business of how we've covered Israel-Gaza is a proper thing to examine thoroughly, which is why we're going to identify... we're going to get hold of an independent figure to look at our coverage.'
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The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day as nuclear talks are called off
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Times
44 minutes ago
- Times
1,200 miles apart, two cities quake as missiles rain down
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The city, gripped by explosions and aerial attacks, found itself in a de facto lockdown — under siege, with few shelters and nowhere to hide. In Israel the losses were much smaller: three people were killed and 76 injured from Iranian missile strikes on Friday night. The military warned citizens to be ready for continued attacks that could continue for days. They said Israeli airspace might be closed for weeks. One British family found themselves stranded having come to Tel Aviv for a wedding. David Seal said that their visit changed from strolling through the old cobblestoned neighbourhood of Neve Tzedek, which he likened to 'Shoreditch on the Sea', its tables at restaurants 'brimming' at midnight, to a war zone threatened by Iranian 'hellfire.' On Friday night, with the wedding off, Seal, his wife and daughter went down to the bomb shelter in the hotel where they are staying. 'Again, we're scrolling through the phone, see what's going on, realise that parts of Tel Aviv have been hit badly with casualties and buildings destroyed. So again, you're very concerned, but that was 15 minutes in the middle of the night. Came in, back upstairs. You don't sleep properly because you're trying to doze off, or you try to avoid dozing off into a deep sleep, because you're concerned [that] if something happens, you sleep through it. So you wake up six in the morning, tired, exhausted and frankly, concerned. That was our night. 'I'd like to go home now. But I can't see how we're going to get out of here any time soon,' Seal said, adding that the British embassy had been 'useless' in rescuing its citizens. • Israel travel advice: is it safe to visit right now? The days ahead Netanyahu, who has long championed a large-scale attack designed to cripple Iran's nuclear facilities, called on Friday for Iran's country's population to rise up against the regime. 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In Tel Aviv especially there has long been an awkward dissonance between the death and suffering just down the coast in Gaza and the relative comfort of their own beaches, plentiful jobs and buzzing bars and coffee shops. But something changed in recent days. The sporadic threat of rocket fire, and the constant bleak awareness of the kidnapped civilians held by Hamas in underground tunnels, were one thing. The uncertainty and fear felt now over what could happen next is something else entirely. On Saturday evening the city prepared again to hunker down at dusk, not knowing what the night would hold. 'What's about to happen is even scarier, as it's going to get worse. The more we're exposed to these attacks, the more fear and anxiety we'll suffer,' said Irit. 'It's not clear how the coming days will look, how we'll cope with the new reality. It's apocalyptic here. Just total uncertainty.'
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Iran missiles cause multiple casualties in Israel as Israeli strikes hit Tehran oil depot
Update: Date: 06:57 BST Title: Yemen's Houthis say they 'coordinated' with Iran in attack on Israel Content: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels say they have launched a "military operation targeting sensitive targets of the Israeli enemy". The Houthis, backed by Iran, have launched multiple strikes at Israel since the the war in Gaza in October 2023. Meanwhile, Israel has also struck Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The attack on Israel in the past 24 hours were "coordinated" with Iran, a Houthi spokesperson said in a televised address on Sunday. Update: Date: 06:55 BST Title: Sirens sound across Israel for second night Content: Hugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent, in Jerusalem For a second night, sirens sounded across Israel, as air defences tried to intercept Iranian missiles. In Tamra in the north of the country - a mainly Palestinian town - a house partially collapsed after being hit. Hours later, in a second wave of attacks, a building in the central city of Bat Yam was badly damaged. As morning broke, emergency teams were still searching for the missing. In Iran, there were fresh Israeli airstrikes. The targets included the defence ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites that Israel says were linked to the country's nuclear programme, including an oil depot, in what appeared to be the first attack on Iran's energy infrastructure. Update: Date: 06:51 BST Title: Air strikes continue as conflict between Israel and Iran enters third day Content: Smoke from an Israeli attack rises from Shahran oil depot in Tehran, Iran Welcome back to our live coverage. Tensions continue to escalate between Israel and Iran, as the two sides launched attacks on each other overnight. Iran has fired missiles at central and north Israel while the Israeli military confirms it has carried out a number of strikes against Iranian nuclear infrastructure sites. At least four people have been killed in the strikes on Israel, Israeli emergency services say, with more than 100 people injured. Tehran's oil ministry says the Shahran oil depot in the capital was hit by Israeli strikes. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is threatening a "more severe" response if Israel doesn't stand down. "The U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight," US President Donald Trump writes on his Truth Social site, adding "we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel".
