The BBC is embroiled in controversy after a documentary on the Israel-Gaza war featured narration from the son of a senior Hamas official.
The corporation has removed Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone from its streaming service BBC iPlayer while it carries out “further due diligence.” Following four teenage boys through the conflict in Gaza, pro-Israel protestors are in uproar after discovering one of the 13-year-old subjects, Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of Hamas’ deputy minister of agriculture.
“The BBC has become a mouthpiece for terror. It cannot call terrorism by its name. The BBC has become a spokesperson for terrorists,” said Gideon Falter, the chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which organized a demonstration outside the BBC headquarters in central London earlier this week. Photos from the event showed protestors holding up placards that read “spokespeople for terrorists.” Other signs showed Hamas militants with BBC headbands.
The CAA submitted a Freedom of Information request to the BBC, demanding to know if payments were made in relation to the doc — to whom and in what amounts. The group said: “This is an opportunity for the BBC to come clean on whether lisence fee funds have gone to Hamas.” U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she spoke with BBC director-general Tim Davie about the film, ensuring that “no money paid has fallen into the hands of Hamas.”
A statement from the BBC read: “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone features important stories we think should be told — those of the experiences of children in Gaza. There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”
The corporation said it was not informed of the teenager’s family connection in advance by the film’s production company.
However, following its removal from iPlayer, industry figures are now calling on the BBC to reinstate the program. Soccer star Gary Lineker, actors Riz Ahmed, Khalid Abdalla, Miriam Margolyes and director Mike Leigh are among the 800+ signatories of an open letter published by Artists for Palestine U.K. on Wednesday.
The media professionals, including 12 BBC staff, sent a letter to Davie, as well as chair of the board Samir Shah, outgoing chief content officer Charlotte Moore, and head of news and current affairs Deborah Turness.
“Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives,” the letter reads. “This is what must remain at the heart of this discussion. As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.”
The letter also dubbed the campaign “racist” and “dehumanising.” It called on the BBC to “reject attempts to have the documentary permanently removed or subjected to undue disavowals.”
The BBC’s board is expected to discuss the film on Thursday. The BBC did not immediately respond The Hollywood Reporter’s request for comment.
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