THE BBC’s coverage of International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been heavily criticised for failing to report on Palestinian victims.
Chris Doyle, director of campaign group the Council for Arab-British Understanding, took to Twitter/X to condemn the BBC’s coverage on the frustrations over BBC coverage of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant being issued.
The article in question does not explain what war crimes Israel is alleged to have committed, and makes no reference to Palestinian victims – as the death toll in Gaza has risen above 44,000 people.
Taking issue with the lack of platform for those harmed by Israel’s military campaign, he wrote: “BBC's woeful coverage of Palestine continues. This article on the ICC misses key features. Here there is no reference to the victims or details of the war crimes and crimes against humanity Netanyahu is accused of. What were these war crimes?”
He continued: “More importantly, this article gives no voice to the victims of those crimes as if they did not exist. They are Palestinian but this is not stated. Those accused and their friends get ample coverage and at the top of the article. Not one state who backs the warrants is quoted.
BBC's woeful coverage of Palestine continues. This article on the ICC misses key features. Here there is no reference to the victims or details of the war crimes and crimes against humanity Netanyahu is accused of. What were these war crimes? 1/https://t.co/upEu1lIGnG
— Chris Doyle (@Doylech) November 23, 2024
“Finally, it is hard to imagine that in any other context, the BBC would omit that ICJ case against Israel on the charge of genocide. It contains no reports from human rights organisations including Israeli and Palestinian that back up these assessments.”
This week saw the controversial Israeli prime minister and former defence secretary Yoav Gallant issued arrest warrants by the ICC for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Labour Government said in response to the warrant: “This government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, in accordance with international law.
“There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations.”
The BBC has been continually criticised over its coverage on the war in Gaza.
We told how the organisation was recently accused of “whitewashing Israel’s crimes” after it failed to report on the testimony of a surgeon who recently returned from Gaza at a Westminster committee.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
