The BBC Censored Gazans Antisemitic Remarks in Controversial Documentary

February 27, 2025

by: Ynetnews

Thursday, 27 February 2025 | The BBC has been accused of “whitewashing” participants’ views in its controversial Gaza documentary by mistranslating references to “the Jews” and omitting praise of “jihad [holy war].”

An investigation by the Telegraph found that on at least five occasions, the words Yahud or Yahudy —Arabic for “Jew” or “Jews”— were changed to “Israel” or “Israeli forces” in subtitles, or removed entirely.

In one instance, an interviewee praised Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar for his “jihad against the Jews,” but the BBC translated it as “fighting Israeli forces.”

The broadcaster also faces pressure to clarify whether taxpayer money was given to Hamas during the production of “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said counter-terror police should investigate if funds were transferred.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has also raised concerns with BBC director-general Tim Davie. “It is essential that the BBC maintains the highest standards of reporting,” she said, adding that she expects to be informed of the findings of the broadcaster’s internal investigation.

The documentary, originally promoted as an “unflinching” look at life in Gaza, was removed from iPlayer after it emerged that one of its main participants was the son of a Hamas minister.

New translations by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) have raised further questions about the BBC’s handling of the film.

In one scene, a Gazan woman fleeing an area under attack says: “The Jews invaded our [area].” The BBC subtitles quoted her as saying: “The Israeli army invaded our area.”

In another, a boy says: “The Jews came, they destroyed us, Hamas and the Jews.” The subtitles rendered this as: “The Israelis destroyed everything, and so did Hamas.”

During a distressing moment where a doctor amputates a child’s arm, the subtitles quote him saying: “Look what the Israelis are doing to the children of Gaza.” However, the word “Israeli” was not actually used, according to CAMERA.

A young girl watching Iranian missiles in the sky during the Islamic Republic’s attack on Israel in October 2023 is quoted in the subtitles as saying: “We’re used to seeing flashes of lightning in the sky. But now it’s real missiles.” However, CAMERA’s translation states she actually said: “At first, when we would see these [flashes], they would be flares, by the way. From the Jews. But now they turned out to be [real] missiles.”

In another mistranslation, a woman discussing the October 7 Hamas attacks is quoted as saying it was the “first time we invaded Israel.” However, she actually said: “We were invading the Jews for the first time.”

Later, a Palestinian woman showing footage of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is quoted as saying he was “prepared for battle,” but CAMERA’s translation states she actually said he was “ready for jihad.” Another subtitle quotes her as saying Sinwar was “fighting and resisting Israeli forces,” but the actual translation, per CAMERA, is: “He was engaging in resistance and jihad against the Jews.”

Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, accused the BBC of “sanitizing” views about Sinwar and presenting a “more acceptable version for a Western audience.”

“This whitewashing keeps viewers ill-informed about Hamas and promotes sympathy for their deadly ideology,” he said. “It signifies the institutional failure behind the BBC’s reporting of the Israel-Hamas conflict.”

Orly Goldschmidt, a spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in the UK, called the mistranslations “intentional” and a “sinister and misleading policy.”

She said the changes “excuse racism” and “do not allow viewers to see how children, and Palestinians at large, have been taught to hate ‘Jews’ from a very young age.” She also criticized the omission of “jihad,” arguing that it “downplays the threat of terrorism that Israelis face daily.”

“The issue goes beyond one documentary,” she added. “It reflects a serious and systematic problem at the BBC regarding its anti-Israel bias.”

The BBC did not comment on the latest concerns but referred to previous findings by its editorial standards committee, which had not upheld complaints regarding the translation of the word Yahud.

Posted on February 27, 2025

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on February 27, 2025. See original article at this link.)

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