On Wednesday, the globally influential BBC was forced to apologize yet again for an anti-Israel smear from one of its anchors. This time, the BBC accused Israel of intentionally targeting Al-Shifa Hospital staff and Arab speakers during its operations in Gaza, which was exactly the opposite of what the cited Reuters report said.
Anchor Monica Miller proclaimed on Tuesday:
At this moment we are hearing from Reuters that is reporting that Israel—it says its forces are carrying out an operation against Hamas in Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital and they are targeting people including medical teams as well as Arab speakers. They are also saying that Israel is calling on all Hamas operatives in the hospital to surrender at this point. Once again we are hearing from Reuters that Israel says that its forces are carrying out an operation against Hamas in that hospital that we had just heard of, they are targeting-- is Arab speakers as well as some of the medical staff there and they are asking all Hamas operatives in that hospital to surrender.
Good god, this is blood libel from the BBC.
— Oliver Cooper (@OliverCooper) November 15, 2023
The IDF said it entered the hospital *with* its own medical teams and Arabic speakers, so it can help people.
BBC reports the IDF is *targeting* medical teams and Arabic speakers.
That’s not a coincidence.pic.twitter.com/m4PEcOtFRP
The following day another anchor tried to damage control:
And now an apology from the BBC. A BBC News—as it covered initial reports that Israeli forces entered Gaza’s main hospital. We said that medical teams and Arab speakers were being targeted, this was incorrect and misquoted a Reuters report. We should have said IDF forces included medical teams and Arabic speakers for this operation. So, we apologize for this error which fell below our usual editorial standards. The correct version of events was broadcast minutes later.
The @BBCWorld @BBC apologizes after falsely claiming that our forces targeted medical staff and Arabic speakers at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza when IN FACT the @IDF entered the hospital with its own medical staff and Arabic speakers to help patients in need.
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) November 15, 2023
Watch: pic.twitter.com/obzj6V5PY5
Unfortunately, Miller’s error was in line with the BBC’s history on this issue than it may want to admit. Earlier in this war, the BBC said it was a “mistake” for reporter Jon Donnison to blame the blast at another Gaza hospital on an Israeli airstrike when he declared, “It’s hard to see what else this could be really, given the size of the explosion, other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes.”
Even still, the BBC equivocated, "At no stage did he actually say it was caused by the Israelis... but nonetheless, when the impression is left that we've speculated, (it) is important to correct that which we've done."
Donnison also had to apologize for reporting on photos from the Syrian Civil War as if they were from Gaza.
Earlier in the year, prior to October 7, Anjana Gadgil told former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that “The Israeli forces are happy to kill children.” The BBC was forced to apologize for that as well.
No wonder Israeli comedians love going after the BBC.
Here are transcripts for the November 14 and 15 show:
BBC News
11/14/2023
MONICA MILLER: At this moment we are hearing from Reuters that is reporting that Israel—it says its forces are carrying out an operation against Hamas in Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital and they are targeting people including medical teams as well as Arab speakers. They are also saying that Israel is calling on all Hamas operatives in the hospital to surrender at this point. Once again we are hearing from Reuters that Israel says that its forces are carrying out an operation against Hamas in that hospital that we had just heard of, they are targeting-- is Arab speakers as well as some of the medical staff there and they are asking all Hamas operatives in that hospital to surrender.
***
11/15/2023
BBC NEWS ANCHOR: And now an apology from the BBC. A BBC News—as it covered initial reports that Israeli forces entered Gaza’s main hospital. We said that medical teams and Arab speakers were being targeted, this was incorrect and misquoted a Reuters report. We should have said IDF forces included medical teams and Arabic speakers for this operation. So, we apologize for this error which fell below our usual editorial standards. The correct version of events was broadcast minutes later.
