At a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the unwillingness of the state-affiliated British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to call the Palestinian movement Hamas a terrorist organization.
Herzog acknowledged that in modern democracies, the authorities do not always have the ability to intervene, but since the BBC represents Britain and is known worldwide, it is necessary to oppose the broadcaster's position and rectify the situation.
Sunak responded by saying that it was necessary to call things by their proper names and noted that Hamas' attacks were "a barbaric act of terrorism perpetrated by an evil terrorist organization."
Earlier, the BBC faced a barrage of criticism over its refusal to call Hamas terrorists. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, among others, condemned the BBC's position, calling it "on the verge of disgrace."
On Tuesday, the British state-affiliated broadcaster temporarily sidelined six correspondents responsible for covering events in the Middle East. The decision came in response to concerns surrounding specific social media posts that appeared to express support for Hamas' actions in the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict.
These posts, originating from journalists affiliated with BBC News Arabic, some of whom are stationed in Egypt and Lebanon, raised questions about their stance on the conflict. Some of the posts seemed to voice solidarity with Palestine or presented challenges to Israel's perspective.
