The BBC has issued an apology after a presenter asked former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about the killing of children in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Anjana Gadgil, a news anchor on the BBC World News channel, questioned Bennett on Tuesday about the Israeli occupation operation in Jenin that killed 12 Palestinians, including five children, and wounded more than 140 others.
Gadgil asked Bennett if the Israeli occupation forces “are happy to kill children” and referred to the Palestinian victims as “terrorists, but children”.
Bennett, who has previously boasted of killing Arabs, defended the operation and claimed that all the Palestinians killed were militants who had been involved in attacks on Israelis.
The interview sparked outrage among supporters of the Israeli occupation and pro-apartheid state Jewish groups in the UK, who accused Gadgil of bias and violating the BBC’s impartiality rules. They filed an official complaint with the broadcaster.
The BBC apologized on Wednesday for the “language” used by Gadgil and said that it was a legitimate subject to examine, but that the questions were not phrased well and were inappropriate.
Pro-Palestinian activists and media outlets have accused the BBC of disgraceful bias and propaganda in its reporting on the situation in Palestine. They claim that the BBC failed to provide context, balance and accuracy in its coverage, and that it ignored or distorted the voices of Palestinians.
The Israeli occupation forces launched a massive assault on the city of Jenin and its camp at dawn last Monday, which lasted for two days. The assault triggered fierce clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters and civilians. The Israeli forces used heavy weapons, tanks and bulldozers, as well as snipers who targeted ambulances and medical staff.
The assault resulted in the death of 12 Palestinians, including five children, and more than 140 injured, including 30 critically wounded. Among the dead were four members of the same family who were killed when an Israeli missile hit their home.
The assault also caused severe damage to citizens’ homes and properties, as well as to infrastructure in the camp. According to UNRWA, more than 500 people were displaced from their homes due to the destruction or damage.
The UN has raised concerns about the impact of the operation in Jenin on children and young people. According to Defence for Children International-Palestine, 35 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli occupation forces in 2023, most of them in the West Bank.
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