Greta Watch

BBC criticised for refusing to call Hezbollah terrorists; Irish president pushes anti-Israel conspiracy theory

BBC criticised for refusing to call Hezbollah terrorists

Why is Ireland’s president pushing an anti-Israel conspiracy theory?

The BBC has been criticised for refusing to call Hezbollah terrorists in its coverage of conflict in the Middle East.

In BBC reports on Israeli operations against Hezbollah, the group has been described as a “militia” or an organisation “considered” to be terrorist.

The reporting has followed BBC guidelines, which stipulate that groups such as Hezbollah should be referred to as “militants” rather than terrorists.

They say journalists should “not use the term ‘terrorist’ without attribution”. The BBC will instead use terms that are less “emotive”, such as “gunmen” and “militants”.

The guidelines provoked anger in the wake of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel, when the BBC was criticised for not directly calling Hamas terrorists. tmg.video.placeholder.alt 5aLg7RnNLb0

The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism has voiced concern about what it described as the corporation’s “resistance” to the term.

A spokesman said: “In the wake of the barbaric Oct 7 attacks, when Hamas murdered over 1,200 Israelis and took some 250 hostage, the BBC showed an unbelievable level of resistance to calling Hamas what it is – a terrorist organisation.

“Similarly, Hezbollah is a proscribed anti-Semitic genocidal terror group, and it began attacking Israel from across the border in Lebanon on Oct 8 with no respite.

“Again, the BBC is stubbornly failing to describe Hezbollah in legally accurate terms. Using any other descriptor risks legitimising or downplaying the actions and rhetoric of this and other terror groups. British Jews should be able to expect better from our national broadcaster.