Israeli politician Sharren Haskel has launched a scathing attack on the BBC, accusing the broadcaster of making 80 "severely damaging" errors in its coverage of Israel that she believes were not mere mistakes.
Haskel, who has emerged as one of Israel's most vocal critics of the BBC, has raised serious concerns about the corporation's reporting on the conflict since October 7.
Her criticism extends to controversial payments made to the family of a Hamas official's son who narrated a BBC documentary about Gaza.
The politician has suggested these issues warrant a "deep investigation" into the broadcaster's practices.
Last month, Haskel led calls for police to investigate money paid to the family of the 14-year-old boy who narrated the BBC documentary titled "Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone".
The corporation eventually admitted that cash had been paid to the boy's mother via his sister's bank account.
The teenager was later revealed to be the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture.
"I don't think there's a chance that didn't happen," Haskel said regarding concerns the money may have reached the terror group.
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Speaking to The Telegraph, she added: "Does a kid receive a salary or is it his parents? Does it matter if it's the mother or the father? This is a deputy minister in Hamas. How can you disconnect?"
Haskel expressed particular concern about the BBC's Arabic channel, which she claims made 80 mistakes in the first five months of the conflict that required correction.
"I really don't know what's happening with the BBC, but making 80 mistakes that have severely damaged Israel's reputation that's not a mistake," she said.
She called for a thorough investigation into the broadcaster's practices.
"There needs to be a deep investigation about what is happening. It's British taxpayers' money that funds them," Haskel stated.
She added: "If they betray that trust [to be impartial], that's a major problem."
When asked about potential sanctions against the BBC similar to Israel's ban on Al Jazeera, Haskel admitted Israel could not risk the diplomatic fallout.
"We really can't afford it," she candidly acknowledged.
Responding to concerns about BBC Arabic, the corporation stressed it hears from a range of viewpoints in its coverage.
A spokesman said: “BBC News Arabic is committed to hearing from a range of contributors with a variety of views and perspectives from across Egypt and the wider Middle East.
"Throughout our coverage, our journalists routinely question and challenge the views of contributors on air and will continue to do so, robustly.”
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Haskel, who has emerged as one of Israel's most vocal critics of the BBC, has raised serious concerns about the corporation's reporting on the conflict since October 7.
Her criticism extends to controversial payments made to the family of a Hamas official's son who narrated a BBC documentary about Gaza.
The politician has suggested these issues warrant a "deep investigation" into the broadcaster's practices.
Last month, Haskel led calls for police to investigate money paid to the family of the 14-year-old boy who narrated the BBC documentary titled "Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone".
The corporation eventually admitted that cash had been paid to the boy's mother via his sister's bank account.
The teenager was later revealed to be the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture.
"I don't think there's a chance that didn't happen," Haskel said regarding concerns the money may have reached the terror group.
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Speaking to The Telegraph, she added: "Does a kid receive a salary or is it his parents? Does it matter if it's the mother or the father? This is a deputy minister in Hamas. How can you disconnect?"
Haskel expressed particular concern about the BBC's Arabic channel, which she claims made 80 mistakes in the first five months of the conflict that required correction.
"I really don't know what's happening with the BBC, but making 80 mistakes that have severely damaged Israel's reputation that's not a mistake," she said.
She called for a thorough investigation into the broadcaster's practices.
"There needs to be a deep investigation about what is happening. It's British taxpayers' money that funds them," Haskel stated.
She added: "If they betray that trust [to be impartial], that's a major problem."
When asked about potential sanctions against the BBC similar to Israel's ban on Al Jazeera, Haskel admitted Israel could not risk the diplomatic fallout.
"We really can't afford it," she candidly acknowledged.
Responding to concerns about BBC Arabic, the corporation stressed it hears from a range of viewpoints in its coverage.
A spokesman said: “BBC News Arabic is committed to hearing from a range of contributors with a variety of views and perspectives from across Egypt and the wider Middle East.
"Throughout our coverage, our journalists routinely question and challenge the views of contributors on air and will continue to do so, robustly.”
Find Out More...