NGOs deny pro-Palestinian bias in BBC confrontation
Following the Gaza war, the BBC and Sky News refused to air a television appeal on behalf of Palestinian victims by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) on the grounds that it would jeopardize the broadcasters’ impartial and objective stance on the conflict. According to the BBC’s director general Mark Thompson, “no matter how carefully couched, [broadcasting the appeal] ran the risk of calling into question the public’s confidence in the BBC’s impartiality in its coverage of the story as a whole.” DEC’s 13 members include British NGOs Oxfam, Christian Aid, Save the Children, and World Vision, whose one-sided campaigns, as seen in NGO Monitor’s detailed reports, reflected their strong bias.
During the fighting, Oxfam claimed that “[t]he international community must not stand aside and allow Israeli leaders to commit massive and disproportionate violence against Gazan civilians in violation of international law.” Similarly, Christian Aid campaigned against the upgrade of EU-Israel relations; its director, Daleep Mukarji, declared, “[i]t is inconceivable that we should extend further benefits of European partnership to a government that violates international humanitarian law and refuses negotiation in favour of continued violence.”
The BBC and Sky News’ decision was controversial in the UK, and was widely reported by international media. Christian Aid attempted to defend its “impartiality,” claiming that it has, “always been unequivocal in its support for the security of Israel and the rights of all Israeli people to live safely and securely” and “our development and humanitarian relief reaches Palestinian and Israeli; Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities.” However, NGO Monitor analyses, including the statement above, demonstrate Christian Aid’s highly politicized approach which disproportionately focuses on alleged Israeli “violations” and minimizes the impact of Palestinian terrorism.