Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel has levelled serious allegations against the BBC, claiming the broadcaster declined to interview her following Thursday's deadly assault on a Manchester synagogue.
Speaking to GB News, Ms Haskel claimed that the BBC routinely contacts her for interviews during significant events, but they rejected her offer to appear after the attack.
Ms Haskel spoke on GB News about her frustration with the BBC
|GB NEWS / PA
"I contacted the BBC yesterday because when the attack in Manchester happened and something had to be said to defend the BBC, they refused to have me on," she stated.
The deputy minister expressed frustration that neither she nor her spokesman could secure an appearance on the Today programme. "They said I wasn't needed," Ms Haskel explained, despite her two-year history of BBC appearances.
Sir Keir Starmer visited the synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, following the attack
| PAThe Manchester incident occurred on Thursday morning when a vehicle was deliberately driven into pedestrians outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, with the assailant also stabbing a person during Yom Kippur observances.
Two individuals died in the assault, whilst three others sustained serious injuries and required hospitalisation. Armed officers responded at 9.38am, fatally shooting the attacker who was wearing what appeared to be an explosive device strapped to his body.
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Greater Manchester Police later confirmed the suspicious item was not viable. The force initially delayed confirming the suspect's death whilst examining the device for safety reasons.
Emergency services flooded the area, including a bomb disposal unit, with multiple police vehicles, fire crews and ambulances attending the scene. The police helicopter circled overhead as officers in combat gear secured the perimeter.
Sharren Haskel hit out at the BBC, saying they refused to have her on its programmes
| GETTY/BBCCounter-terrorism authorities have classified the incident as a terrorist attack, with Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor confirming the designation at New Scotland Yard. "Counter terrorism have declared this a terrorist incident," he announced, urging the public to maintain vigilance.
Police believe the attacker was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British national of Syrian origin, though formal identification remains pending. Investigators expressed surprise that official records showed no previous referrals to the Prevent counter-extremism programme for this individual.
Three people have been detained in connection with the assault - two men in their thirties and a woman in her sixties.
Active crime scenes remain at White House Avenue in Crumpsall and Langley Crescent in Prestwich as the investigation continues.
Ms Haskel joined Cameron Walker and Ellie Costello on GB News
|GB NEWS
Ms Haskel characterised the BBC's refusal as symptomatic of wider media complicity in fostering anti-Jewish sentiment. "This plague of antisemitism has been inflated by the media," she asserted during her GB News appearance.
The deputy minister emphasised her willingness to engage with challenging interviewers, stating: "I go on because I believe in justice and I have no problems with difficult confrontations with some difficult interviewers."
She argued that the broadcaster's rejection came precisely when Jewish communities required vocal support.
"As soon as Jews are being attacked and they need to be defended, suddenly I'm not good enough and I am not needed. It's absurd," she said.
The Israeli official concluded that such media behaviour constitutes "part of how this plague of racism against the Jewish community was allowed to go on."