Rishi Sunak turns on BBC over Hamas coverage as Beeb refuses to apologise for 'offensive' report
Rishi Sunak has turned on the BBC over their failure to refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation
PA
Rishi Sunak has turned on the BBC over their failure to refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
The Government defines Hamas as a "single terrorist organisation". But the BBC has continually referred to it as a "militant" group, describing the invasion as a "militant" attack.
Hitting out at the broadcaster's choice of language in its news programmes, Sunak said: "This is not a time for equivocation, we should call it out for what it is."
He made the remarks on a visit to Nottinghamshire yesterday.
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"We have included contributors who have condemned the attackers as terrorists and we have reported that Hamas is designated as a terrorist group by many Western governments, including the UK."
The BBC's editorial guidelines recommend avoiding the use of "emotive" language when reporting on Middle East events.
It suggests the use of words such as "militants", "attacker" or "gunman", instead of "terrorists".
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer demanded answers from BBC boss Tim Davie in a meeting earlier this week
PA
Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer demanded answers from BBC boss Tim Davie in a meeting earlier this week.
Former Labour MP Luciana Berger said: "There's a responsibility on all the media. These people are terrorists. Hamas is a terrorist organisation.
"Language matters. When you treat countries differently you exacerbate the problem."
Responding to the criticism, the BBC said: "We reported the Hamas attacks and the response by Israel in line with the BBC's editorial guidelines.
The broadcaster faced further criticism after it aired an interview with a lecturer at Gaza’s Islamic University Refaat Alareer, which saw him claim that the attacks on Israel were "legitimate and moral", saying the killings were "exactly like the Warsaw ghetto uprising".
Following a complaint from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a BBC spokesperson said: "While an interviewee who made comments on the Warsaw Ghetto was robustly challenged on air, we agree his comments were offensive and we don’t intend to use him again."
Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel on Saturday morning, attacking towns and army bases in the south of the country.
In response, Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, declaring a "complete siege" of the area.
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As many as 900 people have reportedly been killed in Israel, while 650 are said to have been killed in Gaza.
More than 100 hostages have been taken by Hamas, Israel's foreign ministry has declared.