BBC admits 'Israeli forces are happy to kill children' comment fell below impartiality standards

In response, Bennett said: “Actually, all 11 people dead there are militants. The fact that there are young terrorists who decide to hold arms is their responsibility.”

המראיינת מה-BBC העזה לטעון בפניי ש״חיילי צה״ל שמחים להרוג ילדים״ (!).
ממש במילים אלה.
צפו בתשובה שלי.
(מתוך ראיון שלי הערב ל-BBC). pic.twitter.com/RUTZfdmAfo

— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) July 4, 2023

Gadgil replied: “Terrorists, but children. The Israeli forces are happy to kill children.”

Bennett described the news presenter's comments as “remarkable” and asked Gadgil how she would define an armed 17-year-old firing at her family. 

In response, she cited the UN, which had “defined [the militants] as children.”

Jewish community groups accused the BBC of being impartial and of demonstrating anti-Israel bias, and the broadcaster apologised the following day. 

This apology described Gadgil’s language as “inappropriate” but also stressed the BBC had covered the operation “in an impartial and robust way”.

However, a further complaint was lodged by a viewer who claimed that “insufficient action had been taken to remedy the bias apparent in [Gadgil’s] statement.”

The BBC Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has now acknowledged that Gadgil’s statement “fell below BBC’s standards of impartiality”.

In a statement it said: “The ECU accepted that, as phrased, the statement might have given viewers the impression that they were hearing the presenter’s personal view on a controversial matter, and that it therefore fell below the BBC’s standards of impartiality.”

It added that, as BBC News had “already acknowledged a problem with the interview” on its online “corrections and clarifications" page, it considered the complaint resolved.

The Israeli military launched the raid on the West Bank city of Jenin on July 3 under the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. It was the largest-scale military operation the West Bank in 20 years.

During the 48-hour raid, Israeli forces killed 12 Palestinians and arrested around 100 terror suspects.