The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) criticized BBC News presenter Anjana Gadgil who, during an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, accused the Israeli military of being “happy to kill children” as it conducted anti-terrorism operations in Jenin.
“The UN has defined them as children and we know that four people between the ages of 16 and 18 have been killed in this targeted attack—let’s not forget this is a targeted attack,” Gadgil stated, alleging that “the Israeli forces are going in looking for these people.”
“BBC again vying for SWC Top 10 anti-Semitism list. Latest despicable exhibition of demonization of Jewish state by a so-called journalist,” stated Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action.
“In the UK and the US, 16-year-olds can be tried as adults in cases of serious felonies. In Jenin, Israel is confronted with a barrage of deadly terrorist attacks targeting civilians. Here’s a suggestion to the BBC: how about an investigative report on how PA, Hamas, Islamic Jihad mass brainwash children to glorify terrorist mass murders, with UNRWA’s supposed commitment to tolerance education, a sick joke. Who trains and arms these young people to wreak death and mayhem? Who posts scores of videos to incite and train young people to shoot, stab, and ram their Jewish neighbors? When the BBC has dealt with such issues, internally and on their broadcasts, they can retain the mantel of journalism. Until then the Jewish state can expect more such slanders that impact the lives of Jewish people the world over,” Rabbi Cooper added.
The SWC stated: "Numerous anti-Semitic incidents led the Simon Wiesenthal Center to place BBC at its Number 3 spot on the 2021 Top Ten Global Anti-Semitic list, just behind Iran and Hamas. These included BBC reporter Tala Halawa’s tweets of, “Hitler was right” and “Zionists can’t get enough of our blood” to the false reporting by BBC when a group of Muslims attacked a bus filled with Jews in the center of London."
Gadgil has been widely criticized for her shocking comments. European Jewish Association chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin sending a letter of complaint to the Director General of the BBC.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews stated: “We are appalled by comments made by a BBC presenter during an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The comments made, including the charge that ‘Israeli forces are happy to kill children’ when discussing armed terrorists under the age of 18, is simply disgraceful. This is a clear breach of the Corporation’s own Editorial Guidelines, and we will be contacting the Director General personally to protest in the strongest possible terms.”
The BBC stated in response to Rabbi Margolin's letter: “We have received comments and complaints concerning an interview with the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about recent events in the West Bank and Israel. The complaints raised relate to specific interview questions about the deaths of young people in the Jenin refugee camp.”
“Across the BBC’s platforms – including the BBC news channel – these events have been covered in an impartial and robust way. The United Nations raised the issue of the impact of the operation in Jenin on children and young people. While this was a legitimate subject to examine in the interview, we apologize that the language used in this line of questioning was not phrased well and was inappropriate.”