Col. Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British armed forces in Afghanistan, called for an investigation into Australian broadcaster SBS after the network admitted to censoring interviews it considered "too pro-Israel," including an interview he gave.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Col. Kemp stated, "Unfortunately, it's the reality of so many large-scale and influential broadcasters -and other media outlets as well - that they want to bias their output against Israel. It's not a question of just deleting people who are speaking in support of Israel or in support of the truth and reality. Their primary emphasis is on anti-Israel bias."
"People like SBS, the BBC over here in the UK, and other broadcasting organizations, they basically fuel Hamas. They encourage Hamas. They give strength to Hamas, They prolong the conflict. It's all by supporting Hamas' narrative, whether wittingly or unwittingly," he accused. "It's the same with organizations like the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court - they're all strengthening Hamas. They might as well be part of Hamas with the bias that they show toward Hamas and against Israel."
When asked if SBS should be investigated for its censorship, Col. Kemp responded, "I do. I think if any media organization is funded by taxpayer money, the media organization should be speaking objectively. They shouldn't be censoring people who just don't happen to suit their private agenda. The same applies, as I mentioned, to organizations like the BBC. There have been numerous investigations into the BBC finding horrific anti-Israel bias over many years."
Earlier this week, it was reported that presenter Amit Rehak resigned from SBS because of the network’s censorship of pro-Israeli content regarding the war in Gaza.
"They removed content without consulting with me. After working there for twelve years, I was shocked," said Rehak in an interview with the "International Hour" on Kan Reshet Bet.
According to Rehak, the management censored an interview with Col. Kemp, a senior British army officer who analyzed the IDF's activities in Gaza and claimed that the army does its utmost to prevent civilian harm, but also called Hamas members "terrorists.”
"Network broadcasters are committed to objectivity and that's perfectly fine, but interviewees are free express their opinions," Rehak emphasized. Also, an interview with pro-Israeli activist from Germany, Oriana Marie Gruger, who claimed that "Israel is being demonized," was censored.
"This went on for several weeks," Rehak said. "I told them, 'Guys, I can't work like this.' If you carry on treating the Jewish community in Australia this way and censor every second sentence I say about the war in Israel, I'm leaving."
Rehak's program has been replaced with a program of English music, ending a fifty-year tradition of broadcasting in Hebrew at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).