"Shame on You" Israeli Former Prime Minister Fights with BBC Anchor Live

Former Prime Minister Bennett's Candid Criticism in UK BBC Interview
"Lack of Moral Clarity... Supporting Hamas"

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett engaged in a heated debate with a BBC anchor during an interview, accusing the broadcaster of "taking Hamas's side."

On the 22nd (local time), Bennett appeared remotely on the BBC's morning political program hosted by anchor Victoria Derbyshire. According to reports by The National and others, the interview was abruptly cut off after a tense exchange between Bennett and the anchor.

Citing the Geneva Convention on civilian protection, Bennett pushes back

BBC anchor Victoria Derbyshire and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
[Image source=Capture from X (formerly Twitter)]

During the interview, the anchor first referenced the Geneva Convention, stating, "Parties to a conflict must limit their operations to destroying or weakening the enemy's military resources and must distinguish between civilians and combatants."

As the anchor attempted to continue questioning, Bennett responded, "That is exactly what we are doing, and why we allow civilians to evacuate before strikes."

He added, "(Hamas) slaughters babies, burns them alive, pulls babies from pregnant mothers, and then beheads them," emphasizing, "This is what we are dealing with."

He further stated, "With all due respect, I believe the Geneva Convention tells every country, 'You need to defend yourself.' We will defend ourselves."

"Hospital bombing not Israel's doing... BBC is siding with Gaza"

A girl gathering her belongings at the hospital disaster site in Gaza Strip.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Bennett also directed criticism at the BBC. He claimed, "Last week, Islamic Jihad fired rockets at a hospital in Gaza, causing the explosion. The BBC reported it as Israel's doing, but it was not Israel."

Earlier, Israel stated that the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was the result of a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. The United States, Canada, and France have supported Israel's claim.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported, "It is still difficult to definitively determine the cause of the explosion," but noted, "Based on the flash in the sky and the nature of the explosion captured on video, it is possible that a malfunctioning rocket hit the hospital, and there are no typical signs of an Israeli military attack."

Bennett criticized the anchor, saying, "All your questions are only about the citizens of Gaza," and accused the BBC of "taking Gaza's side."

When the anchor repeatedly denied this, Bennett referenced Israeli families killed by Hamas on the 7th, pointing out, "From the start of this interview, you have not once asked about those children."

The anchor tried to steer the conversation back to the issue of hostages abducted to Gaza, but Bennett said, "This is how the BBC operates," and expressed anger, stating, "The BBC lacks moral clarity. You should be ashamed of what you have done over the past week."

However, the anchor countered, "Before interviewing you, I spoke with a Palestinian political elder and asked him about the civilian massacres in Israel." The tense interview ended abruptly when the screen went black.

Reflecting Jewish dissatisfaction with BBC's editorial stance

On the 21st (local time), a man in Ashkelon, Israel, is looking at a vehicle destroyed by a rocket attack. Since the outbreak of the bloody conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas on the 7th, the death toll on both sides has approached 6,000. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Bennett's remarks appear to reflect the dissatisfaction within Israeli society regarding the BBC's editorial stance on the Israel-Palestine war.

Since Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on the 7th, the BBC has referred to Hamas not as "terrorists" but as an "armed group." The BBC explained that this terminology is used to maintain objectivity and avoid taking sides, but this has drawn criticism from the British Jewish community.

Ultimately, on the 20th, the BBC announced that it would no longer use "armed group" as the primary term for Hamas, instead describing it as a "group banned as a terrorist organization by the UK government and other countries." This change was made because the term "armed group" was no longer deemed accurate given the evolving situation.

Meanwhile, BBC Director-General Tim Davie is scheduled to appear before a committee of Conservative Party MPs on the 25th to be questioned about alleged reporting bias.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.