Tell the BBC: Stop hiding Israel's genocide

We are now 21 months into Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, and new footage emerges every day of the unconscionable violence Israel continues to unleash.

Yet, the BBC is still failing to report the truth about Israel’s genocide whilst simultaneously casting doubt on Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices, haranguing Palestinian guests, or silencing them completely.

It is shameful that the BBC refused to show “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack”, and that it fell to Channel 4 and Zeteo News to ensure that the British public heard about the experiences of Palestinian doctors and health workers in Gaza saving lives in the midst of Israel’s ongoing genocide. These are voices that must be heard.

Write to the BBC today to demand that it stops hiding Israel’s genocide, and starts reporting the truth.

BBC Director-General

CEO, BBC News and Current Affairs

BBC Chair

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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW106188053 BCX8"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">I am writing to you following your disgraceful decision not to show the documentary “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” after delaying its release for months. As you know, the documentary features Palestinian doctors and health workers in Gaza testifying to their experience surviving and saving lives in the midst of a genocide. It is disgraceful that it fell to Channel 4 and Zeteo News to ensure that these are voices were heard.  </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">This is only the latest instance of the BBC’s silencing of Palestinians. It is yet another example, following the removal of the documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone”, of the BBC succumbing to pressure from those seeking to shield Israel from accountability for its escalating violence against the Palestinian people.  </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">The BBC also chose to politically censor the band Kneecap during their live performance at Glastonbury. Kneecap has consistently used its platform to speak up for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and for an end to British complicity in Israel’s genocide against them.  </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">Comprehensive new <a class="Hyperlink SCXW168773606 BCX0" href="https://cfmm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/CfMM-report-2023-24-ePDF-Edited.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> by the Centre for Media Monitoring has added to the overwhelming body of evidence exposing the BBC’s fundamental failure to report the truth about Israel’s genocide. It highlights the way in which the BBC consistently casts doubt on Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices, its haranguing of Palestinian guests, or its silencing of them completely.  </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">Their analysis of more than 35,000 pieces of BBC content shows that Israeli deaths are given 33 times more coverage per fatality than Palestinians. Despite the ruling by the International Court of Justice, the report also found that only 0.5% of the BBC’s online coverage provided the crucial context of Israel’s unlawful occupation, and only 2% referenced its practice of the crime of apartheid. It demonstrates the way that the BBC rarely draws attention to the fact that international journalists are banned from entering the Gaza Strip, whilst reporting only 6% of the deaths of the 176 Palestinian journalists killed by the Israeli military.  </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">My concerns have been compounded by the mounting reports of widespread dissent among BBC staff, who have said that coverage is skewed by senior figures to water down any criticism of Israel. Staff have complained of the BBC’s persistent promotion of Israeli government narratives, highlighting that unlike Israeli sources, Palestinian sources need to be verified. </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">Further to this, in a jaw-dropping <a class="Hyperlink SCXW168773606 BCX0" href="https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/bbc-bosses-pulled-our-film-on-israel-attacking-gazas-medics-heres-why" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">article</a>, producers of the “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack” documentary have exposed the extent of the BBC’s anti-Palestinian bias. They describe the BBC’s appalling dismissal of the United Nations and Amnesty International as credible sources in script meetings, instead choosing to prioritise the opinions of those who seek to shield Israel from accountability for its genocidal violence. </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">It is clear the BBC is systematically violating Section 3 on accuracy and Section 4 on impartiality of the BBC’s Guidelines, along with Section 5 on due impartiality and due accuracy of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. The BBC’s recent review of the “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” documentary reinforces the BBC’s commitment to “reporting from Gaza, despite the fact that international journalists are not allowed in” and to telling “to tell the stories of those featured in the documentary”. To begin addressing this, and restore my trust, I ask the BBC to implement the following editorial changes, and to ensure they are consistently applied: </div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0"><ul><li class="Paragraph SCXW168773606 BCX0">Use precise terminology to describe Gaza and the West Bank as unlawfully occupied; </li><li class="Paragraph SCXW168773606 BCX0">Provide the international legal context as factual grounding (specifically that Israel is currently on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has been found guilty by the ICJ of violating the prohibition on apartheid and maintaining an unlawful occupation, and the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu); </li><li class="Paragraph SCXW168773606 BCX0">Always reference the Israeli ban on international journalists entering Gaza; </li><li class="Paragraph SCXW168773606 BCX0">Resist all future attempts by pro-Israel groups and figures within the government to censor Palestinian voices, or those standing in solidarity with them; </li><li class="Paragraph SCXW168773606 BCX0">Engage meaningfully with representatives of the Palestinian community in Britain to ensure that incidents of censorship and misrepresentation are prevented. </li></ul></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW168773606 BCX0">Yours sincerely, </div></div>

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Tell the BBC: Stop hiding Israel's genocide