Israeli government spokesperson accuses BBC presenter Mishal Husain of pro-Palestine bias

Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer accused BBC presenter Mishal Husain and the broadcaster of exhibiting pro-Palestine bias. (BBC)
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  • David Mencer tells interviewer she should receive 鈥榩ro-Palestinian reporter of the year award鈥�
  • BBC bosses defend Husain and say she asked Mencer 鈥榣egitimate and important鈥� questions

LONDON: Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer accused BBC presenter Mishal Husain and the broadcaster of exhibiting pro-Palestine bias.

In a heated exchange during an interview with BBC Radio 4鈥檚 Today program on Monday, Mencer criticized the broadcaster for its coverage of the war in Gaza, which began following the Oct. 7 attacks last year by Hamas on Israel.

鈥淪o is this your impression of impartial news coverage, Mishal? Because I think you just warrant the pro-Palestinian reporter of the year award, and I congratulate you for that,鈥� he said.

鈥淪o these are the facts: We were attacked on Oct. 7, not in a war that we wanted; we were invaded; they (Hamas) want to destroy our country; it鈥檚 being controlled by IRNA (the Islamic Republic News Agency); we have a duty to defend our own people.鈥�

A BBC spokesperson defended Husain and said the questions she posed to Mencer were 鈥渓egitimate and important鈥� and conducted 鈥渋n a professional, fair and courteous manner.鈥�

Throughout the interview, Mencer repeatedly defended Israel鈥檚 actions and dismissed criticisms of the actions of the nation鈥檚 military forces during the conflict.

Asked about an airstrike on a Gaza school on Saturday, which Palestinian health authorities said killed almost 100 people, Mencer expressed skepticism about the reports, arguing that the casualty figures have been inflated by 鈥減seudo-medical staff鈥� throughout the conflict in Gaza.

He said that the strike on the school had targeted 19 Hamas fighters and there were 鈥渘o women and children present.鈥�

Mencer added that while Israel is winning the war on the battlefield, it was losing the media battle, and blamed the BBC for playing a part in that.

鈥淵ou, as the BBC, you do no credit to ordinary Gazans by just blindly repeating what terrorist organizations, (Daesh-like) organizations, the information which they feed you. It simply doesn鈥檛 bear any resemblance to the truth,鈥� he said, adding that there was 鈥渘o justice鈥� in journalists 鈥減arroting鈥� the numbers they are given.

Challenged on the ban imposed by Israeli authorities on international journalists that prevents them from reporting from Gaza and seeing the situation for themselves, Mencer said that unrestricted media access could hinder efforts to rescue Israeli hostages still held by Hamas and other groups.

A British media and public relations specialist, and a former director of the British parliamentary group Labour Friends of Israel, Mencer has been the Israeli government鈥檚 spokesperson since last fall.

During her interview with him, Husain also asked about a recent report by B鈥橳selem, a human rights organization in Jerusalem, which included allegations of abuses against Palestinian detainees carried out by the Israeli military.

Mencer dismissed the claims, saying there was 鈥渘o such thing鈥� and the Israeli government had to 鈥渕ake accommodations 鈥� for tens of thousands of terrorists.鈥�

He added: 鈥淵ou pandering to fringe elements within Israeli society, that have every right to speak their minds, 鈥� that doesn鈥檛 make it fact, that doesn鈥檛 make it so. You guys just parroting it just produces radicalism that makes Jews in the UK afraid to walk the streets.鈥�