BBC Verify accused of ‘bad faith’ in its reporting on alleged IDF misconduct

BBC Verify has been accused of “bad faith” reporting in an investigation covering 300 incidents of alleged misconduct by the IDF. Although an initial deadline of just seven days for Israeli officials to respond was extended to several weeks, military experts have highlighted the stark contrast with the years British Armed Forces sometimes take to establish facts in investigating misconduct allegations, even in relatively straightforward cases.

Critics claim the short amount of time given to respond shows the corporation’s coverage of Israel’s military lacks “impartiality”. A former director of BBC Television, Danny Cohen, claims the BBC Verify report published earlier this month is “an act of bad faith”. Shadow Culture Secretary Rebecca Paul warned the BBC must ensure its reporting “does not contribute to hostility” towards Jews in Britain. The BBC has long faced accusations of bias against Israel in its coverage, highlighted in the leaked report by independent adviser Michael Prescott last year.

The revelation comes as recently installed director general Matt Brittin is arguing for the renewal of the licence fee as being in the public interest as a way to provide accurate journalism that combats “disinformation”. The investigation by BBC Verify published on October 15 claims “hundreds of IDF investigations into killings still have no public outcome”. The piece covered 300 cases in which Israeli military forces were accused of “killing or injuring people in Gaza, Lebanon, the occupied West Bank and Israel”.

The Verify investigation claimed that for 254 of these there was “no public outcome”. It added that for 28 of the incidents the IDF had published “outcomes”, while in 18 instances it was “unclear”. The JC understands that the initial request by the BBC for comment on these hundreds of cases was made on August 20, asking for information to be provided within seven days. The deadline was subsequently extended by four days, until August 31.

Further extensions for follow-up questions were granted in the next weeks. Writing for the JC, former Parachute Regiment Major Andrew Fox accused BBC Verify of producing “a remarkably selective standard of scrutiny” when it came to Israel. The veteran, who served several tours of Afghanistan and Northern Ireland, said he believed that the IDF’s own investigative process was similar to that used by other militaries across the world. He also cited cases involving the British Army that still took a significant amount of time to investigate: “The British murder of Baha Mousa [Iraq] in 2003 saw charges brought in 2005 and a conviction in 2006 after a guilty plea.

"In 2013, Sgt Alexander Blackman, Marine A, was convicted of murder 14 months after footage of him killing a wounded Taliban fighter was found.” A senior former BBC official also criticised Verify’s conduct in this incident. Cohen, who served as director of BBC Television between 2013-2015, told the JC: “The BBC must know that providing reliable, detailed responses on over 300 incidents of this kind is simply not possible in the time provided.

"This is an act of bad faith on the part of BBC Verify, which appears less interested in establishing the facts than once again presenting Israel in a negative light. "BBC Verify continues to cause significant damage to the BBC's reputation.” A spokesperson for Israel’s embassy in London told the JC they found BBC Verify’s report to be “vindictive, disproportionate and lacking the professionalism and impartiality the BBC should demand”.

The spokesperson said: “The IDF is investigating incidents that occurred during the war. "Those investigations should be thorough and establish accountability where wrongdoing occurred. "But the time they take must also be considered in the context of an ongoing war. “The comparison with Britain matters. Investigations into British military conduct in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland have taken many years. Yet when it comes to Israel, the audience is encouraged to regard the passage of three years as inherently suspicious, even while the conflict continues.

Where is the proportion? Where is the context? “The BBC should subject Verify’s journalism to the same scrutiny that Verify so readily applies to others.” Earlier this month, Verify was accused of focusing on Israel to “obsessive levels”. An analysis showed that since BBC Verify’s launch in May 2023, nearly a quarter of all articles written by it had been about Israel, Gaza and the regional war – almost double the number of articles written about Russia and Ukraine.

Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, the BBC has faced significant questions about its output on the conflict. Last year, a report by Michael Prescott, the independent adviser to the corporation’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee, said that the corporation “pushed Hamas lies” and “minimised Israeli suffering” in its coverage of the Gaza War. The corporation was criticised by Jewish communal organisations after it was revealed that a senior official favourably compared the BBC’s Arabic outfit to Al Jazeera.

Prescott’s document was also scathing of BBC Arabic, and accused it of giving “unjustifiable weight” to Hamas’ claims and of demonstrating “a desire always to believe the worst about Israel”. Rebecca Paul, the shadow culture secretary, told the JC that the BBC News’ reporting “must be impartial, evidence-based and fair. "Investigating incidents across the Middle East is an inherently complex process, and those approached must be given sufficient time to provide thorough and considered responses”.

Addressing claims that the BBC gives a disproportionate amount of attention to Israel, she said: “There are legitimate questions to be asked about the level of focus BBC Verify applies to Israel, and whether that focus is driven by evidence rather than opinion. “Impartiality means giving all parties a meaningful opportunity to respond and ensuring allegations are not presented as established fact. “The Conservatives support high-quality journalism and robust scrutiny.

However, the BBC must uphold the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and impartiality to maintain public trust and ensure its reporting does not contribute to hostility towards Jewish communities here in the UK.” The BBC said: “We strongly reject the suggestion that the IDF was not given a meaningful opportunity to respond to this investigation. “BBC Verify gave the IDF more than six weeks to respond, including multiple deadline extensions and ongoing engagement throughout that period.

The IDF were able to comment at any point during this time. “Our reporting included considerable context on the challenges inherent in investigating incidents arising in military conflict, reflected both in the IDF’s response and comments from a range of experts. “The BBC continues to report on this conflict impartially and without agenda, and has repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to allow international journalists access to Gaza, to document what is happening.”