UK PM pushes BBC to label Hamas as terrorists, ignites editorial debate

LONDON: The description of Palestinian group Hamas by the BBC has stirred debate among political figures and in the UK public sphere, with many expressing varying opinions on how the organization should be referred to.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on the BBC, as Britain’s national broadcaster, to label Hamas a terrorist group, in alignment with the UK’s legal stance on the matter.

However, the BBC has resisted changing its guidelines, arguing that using the term “terrorism” would imply taking sides in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The BBC’s world affairs editor, John Simpson, published an article on Thursday outlining the broadcaster’s position on its terminology.

“We regularly point out that the British and other governments have condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but that’s their business,” Simpson wrote.

“The key point is that we don’t say it in our voice. Our business is to present our audiences with the facts, and let them make up their own minds.”

British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps condemned Simpson’s statement, calling the remarks by the BBC veteran foreign correspondent “unfortunate.”

Shapps said: “I think it’s pretty clear that’s terrorist activity and I think it’s pretty surprising not to hear it being called that.”

A Downing Street source also emphasized the need for the national broadcaster to acknowledge this designation, emphasizing the seriousness of the issue.

“As the PM has said repeatedly, Hamas are not militants, they are terrorists. It is incumbent on our national broadcaster to recognise this fact,” a spokesperson said.

The debate has transcended the political sphere, prompting BBC freelance sports reporter Noah Abrahams, who is of Jewish heritage, to publicly announce his decision to end working with the broadcaster.

“Terminology and words when neglected have the power to fuel hate, they have the power to put fuel on the fire,” he said.

“As a Jewish person, there is already enough fuel on the fire.”

Within the BBC, discussions and concerns have emerged about the appropriateness of the existing editorial guidelines regarding the description of Hamas.

While some senior staff have contemplated potential adjustments, the consensus seems to lean towards maintaining the current stance, despite external criticism.

A former BBC executive was reported saying to the Times: “Even if they felt that the policy needed some tweaking, I don’t think they can do it now,” adding that the broadcaster would stick to their policy despite the “uncomfortable” criticisms.

Meanwhile, legal professionals and influential figures have written to Ofcom, the UK’s communication regulator, criticizing the BBC’s refusal to employ the term “terrorist” when referring to Hamas.

They argue that it deviates from the organization’s legal classification and may inadvertently portray a sympathetic image of Hamas.

“The legal position in this country is that Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation. That is not a matter of debate or discussion. It is a matter of legal fact,” the group wrote in the letter to Ofcom.

They added: “The question then arises: how can it be impartial (ie not taking sides) to describe an organisation in terms which departs from its established legal meaning and substitutes a word which refers to an organisation which is violent or aggressive but not necessarily engaged in terrorism and not necessarily proscribed? In short, by a significantly “watered-down” descriptor which is less legally precise.”

However, the BBC’s Mishal Husain countered, pointing out that other major broadcasters were adopting a similar approach, aligning with the Ofcom code.

“We’re not unique in this,” she emphasized on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program, arguing that the BBC’s own website acknowledges that other TV news outlets have indeed referred to Hamas as “terrorists.”

Hamas is a Palestinian militant organization and political party that governs the Gaza Strip.

It is designated as a terrorist group by several countries including the US, UK and Saudi Arabia due to its history of armed conflict and acts of violence against Israeli civilians.