Complaint
This edition included a report about the upsurge in violence and vandalism in West Bank villages, committed by settlers. A viewer complained the programme did not adequately reflect Israel’s perspective. The ECU assessed whether the output met the standards of impartiality set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines
Outcome
The BBC Editorial Guidelines allow for reporting on specific events and do not require that every report on one aspect of a conflict be balanced by the inclusion of material about other matters. That the type of violence featured in the report has occurred and is increasing is a matter of agreed fact, confirmed by diplomats from the UK and elsewhere. The report included the viewpoint of an Israeli settler. The fact Israelis elsewhere have been victims of Palestinian violence did not make it inaccurate, in the ECU’s judgement, to report the events in the West Bank, or create a requirement to reflect other issues raised by the complainant.
Not Upheld