Complaint
A viewer complained this programme inaccurately asserted that Gaza was under Israeli occupation and that the IDF bombarded buildings on the basis that they were churches and hospitals rather than because they might shelter Hamas fighters. Â The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the BBC requirements for due impartiality and accuracy.
Outcome
The references to “occupation†cited by the complainant were in the context of wider discussions about the Palestinian people as a whole and came largely from partisan sources.  Their comments would have been understood in that light and viewers were therefore unlikely to take the references to “occupation†as statements of uncontested fact.  However the ECU also  noted that, despite Israel’s formal withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, many international bodies considered it continued to exert effective control over the enclave.
The section of the programme which dealt with the IDF bombing of Gaza and the destruction of its infrastructure included a passage explaining why Israel was committed to the destruction of Hamas, including its claim to be targeting “military leadersâ€, “terrorists†and “military infrastructureâ€.  The ECU did not think it likely therefore that viewers would consider the programme had asserted the IDF had targeted buildings purely on the basis of their functions as churches and hospitals.  Â
Not Upheld