BBC accused of ‘surprising bias’ as Nick Robinson sparks outrage over Israel declare | Politics | News | EUROtoday

The BBC has been accused of “shocking bias” in a row over Nick Robinson’s interview with Lord Cameron.

The presenter sparked a backlash after referring to Israeli assaults in Gaza as “murders” as he grilled the Foreign Secretary on BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme this morning.

He has since insisted he was not expressing his personal view or that of the company.

Robinson questioned Lord Cameron on Britain’s place after Iran’s assault on Israel over the weekend and stated he wished to finish the interview with a “question of morality”.

He stated: “You will know, I think you’ve talked about, the fact that the West has been perceived to lose the argument, with even many of its own people, ever since the war of terror began.

“Isn’t the true threat of the place we at the moment are, that Western governments seem to again Israel the second that Israel is beneath assault, however when Israel assaults and murders tens of hundreds of harmless Palestinians, we are saying the phrases however we do virtually nothing?”

The former prime minister said he did not think the statement was right “in any respect” and that Iran was the “actually malign actor within the area”.

Conservative MP Theresa Villiers called on the BBC to launch an “fast investigation”.

She informed The Sun: “Even by the BBC’s standards this is shocking bias. I can’t believe that this kind of question is asked on one of the nation’s most influential and highly regarded news programmes. Israel does not target civilians.

“The country is defending itself from a brutal terror attack and making strenuous efforts not to harm civilians.

“The BBC should launch an immediate investigation into this latest example of an anti-Israel statement by one of its presenters.”

Tory MP Greg Smith added: “Outrageous bias from the BBC.

“Israel is the nation being attacked – the actual victims – seeking to defend themselves from further attacks by terrorists who have the stated aim of destroying Israel and killing Jews.”

Downing Street stated Rishi Sunak wouldn’t use “murder” to explain occasions in Gaza and that folks must be “careful with their words”.

Robinson later addressed the pushback in a put up on social media platform X.

He stated: “There’s been some controversy about words I used when I was interviewing the Foreign Secretary David-Cameron on BBC Radio 4 Today about Israel this morning.

“My remaining query was concerning the perceived ‘morality’ of the federal government’s place – specifically the ‘threat’ that their place might ‘seem’ to seem like energetic help for Israel when it’s beneath assault however nothing aside from phrases ‘when Israel assaults or murders tens of hundreds of harmless Palestinians’.

“I should have been clearer that I was not expressing my own view, let alone that of the BBC when I used the words ‘murders’.

“In this 15-minute lengthy interview I requested the Foreign Secretary why ministers had supported Israel militarily; why they did not go additional and help Israel in confronting Iran; why they weren’t more durable in confronting Israel over Gaza and ended with that query concerning the perceived ‘morality’ and the ‘threat’ of how the federal government’s place ‘seems’.

“It was a lengthy and detailed exploration of the policy choices made by the government.”