ANDREW NEIL has claimed that there is a "visceral hatred" for the BBC in Israel.
The veteran broadcaster joined a number of well-known figures to have signed the October Declaration, which aims to "stand in solidarity with British Jews” as the war between Israel and Hamas wages on.
The BBC has received criticism for its coverage of the conflict, including from Israel’s president who told Rishi Sunak there should be a “correction” issued over the BBC’s coverage of the conflict in the Middle East, accusing the corporation of a “distortion of the facts”.
In a meeting with the Prime Minister, Isaac Herzog said there should be an “outcry” over the corporation’s decision not to refer to Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Neil, 74, slammed the BBC after a clip of Victoria Derbyshire was released showing her clash with Israel’s former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, who accused the broadcaster of “taking the Gazan side”.
He said: "This illustrates the visceral hatred — not too strong a word — there is now for the BBC in Israel. How could this have been allowed to happen? It was unnecessary and would not have happened if the BBC had stuck to its own rigorous journalistic guidelines."
Other Scots signing the declaration include comedian and GB News host Leo Kearse and historian Niall Ferguson. Other well-known figures to have signed it include Countdown host Rachel Riley, former PM Liz Truss and Father Ted creator Graham Linehan.
It comes as a number of well-known actors signed a separate letter campaigning for humanitarian support for Gaza.
Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton, Game Of Thrones star Charles Dance, and Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes are among the more than 2000 artists to back the open call.
The letter, written by Artists For Palestine UK, calls for “an immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter unhindered”.
It has also urged the signatories' governments to “end their military and political support for Israel’s actions”.
