The BBC has admitted that the family of a Hamas minister was paid after his son narrated the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone.
The corporation removed the documentary from iPlayer after it emerged that the boy, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, the terrorist group’s deputy minister of agriculture.
On Thursday evening the BBC, which has now conducted an initial review of the programme, revealed that independent production company Hoyo Films, which made the documentary, told it that the boy’s mother had been paid “a limited sum of money for the narration”.
The disclosure follows concerns from shadow culture secretary Stuart Andrew that public funds had “indirectly supported a terrorist organisation”.
After the discovery about Abdullah Al-Yazouri, who speaks about life in the territory amid the war between Israel and the terrorist group, the BBC added a disclaimer to the programme and reluctantly removed it from its online catch-up service.
A BBC spokesperson said the its review “has identified serious flaws in the making of this programme”.
It added: “Some of these were made by the production company and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable. BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the corporation’s reputation. We apologise for this. Nothing is more important than the trust that our audiences have in our journalism.
“This incident has damaged that trust. While the intent of the documentary was aligned with our purpose – to tell the story of what is happening around the world, even in the most difficult and dangerous places – the processes and execution of this programme fell short of our expectations.
Screenshot: BBC
“Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the BBC has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast.”
The spokesperson said one of the core questions was around “the family connections of the young boy who is the narrator of the film” and added that the production company who made the programme “was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas”.
“Hoyo Films have told us that they paid the boy’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration
“Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy’s father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact,” the spokesperson said.
“It was then the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired. Hoyo Films have told us that they paid the boy’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration.
“While Hoyo Films have assured us that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates, either directly, in kind, or as a gift, the BBC is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure. We are requesting the relevant financial accounts of the production company in order to do that.”
‘Zakaria’, featured in BBC documentary, ‘Gaza, How to Survive a Warzone’
In a second statement, the BBC’s board said mistakes made in producing the documentary were “significant and damaging to the BBC”. The statement added: “The subject matter of the documentary was clearly a legitimate area to explore, but nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism. While the board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC. The board has required the executive to report back at the earliest opportunity on the outcomes of the work the director-general has commissioned.”
A spokesperson for Hoyo Films said: “When we were commissioned to make Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, our aim was to make an engaging and insightful documentary about the lives of young people in
Gaza. We felt it was important to hear from voices that haven’t been represented onscreen throughout the war with dignity and respect – and to tell the story about the devasting impact of war on their everyday lives. We are cooperating fully with the BBC and Peter Johnston to help understand where mistakes have been made. We feel this remains an important story to tell, and that our contributors – who have no say in the war – should have their voices heard.”
Danny Cohen, former director of BBC Television, said: “The BBC has now acknowledged the very serious journalistic failings of this documentary and the damage it has caused to the BBC’s reputation. However, this is not an occasion when the BBC should be marking its own homework. It is time for the BBC to acknowledge that it has a systemic problem of bias against Israel of which this is the tip of the iceberg.
‘The unwillingness of the BBC to address these problems transparently over the last 16 months and before is what has led to the debacle of this Gaza documentary. It is astonishing that the BBC have now admitted money has gone to the family of a senior Hamas official, and this is a matter that must now be fully investigated by the authorities.
“Other matters raised in this affair, including mis-translation, have shaken the confidence of the British viewing public over the BBC’s apparent inability to address issues of anti-Jewish bias. The BBC must allow a full independent inquiry to investigate the processes that led to this documentary being produced, and the pervasive anti-Israel bias that allowed it to pass through the system unobstructed.”
