https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12665495/itv-interviews-Latifa-Abouchakra-Iranian-propagandist-israel-hamas-press-tv.htmlFury as ITV airs interview with British Palestinian woman on Islamophobia in the UK just days after she described the murder of Jews as a 'homecoming' on Iranian state TV and called Hamas attacks a 'moment of triumph'
By Sabrina Miller and Rory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondent For Mailonline
Published: 15:06, 24 October 2023 | Updated: 16:13, 24 October 2023
TV News aired an interview with a British Palestinian woman on Islamophobia in the UK just days after she described the the murder of Jews as a 'homecoming' on Iranian state TV and called Hamas terror attacks a 'moment of triumph'. The Board of Deputies of British Jews slammed ITV for its 'staggering failures of due diligence' for giving a platform to Latifa Abouchakra, who has been accused of being a propagandist for Tehran. Ms Abouchakra, a reporter for Iranian state news channel Press TV, was interviewed about her experiences of Islamophobia in England. During the broadcast Ms Abouchakra, who was described as a 'British Palestinian woman living in London', said that she had been 'called a terrorist' by strangers in the street. But critics are urging ITV's chief executive Dame Carolyn Julia McCall to issue a 'public apology' for giving 'airtime to a literal propagandist for the Iranian regime'. Last week, in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Israel that left 1,400 people dead and hundreds taken hostage, Ms Abouchakra produced a report describing the assault as a 'homecoming' of 'Palestinian resistance factions'. She also described the hostages, around 20 of whom are children, as 'prisoners of war'. In a video shared on her Instagram shortly after the terror attacks on October 7, a smiling Ms Abouchakra said: 'Nothing will ever be able to take back this moment.'
Last week, in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Israel that left 1,400 people dead and hundreds taken hostage, Ms Abouchakra produced a report describing the assault as a 'homecoming' of 'Palestinian resistance factions'. She also described the hostages, around 20 of whom are children, as 'prisoners of war'. In a video shared on her Instagram shortly after the terror attacks on October 7, a smiling Ms Abouchakra said: 'Nothing will ever be able to take back this moment.'
Critics accused the broadcaster of 'irresponsible journalism' by letting a spokesman for the terrorist group 'peddle lies' and deny the massacre of civilians on October 7. Hamas Politburo member Osama Hamdan was seen smirking as Channel 4 News presenter Matt Frei challenged him about the 'appalling slaughter' of Israelis inuding reports of 'beheading' and 'the burning of children' by the group's fighters. The terror group spokesman replied that Israel was 'lying', adding: 'This is a big lie created by them. They built this country on the blood of the Palestinians.'
Later in the interview when brought to ask over the kidnapping of 'innocent civilians' and taking them to Gaza, the Lebanon-based spokesman denied there were any hostages, despite the huge weight of evidence to the contrary. Hamdan said: 'There is no hostages. There is war prisoners and there is foreigners.'
In the interview the spokesperson also insisted that Israel was responsible for an explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital which Palestinian health officials claim has killed 500 people. 'They [Israel] are lying and they have to admit that they have done this crime and they have to be turned to the war crime court,' he said.
During the broadcast Mr Frei, who has been based in Israel since the outbreak of the conflict, questioned Hamdan over the horrific actions of Hamas's militants as they massacred their way through southern parts of Israel. Challenging the Hamas spokesperson, Mr Frei said: 'Do you regret the slaughter of Israeli civilians? Because many people I've spoken to here believe that what you did on October 7 has set your cause the Palestinian cause back by decades.'
A Channel 4 News spokesman said: 'Since the start of this conflict, Channel 4 News has reported on the unfolding crisis by relying on the principles of independence, due impartiality and accuracy. Last night, in light of the differing narratives emerging around the attack on the Al-Ahli Arab hospital, a senior spokesperson for the political wing of Hamas was interviewed and robustly challenged as part of the programme's independent and impartial reporting.'
Meanwhile, the BBC continues to face criticism for refusing to describe Hamas as terrorists. The BBC refers to Hamas as a 'militant' group, despite it being proscribed a terrorist organisation in the UK, and described its slaughter of hundreds of innocent civilians as a 'militant' attack. On Saturday, Danny Cohen, former television executive at the broadcaster, warned that the BBC's 'failures' over reporting had 'dangerous, real-world consequences'.
His comments came days after a BBC correspondent in the Middle East speculated that a bombing of Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City speculated it was most likely caused by an Israeli airstrike, explaining 'it's hard to see what else this could be, really'.
Israel has stringently denied responsibility for the explosion, as has Hamas, with officials from across the globe trying to find the cause of the blast that killed hundreds of people. While the BBC said at 'no point' their reported said 'it was an Israeli air strike' he was 'wrong to speculate'. Mr Cohen said the reporting of the horrific explosion that shocked the world, revealed a 'bias and deep-rooted prejudice' at the corporation.
