BBC Arabic journalists probed for impartiality over 'pro-Palestine tweets'

Six reporters from BBC News Arabic are being investigated by the broadcaster for reportedly displaying pro-Palestinian sentiment amid Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza, according to The Telegraph.

The reporters were taken off air after allegedly liking or publishing posts on social media that criticised the Israeli government or were explicitly in support of Palestine and are now being investigated, according to the British daily.

The Arabic-language department of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), a US based non-governmental entity which campaigns for "balanced and accurate" coverage of Israel, initially reported the social media activity of the journalists, saying it contained anti-Israel bias.  

The Telegraph claimed that certain reporters praised Hamas as freedom fighters after the group's surprise 7 October attack on Israel, and that they had called the time of the Hamas operation a "morning of hope". 

The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al Araby Al-Jadeed has confirmed that the BBC has since temporarily suspended all six journalists until its so-called "integrity investigation" is completed.  

The BBC also reportedly asked that the tweets and posts flagged as "offensive" be deleted.

The six journalists involved in the investigation are mainly based in Lebanon and Egypt. They include program director Nada Abdel Samad, correspondent Sally Nabil, and journalist and producer Mahmoud Shalib.  

The reporters, whose identities were revealed in The Telegraph’s report, led to growing concerns over the journalists’ safety amid the ongoing impartiality row.  

"We are urgently investigating this matter," the BBC said in a statement.

"We take allegations of breaches of our editorial and social media guidelines with the utmost seriousness, and if and when we find breaches we will act, including taking disciplinary action."

The news comes as a division of opinion has ensued since the release of the BBC’s newest editorial policy, which says that Hamas should be called a "militant group" rather than a "terrorist organisation".  

Meanwhile, protest group Palestine Action, which claimed responsibility for throwing paint over the BBC’s headquarters on Saturday, said the BBC’s coverage of the Gaza-Israel conflict has been heavily anti-Palestinian.