The BBC has again used a commentator who previously wrote social media posts calling for violence against Jews, according to media reports, and has admitted the appearance should not have taken place.
Samer Elzaenen, 33, who has regularly appeared on the broadcaster's Arabic-language output, was quoted in a report accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon against Palestinians. The Telegraph reported that the BBC had acknowledged Mr. Elzaenen should not have been featured in the story.
Reports by the Daily Mail and The Telegraph say Mr. Elzaenen is not a BBC journalist. They cite social media posts dating back more than a decade in which he used explicitly violent language toward Jews. In a July 2022 Facebook post quoted in those reports, Mr. Elzaenen wrote: "When things go awry for us, shoot the Jews, it fixes everything." A 2011 post reported by the same outlets included the statement: "My message to the Zionist Jews: We are going to take our land back, we love death for Allah's sake the same way you love life. We shall burn you as Hitler did, but this time we won't have a single one of you left."
Those posts were first reported in April, prompting scrutiny of the broadcaster's use of him as an on-air commentator. The recent appearance, and the BBC's subsequent admission that the inclusion was inappropriate, were reported on Saturday by British media outlets.
The BBC did not commission Mr. Elzaenen as a staff journalist, the reports say, and he has appeared as an external contributor on its Arabic service. The exact nature and platform of the recent quotation in which he accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon were not detailed in the reports, beyond saying he was featured again on BBC output relating to the Gaza conflict.
News organisations and public broadcasters typically follow editorial guidelines intended to prevent amplifying extremist or hateful content and to vet contributors' backgrounds. The controversy over Mr. Elzaenen's past posts has renewed debate about how those checks are applied to external contributors, particularly in coverage of highly sensitive international conflicts.
The BBC has faced intense scrutiny over its coverage of the Gaza war from multiple audiences and media outlets. Reporting on commentators and sources used in coverage has become a focus for critics who say that platforms must avoid giving prominence to individuals with histories of hate speech. The broadcaster's public editorial guidance stresses impartiality and avoidance of material that could promote or justify violence, although the specific steps taken in this case were not detailed in the cited reports.
The Telegraph's account that the BBC admitted the appearance was a mistake follows the April disclosures about Mr. Elzaenen's past social posts. Media outlets reporting the developments have published the quoted social media messages attributed to him and have highlighted the broadcaster's response that the inclusion should not have occurred.
Representatives for Mr. Elzaenen were not identified in the reports, and the BBC's full statement, beyond the acknowledgement reported by The Telegraph, was not included in the accounts reviewed. The matter adds to ongoing public and parliamentary scrutiny of how major broadcasters source and vet commentators amid coverage of sustained and highly charged international crises.