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16 May 2019
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11 Iyar 5779
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Issue No.1106
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@JewishNewsUK
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Beggars Belief Caption
Gaza Strip documentary accused of whitewashing Palestinian antisemitism
The BBC has defended translating the Arabic word for Jew ‘Yahudi’ as ‘Israeli’ in a documentary on Gaza this week, amid criticism it was “playing down” antisemitism, writes Mathilde Frot. The film, One Day in Gaza, which focused on last year’s deadly mass protests against the opening of a new US embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, aired on Monday on BBC Two. Among the Palestinian protesters interviewed, 24-year-old Bader Saleh said in Arabic: “I’m not one for fighting or burning tyres, but when I went I was convinced by it. The revolutionary songs, they excite
you, they encourage you to rip a Jew’s head off.” But the English translation of Saleh’s remarks offered by the BBC refers to an “Israeli”, not “Jew”. This was just one of at least FIVE instances of the Arabic word for “Jew” (Yahud) being mistranslated to “Israeli” in the subtitles. Following backlash, a BBC spokesperson said: “We sought expert advice on the translation before broadcast and we believe the translation of ‘Yahudi’ as ‘Israeli’ in this documentary is both accurate and true to the speakers’ intentions.” Among those to criticise the translation,
Board of Deputies senior vice president Sheila Gewolb said: “The anti-Jewish racism in the phrase ‘rip a Jew’s head off ’ is there for all to see. The BBC should explain why viewers were given a subtitle in which the word ‘Jew’ was substituted for ‘Israeli’. Does the BBC believe its job is to protect the perpetrators from their own racism?” Labour MP for Ilford North Wes Streeting tweeted his concern, writing: “Totally unacceptable – not that the word Israeli makes the statement any better.” Historian Deborah Lipstadt said: “This is another example of the failure to take antisemitism seriously.”
Bader Saleh said ‘Jew’ but his quote was captioned ‘Israeli’