BBC defends interviewer accused of bias towards Palestine

The BBC has defended Mishal Husain, a presenter on its Radio 4 Today programme, after she was accused by an Israeli government spokesperson live on air of "blindly repeating what terrorist organisations ... feed you".

- Harriet Sherwood

In a tetchy interview on yesterday's programme, David Mencer said Husain warranted the "pro-Palestinian reporter of the year award".

He added: "You producing reports on this war one-sidedly, without context, ends up with attacks on Jews on the streets of Britain. It ends up with cars going up the Finchley Road saying: 'Jews, we're going to rape your daughters."" A BBC spokesperson said the corporation rejected his allegations. "As the listener could hear, Mishal Husain was asking legitimate and important questions in a professional, fair and courteous manner."

The interview began with Husain asking Mencer about an Israeli strike on a school compound in Gaza. The BBC interviewed Dr Khamis Elessi, who said the casualties had included elderly people, women and children. The Israeli army claimed the school compound was being used as a Hamas command centre.

Mencer rejected Elessi's account, saying Israel was "extremely sceptical about pseudo-medical staff" who had "inflated" casualty figures throughout the war in Gaza. He said 19 Hamas fighters were "eliminated" in the strike, and that "there were no women and children present".