The BBC has pulled the film after it sparked national outrage (Image: BBC / Amjad Al Fayoumi / Hoyo Films)
A new poll reveals 57% of the British public back an independent probe into the Gaza film scandal that showed the broadcaster’s “glaring bias”.
The corporation remains mired in controversy after it emerged the film was narrated by the teenage son of a Hamas leader.
The was plunged into crisis after Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, a documentary aired on Two, was narrated by 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri who described life in the enclave during the conflict. He is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture.
It has been pulled from iPlayer and will not be broadcast again.
chairman Samir Shah said: “This is a really, really bad moment. It is a dagger to the heart of the ‘s claim to be impartial and to be trustworthy.
“To my shock, I think that we found that there were serious failings on both sides, on the independent production side as well as on the side.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters take part in a march in London on January 18 (Image: Getty Images)
The scandal prompted the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) to stage a demo outside Broadcasting House claiming the was “whitewashing terrorism with pro-Hamas propaganda”.
The pro- CAA, led by Gideon Falter, called for the licence fee to “be suspended pending a full independent inquiry into bias”.
In a poll commissioned by CAA and conducted by YouGov only 21% do not support calls for an independent probe into the film scandal, in result that suggests the majority of the British public does not trust the to investigate itself.
CAA supporters led by leader Gideon Falter will be demonstrating outside Broadcasting House tonight as pressure grows on heads to roll.
A spokesperson said: “The has allowed licence fee money to go to the family of a Hamas terrorist in the production of what was essentially a Hamas propaganda film. The majority of the British public now backs our call for an independent investigation.
“The is trying to pretend that it is business as usual while hoping to get away with an internal report, but the British public is having none of it and does not want the to mark its own homework. “That is why we want the licence fee to be suspended pending an independent investigation into this scandal and the wider issue of the ’s glaring bias.
“It is unconscionable to force people to pay a licence fee that pays for biased reporting and has now even been handed to the family of a terrorist.”
The CAA is to protest outside the BBC for a second consecutive week (Image: CAA)
How To Survive A Warzone was made by independent production company Hoyo Films, and features 13-year-old Abdullah al Yazouri, who speaks about life in Gaza during the war between and Hamas.
The initially apologised for “omitting detail” about the narrator and his relationship to a Hamas leader and then said: “The film remains a powerful child’s eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency.”
It added: “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company. The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”
It has since emerged it will be permanently delated and never screened again.
In a further twist, an open letter addressed to director-general Tim Davie, Mr Shah and chief content officer Charlotte Moore, who last week annoucning she was leaving the broadcaster, hundreds of TV and film professionals and journalists criticised the broadcaster’s decision to remove the film from iPlayer.
The letter, published by the Artists For Palestine UK website, was signed by more than 500 UK-based media professionals, including left-leaning Match of the Day host and Harry Potter film series star Miriam Margolyes.