Jeremy Corbyn questions Israel’s right to exist and says the BBC is ‘biased’ in favour of Jewish state in shocking 2011 video from Iranian TV that re-ignites the Labour anti-Semitism row
Jeremy Corbyn tells Iranian television that the BBC is biased ‘towards Israel having a right to exist’ in a chilling video clip that reignites the anti-Semitism row engulfing the Labour leader.
In an interview with Tehran-backed channel Press TV – since banned from operating in the UK – he attacks the British broadcaster’s coverage of issues in the Middle East.
In clip that is circulating online today, filmed in 2011 when Mr Corbyn was a backbench MP, he also claims that the then director general Mark Thompson had ‘an agenda’.
He said: ‘I think there is a bias [in the BBC] towards saying that Israel has a democracy in the Middle East, that Israel has a right to exist, Israel has its security concerns.’
It comes days after he sparked fury after refusing to apologise to British Jews over the anti-Semitism row and clashed with the Chief Rabbi ahead of December’s election.
Jeremy Corbyn said: ‘I think there is a bias [in the BBC] towards saying that Israel has a democracy in the Middle East, that Israel has a right to exist, Israel has its security concerns.’
Mr Corbyn made several notable appearances on Tehran-based Press TV as a backbencher.
In 2012 the channel lost its UK broadcast licence after broadcasting a clip of an apparent confession by documentary-maker Maziar Bahari in Tehran which he claimed was obtained via torture.
The clip of Mr Corbyn also shows him saying: ‘[There is] pressure on the BBC from probably Mark Thompson, who seems to me to have an agenda in this respect.
‘There seems to be a great deal of pressure on the BBC from the Israeli government and the Israeli embassy and they are very assertive towards all journalists, they challenge every single thing. on reporting the whole time.’
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