BBC's refusal to describe the butchers of Hamas as terrorists is morally indefensible

Say it, BBC

WHAT will it take for an increasingly isolated BBC to understand that its refusal to describe the butchers of Hamas as terrorists is morally indefensible?

Indiscriminate murder and the kidnapping of innocents. Children beheaded. Babies slaughtered as they slept in their cots.

Israel, as an appalled King Charles and William and Kate made clear yesterday, is the victim of “barbaric acts of terrorism”.

Yet, on the BBC website, the we-know-best Corporation was busy defending itself for still describing Hamas only as “militants” or “attackers”.

Meanwhile, veteran newsman John Simpson said the BBC must be careful not to “take sides”.

This is the same BBC which had no qualms about calling right-wing racist Brenton Tarrant a terrorist after he shot dead 51 people in two mosques in New Zealand, or using the term in relation to Islamist attacks in the UK.

So what makes Hamas so different? Could it be that support for the Palestinian cause is hard-wired into the DNA of those on the Left, including many staff at the BBC?

Doubtless, the BBC is too arrogant to listen to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, or Labour leader Keir Starmer — both of them crystal clear about what Hamas is.

It will also shrug off the criticism of Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who said its coverage is “verging on disgraceful”.

But ignoring the plea for a rethink by the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, ought not to be so easy.

In a withering intervention, he said: “The true motives of Hamas could not be clearer. It seeks the murder of Jews and the annihilation of the Jewish state.

Their charter says as much. Hamas is no different to ISIS.

Did decent, moral people seek to justify the actions of 9/11, 7/7 or the Manchester Arena bombing?

“It should be painfully obvious that there is no moral equivalence between those whose motive is to deliberately target innocent civilians in cold blood, and those whose motive is to remove the threat of such murderers.

“The fact that this discussion is necessary at all is a clear sign that we are losing our moral compass and of the warped nature of the depths to which discourse on Israel has sunk.”

Over to you, BBC. Do the decent thing.

Let him rot

THE family of Joanna Simpson today receive the welcome news that evil Robert Brown has had his early release blocked.

Brown, who bludgeoned estranged wife Jo to death with a hammer within earshot of their children, has had his bid for freedom knocked back by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk.

The family’s battle to get justice for Jo has been courageous.

We are proud to have supported their campaign.