The Guardian newspaper quoted sources in the British “Disasters Emergency Committee” as saying that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stopped broadcasting a humanitarian appeal for the people of Gaza, fearing a violent reaction from supporters of Israel’s war on the Strip.
The committee said the appeal did not meet all established criteria for national appeals, but the possibility of the appeal being broadcast by the BBC was still “under review”, while other channels had agreed to broadcast it.
The British newspaper explained that insiders in the committee, the BBC and aid agencies are horrified by the delay. Some have accused the BBC of “obstructing” the appeal because it fears a backlash from supporters of Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip. A senior figure in the NGOs said that employees were “angry” at the BBC’s position.
3 criteria
The DEC has three criteria for launching an appeal: the scale and urgency of the disaster must be such that it merits rapid international humanitarian assistance, agencies must be able to “provide effective and rapid humanitarian assistance on a large scale to justify a national appeal, and there must be evidence of existing public sympathy for the humanitarian situation” or “the likelihood of obtaining significant public support if an appeal is launched.” The second criterion, regarding aid delivery, is understood to be the focus of the discussions.
The newspaper added that the “Disaster Emergency Committee” is an umbrella organization of 15 associations. Relief A leading British charity that raises money for humanitarian disasters, spreading its appeals through broadcasts on major networks and advertisements in the press.
Since its founding in 1963, it has launched 77 appeals, raising $2.2 billion. Its 2022 appeal for Ukraine raised about $560 million.
Concerned about the situation in Gaza
A spokesperson for the committee said that the committee and “our” stakeholders are “deeply concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, and that the volatile situation in the region, as well as the complex issues around aid access, pose a major challenge when reviewing “our criteria” for the appeal.
“We are keeping the possibility of broadcasting the appeal under review,” a BBC spokesperson said.
The BBC also asks the committee that the appeal meet its rules on impartiality, but such an assessment is only made after all three criteria are met.