Foreign secretary’s call comes after group releases video of British-Israeli hostage it says died after being wounded in Israeli airstrike

David Cameron has urged the BBC to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation, reviving an accusation that the corporation shies away from a valid description of the Islamist group that is holding Israeli hostages.

The UK foreign secretary told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the organisation should reconsider its guidelines in light of a video released by Hamas showing the British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell, who the group said had died in Gaza.

Hamas released a statement on Saturday saying the 51-year-old had died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike a month ago. The video showed him with a black eye.

  • Atin@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    2 months ago

    Hamas are every bit as much a terrorist organisation as Isis, the IRA, FARC, Red Army faction, Al Qaeda or UDF have been.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      Hamas is comparable to the IRA but not the rest.

      The big difference is that organisations like ISIS try to take over other countries whereas Hamas is resisting colonists of their own country.

    • mindlight@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      Wikipedia first lines summarizes the 7th of October quite well:

      Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims.

      Hamas still haven’t released the civilian hostages. Hamas hides among civilians. The list goes on and on.

      The only sad part is that the Palestinian people once voted for a terrorist organisation to represent them.

      People can call Hamas for “Freedom Fighters” all they want but it doesn’t erase the fact:

      Hamas is a terrorist organisation.

      • Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        2 months ago

        And there’s the problem. Why should Hamas be called a terrorist and not the Israel government?

        This is why news organisations avoid the word. It clearly picks a side.

        • mindlight@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          2 months ago

          Why Hamas should be called a terrorist organisation?

          Because they have been committing acts of terrorism.

          Whether other organisations has committed or has not commited terrorist acts is irrelevant in this context and does in no way cancel out the horrible things Hamas has been doing.

        • Murvel@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          2 months ago

          If Great Britain labels Hamas a terrorist organization, why shouldn’t the BBC then to the same?

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            2 months ago

            Because the BBC is not the PR arm of the British government. It is supposed to be an independent and impartial entity.

            • Murvel@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              2 months ago

              It’s the official stance of the country from their own government, by extension the british people. Are you saying that’s not what the BBC represents?