The BBC’s controversial decision to mistranslate yahud—an Arabic word that explicitly means “Jews”—as “Israelis” or “Israeli forces” in its Gaza war documentary has ignited fierce backlash. Critics say the BBC’s justification whitewashes antisemitism and deceives audiences. CAMERA Arabic, a media watchdog, called the move “unequivocally wrong,” insisting, “Colloquial Gazan Arabic has distinct terms for ‘military,’ ‘soldiers,’ ‘Israelis,’ and ‘Zionists’ – none of which is ‘yahud.’”
The BBC’s program, Gaza: How to Survive A War Zone, was narrated by the son of a Hamas official and featured loaded rhetoric translated to soften the antisemitic language. One example included praise for a Hamas “jihad against the Jews” mistranslated as “fighting Israeli forces.”
Despite acknowledging the narrator’s father’s Hamas ties breached editorial rules, the BBC stood by the flawed translations. Director Peter Johnston claimed that “people in Gaza often use the word yahud when referring to the actions of the IDF,” implying that a literal translation would “risk misleading audiences.”
CAMERA pushed back, saying the usage “occurs within a widely held antisemitic worldview that sees all of these as indistinguishable.” The group warned that the BBC’s policy now encourages translators to reinterpret clear antisemitic statements to protect the network from public scrutiny.
A Jewish BBC staffer revealed internal alarm, asking, “Under what circumstances can you translate as ‘Jews’ if not then!?” Expert Amira Halperin added, “The program was wrong because they needed to translate ‘yahud’ as Jews.” She noted Palestinians rarely use the term IDF, preferring “IOF” to reject Israeli legitimacy.
As CAMERA stated, “Even during formal reviews, the BBC fails to adequately oversee its own content, especially when biased coverage of Jews or Israel is involved.”
