BBC editor accused of Israel bias sues Owen Jones over Gaza report

BBC Middle East editor Raffi Berg has launched a libel lawsuit against journalist Owen Jones over an article that alleged deep-rooted institutional bias inside the broadcaster, British and Israeli media reported on Thursday.

The case stems from Jones's December 2024 investigation for Drop Site News, entitled "The BBC's Civil War Over Gaza", which drew on testimony from 13 current and former BBC journalists.

They accused senior management, and Berg in particular, of systematically sanitising coverage of Israel's genocide in Gaza while erasing Palestinian suffering.

One former staffer told Jones: "This guy's entire job is to water down everything that’s too critical of Israel." 

Others said Berg reportedly routinely rewrote headlines and story text to foreground Israeli military narratives and strip away Palestinian humanity.

Court filings seen by the Press Association show Berg is suing for damages, claiming the article harmed his "reputation" and had caused him "fear, anxiety, humiliation, upset and distress".

His barrister John Stables said Berg had faced "an onslaught of hatred, intimidation and threats", allegedly including death threats, after publication.

Following the piece, protests erupted outside BBC offices, and a petition demanded Berg's suspension.

Berg, who joined the BBC in 2001 and has overseen its online Middle East output for over a decade, seeks damages and the article's removal from the internet.

Jones dismissed the claims, saying: "I strongly disagree with Mr Berg's accusations, and I look forward to vigorously defending my reporting in court."

The BBC has faced decades of accusations of anti-Palestinian bias. More than a hundred current and former employees have charged the corporation with privileging Israeli perspectives, downplaying Palestinian deaths, and avoiding criticism of Israeli war crimes.

Journalists describe a culture of fear and self-censorship, where editors water down reports to avoid complaints from pro-Israel lobby groups.

Jones, a prominent pro-Palestine journalist and activist, has long condemned Israeli apartheid, settlement expansion, and collective punishment in Gaza.

His 2023 documentary "Owen Jones Goes to Palestine" documented life under occupation, highlighting daily Israeli military raids and economic strangulation in the West Bank.

He argues that Israel’s policies amount to ethnic cleansing and that global pressure must make the occupation unsustainable.