UK watchdog rules al-Jazeera investigation series not anti-Semitic
Ofcom rejects complaints that exposé on Israel embassy staff influencing MPs was biased and played to stereotypical tropes
Britain’s official media watchdog on Monday rejected complaints against an al-Jazeera undercover series that exposed an Israeli embassy official attempting to influence UK lawmakers.
Ofcom received several complaints about the four-part series, “The Lobby,” alleging that it was anti-Semitic and unfairly biased, al-Jazeera reported on its website.
Shai Masot, an employee of the Israeli embassy who subsequently resigned, was filmed by an undercover reporter for al-Jazeera conspiring to “take down” certain MPs — notably Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan — who were perceived as unfriendly to Israel.
Israel’s ambassador in London, Mark Regev, called Duncan to apologize after the segment aired. An Israeli spokesman at the time said that Regev had emphasized to Duncan that “the embassy considered the remarks to be completely unacceptable.”
Ofcom rejected all the complaints, saying, “We did not consider that this aspect of the complaints warranted further investigation.”
The watchdog said that documenting inappropriate behavior by embassy staff did not constitute anti-Semitism.
“The fact that the programs uncovered evidence of inappropriate behavior by those acting on behalf of the Israeli government, or by those belonging to a small number of organizations that promote Israeli policy, does not mean that they were anti-Semitic,” Ofcom said.
The Qatar-based media group welcomed the decision.
“We are extremely pleased with the verdict,” said Clayton Swisher, al-Jazeera’s director of investigative journalism. “Our entire team put a ton of care into making this film, under full legal review throughout. This totally vindicates our work and is a terrific verdict for all journalists exposing wrongdoing.”
Swisher said the channel will continue to make similar shows in the future.
“We feel vindicated by the rulings and ever more committed to exposing human rights violations by anyone – regardless of geography, religion, or the power of their lobbies,” he said.
The media regulator explained, “It was the view of some complainants that ‘The Lobby’ fueled harmful stereotypes about Jewish people controlling or seeking to control powerful organisations. These complainants considered this was anti-Semitic and offensive.”
Ofcom rejected the complaints, saying, “The allegations in the program were not made on the grounds that any of the particular individuals concerned were Jewish and noted that no claims were made relating to their faith. We did not consider that the program portrayed any negative stereotypes of Jewish people as controlling or seeking to control the media or governments.”
Al-Jazeera has faced international criticism and sanctions of late.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in July that he wanted to expel the Qatari broadcaster from the country, accusing it of inciting violence. The Government Press Office initially took steps to revoke the station’s press credentials, but subsequently backed down.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and cut off land, sea and air routes to the tiny peninsular nation, which relies on food imports. Its long-haul carrier Qatar Airways was also impacted. They also demanded the closure of al-Jazeera.
At the heart of the dispute are longstanding allegations linking Qatar to regional Islamist militant groups. Qatar denies supporting terrorist organizations, but Western officials have regularly accused its government of allowing or even encouraging the funding of some Sunni extremists. Qatar also has hosted a leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, as well as members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group that Gulf nations consider a threat to their hereditary rule.
AP contributed to this report.
