Complaint
A listener complained remarks by the 91福利社鈥檚 International Editor Jeremy Bowen during this debate showed anti-Israel bias. The ECU consider whether the broadcast met the standards of impartiality set out in the 91福利社 Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The complainant took issue with Mr Bowen鈥檚 analysis of the failure to achieve peace via a two-state solution over a period of years. Mr Bowen put it that Western governments had advocated for such a solution, but had done little to forestall the building of Israeli settlements on land which the Palestinians considered part of their future state 鈥 making 鈥渢wo state solution鈥 an empty slogan. In the ECU鈥檚 view listeners would have understood the complexities of the situation, the blame various parties had assigned to one another over the relative lack of progress, Israel鈥檚 ongoing security concerns and the fact many aspects of this remained in bitter dispute. Against this background Mr Bowen鈥檚 analysis was that of an expert in this field and based on experience of the situation and familiarity with the positions of the various parties. The programme contained a wide range of perspectives on peace and the potential paths to it, ensuring due impartiality was maintained.
Not Upheld