BBC’s failure to scrutinise the UN’s treatment of Israel betrays its duty to hold power to account

UNRWA now registers millions of Palestinian refugees, including descendants of those displaced during the 1948 war and large numbers living under Palestinian administration. As a PLO official recently put it: “UNRWA and the issue of Palestinian refugees is a political issue at the heart of the Palestinian cause.” The same lack of scrutiny is evident in reporting on the UN’s general treatment of Israel. Rather than investigating whether the UN’s exceptional scrutiny and condemnation of Israel is justified, the BBC usually simply reproduces it. Palestinian children become the subject of global campaigns and reports when their deaths can be attributed to Israel.