BBC Arabic defended as lone voice in region for giving ‘Israeli perspective’

Exclusive: World Service director Fiona Crack says platform pursues stories ignored by the Gulf’s state-owned media

A senior BBC executive has defended BBC Arabic as a lone voice in the region covering the “Israeli perspective”, as she warned its critics that it pursued stories ignored by the Gulf’s state-owned media.

The corporation’s Arabic service has come under sustained criticism in recent years, for its selection of coverage and for featuring some guests that had expressed antisemitic views on social media. There have even been calls for the service to be closed down.