The BBC removes mention of fringe IAGS group from key report

This morning, the BBC published a piece on the UK Government’s recognition of Palestine.

The report mentioned input from the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) on the contested debate over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Originally published at 06:04am BST, the report was soon updated at 08:54am to fully remove the reference to IAGS, which has accused Israel of committing genocide.

IAGS, which counts students, artists, and other non-experts as members, is by no means a trusted authority on the subject of genocide.

Membership is reported to cost just $30 and is open to all. This allows non-experts to join and vote on contentious subjects without a proper grounding, let alone legal training.

The resolution in question – that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza – was voted on by just 28% of IAGS’ non-expert membership. This was widely viewed as a political statement, rather than a reasoned, legally grounded position.

While the BBC is yet to comment on its removal of the reference to IAGS, it will surely have been brought to the corporation’s attention that IAGS is not a suitable reference point for reporting on the Gaza conflict.

It is even less suitable as a source of opinion on the complex legal case pertaining to the conflict at the International Court of Justice.