Sky News has apologised after one of their broadcasters made a comparison between the current relocation of Palestinians in Gaza and the displacement of Jews during the Holocaust.
On Friday (January 26) presenter Belle Donati interviewed Israeli politician Danny Danon. Danon’s appearance on Sky News came after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.
In the interview, Donati said “you’ve called for a voluntary migration of Palestinians from Gaza” where she quoted an article Danon had co-authored, titled ‘The West Should Welcome Gaza Refugees’. From the Wall Street Journal, Donati quoted “one idea is for countries around the world to accept limited numbers of Gazan families who have expressed a desire to relocate” before asking the politician whether he stood by these comments.
Danon responded that he “will not allow it” and reiterated “you spoke about ethnic cleansing, I spoke about voluntary immigration”. He restated that “anyone in the world who voluntarily wants to move to another country should be able eligible to do that”.
Rather controversially, the Sky News host then said, “the sort of voluntary relocation of many Jewish people during the Holocaust, I imagine, it is not voluntary relocation”.
This comparison infuriated Danon who responded, “shame on you for that comparison” calling it a “shameful antisemitic equation”. The Likud member said he would not allow Donati “to speak about the Holocaust and compare [it] to what’s happening today”. He said the presenter’s comparison was “pure antisemitism”.
On Friday afternoon, following widespread criticism of the interview, Sky News issued an on air apology where newsreader Jonathan Samuels said one of their presenters “made a comparison between Mr Danon’s comments on Israel’s war with Hamas and the treatment of Jewish people in the Holocaust”.
In the statement, Sky News said the channel “recognises the complete inappropriateness of this comparison and the nature of those comments” and wanted to “apologise unreservedly for the comparison”.
Later sharing the interview on X, Danon (@dannydanon) called Donati an “insolent interviewer” who “disgracefully drew comparisons between the situation in Gaza and the Holocaust”.
X user, Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) called it a “despicable comparison” and recognised the significance of Holocaust Memorial Day, just a day later. Bachram said the apology was not enough and labelled Donati “racist” before urging the channel to “sack her”.
Sharing similar sentiments, X user @KosherCockney called it “a DISGUSTING comparison” and accused Donati of putting words in the politician’s mouth and making “a completely false Holocaust comparison”. He called it “sickening, abhorrent and downright grotesque”.
Many have applauded Donati’s remarks with X user, Fahad Ansari, (@fahadansari) congratulating the presenter “for holding a proponent of ethnic cleansing to account”. He said, “the genocidal Israeli regime” charges all who criticise their actions with antisemitism and accused Sky News of “being bullied into apologising”.
Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@SholaMos1) called the apology “cowardice” and said accusations of antisemitism were “clear censorship”. She said Donati was “absolutely right” in her comparison with the Holocaust and argued “Israel should be apologising!”
X user, @Capellarec, called it predictable and said anyone who “challenges the Israeli narrative” is “silenced” before giving “all credit to @belledonati for doing a great job”.
The Israel-Hamas War began after the events of October 7, 2023, when the terrorist group, Hamas, launched an attack in southern Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis. The subsequent retaliation by Israel has seen 25,700 Palestinians killed and over 63,740 injured.
Sky News presenter Belle Donati is yet to issue a statement or comment on the matter.
Edited by: Kaiyah Ellison
Photo credit: Sky News
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