Sky News issued an apology after one of its presenters, Belle Donati, drew a comparison between comments made by Israeli politician Danny Danon about the war in Gaza and the treatment of Jewish people during the Holocaust.
The apology came after Danon, a member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, described the remarks as “shameful” and labeled them as “pure anti-Semitism.”
The incident occurred during an interview where Donati accused Danon of advocating for the “voluntary migration of Palestinians from Gaza” and suggested that he had endorsed the “ethnic cleansing” of some of Gaza’s population to Western countries in a co-authored article.
Danon clarified that he had spoken about “voluntary immigration” and defended the right of anyone worldwide to voluntarily move to another country.
The exchange escalated when Donati referenced the “voluntary relocation of many Jewish people during the Holocaust.” Danon strongly condemned the comparison, accusing Donati of antisemitism and demanding an apology.
Sky News later issued an on-air apology, acknowledging the inappropriateness and offensiveness of the Holocaust comparison.
The context of the interview was against the backdrop of a recent judgment from the UN’s International Court of Justice, directing Israel to take all possible measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
However, the court did not call for an end to the ongoing conflict.