ITV News Apologises For Platforming Reporter Who Called Hamas Attack ‘Moment Of Triumph’

Latifa Abouchakra appears on ITV News (Screengrab via ITV News)

ITV News has issued an apology for interviewing Latifa Abouchakra, a reporter linked to Iranian channel Press TV, who referred to a Hamas attack on October 7 as a “homecoming by the Palestinian resistance.”

In an interview on Monday, Abouchakra was presented as a London-based Palestinian, where she shared experiences of Islamophobia she faced in the UK. Abouchakra works as a school teacher in Ealing, London, but also serves as a reporter for Palestine Declassified, a program under the banner of Press TV, the Iranian state-run channel. While media watchdog Ofcom revoked Press TV’s broadcasting licence in 2012, it is still accessible online.

In the interview she said: “I’ve been called a terrorist, I’ve been asked to go back home, I’ve had people in their cars making threatening gestures.” She also commented on the perception that “Muslims and Palestinians are inherently terrorists according to the system here.”

Backlash on social media was quick, however, when footage emerged of Abouchakra reporting for Press TV on October 7th, the day of Hamas’ attacks on Israel in which more than 1,400 Israelis were murdered.

In a further clip, posted to social media, Abouchakra appeared jubilant and said: “Nothing will ever be able to take back this moment. This moment of triumph, this moment of resistance, this moment of surprise, this moment of humiliation on behalf of the Zionist entity. Nothing ever.”

Formal pressure was put on ITV when The Board of Deputies of British Jews released a statement on Monday criticising the network for what they deemed as a “staggering failure of due diligence.”

Marie van der Zyl, the Board president, highlighted ITV’s decision to host Abouchakra as “astonishingly bad” and “a catastrophic breach of your channel’s journalistic standards.”

Andrew Dagnell, ITV News editor, has since responded to the criticisms in a letter to van der Zyl: “Please be reassured that we would not have included the contributor you refer to had we been aware of her previous comments. We recognise that better due diligence should have been conducted. We apologise for this oversight. ITV News London is committed to enhancing our interviewee vetting procedures. ITV News remains dedicated to maintaining accuracy and impartiality, especially in matters concerning Israel and Gaza.”

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