A Sky News presenter has been axed, it’s been reported.
The broadcaster is believed to have not renewed its contract with broadcaster Belle Donati after she sparked fury by comparing the Israel-Gaza war to the Holocaust. The controversial remarks, deemed “completely inappropriate” by Sky News, were made back in January during a conversation with Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.
Sky News issued an apology after the live segment, with presenter Jonathan Samuels telling viewers: “In an interview earlier today with Israeli politician Danny Danon, a Sky News presenter made a comparison between Mr Danon’s comments on Israel’s war with Hamas and the treatment of Jewish people in the Holocaust.”
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“Sky News recognized the complete inappropriateness of this comparison and the offensive nature of those comments.” He went on to say that the channel “would like to apologize unreservedly for the comparison and to Mr Danon personally for making the comparison”.
(Image: (Image: SKY NEWS))
Donati has not returned to Sky and her X account has remained dormant – The Sun claims she won’t return to the organisation. Danon branded her “antisemitic” during the heated exchange.
Donati had criticised an opinion piece Danon had written for New York’s Wall Street Journal. She argued: “You suggested the ethnic cleansing of some of Gaza’s population to Western countries that would accept the refugees.”
(Image: (Image: SKY NEWS))
Danon fired back that he would “not allow” her use of the phrase “ethnic cleansing”, clarifying that the article had been referring to “voluntary immigration”. Donati replied: “The sort of voluntary relocation of many Jewish people during the Holocaust, I imagine”.
Danon fumed: “Shame on you for that comparison,” and urged her to apologise. He added: “That is a shameful antisemitic equation. I will not allow you to speak about the Holocaust and compare [that’s] to what’s happening today… Israel will defend ourselves. This is pure antisemitism what you just said, comparing the Holocaust to what’s happening today in Gaza.”
(Image: (Image: SKY NEWS))
He later took to X and revealed he had requested the “immediate termination” of the presenter’s contract. He attached a copy of his letter to David Rhodes, the executive chairman of Sky News Group, in which he wrote that he was “deeply disturbed by the anti-semitic rhetoric”.
He said: “I found it particularly distressing when she audaciously likened the present situation in Gaza to the Holocaust, the largest premeditated mass murder of Jews in history,” he continued. “Such comments were not only profoundly offensive to me but also to the entire global Jewish community.”
Danon added that her X feed had shown “a discernable bias and clear anti-Israel stance”, including numerous posts “expressing opposition to Israel’s legitimate defense of its citizens after the tragic events of October 7th”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
