BBC defends appointment of Arabic news head after report on past comments

The BBC has defended the appointment of Maysalon Nasser as head of its Arabic news service after a report by The Telegraph said she previously described Beersheba as 'occupied' and called Israeli civilians wounded by rocket fire 'settlers'.

Maysalun Nassar, of Lebanese origin, took over the BBC's Arabic service last month. As revealed by the British newspaper The Telegraph, in her social media posts while working at France 24, Nassar referred to Beersheba and Metula as 'occupied territories' and their residents as 'illegal settlers'. Both cities lie within the pre-1967 borders. She also facilitated a program featuring the wife of a Palestinian terrorist, where he was portrayed as 'one who struggled and made sacrifices'. The appointment comes amid a reorganization of BBC Arabic following criticism of a 'pro-Palestinian bias'. A BBC spokesperson stated that Nassar was an 'outstanding candidate'.