Outcry after BBC reporter suggests Jews will live in ‘diverse’ Syria

There has been outcry over the BBC’s coverage of Syria after the corporation's chief correspondent suggested that Jews will have “a space” in the Arab state's “new chapter”.

In a live report from Damascus, the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet suggested that Jews in Syria would want to return to the Old City to live next to Muslim and Christian neighbours.

Speaking from the Syrian capital on Wednesday, Doucet said: “This is one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East with multiple Christian [and] Muslim sects and you can see it here in the Old City, all the different quarters, Jewish, Muslim, Christian - they’re all here and they want to believe they have a space now as Syria embarks on this new chapter.”

Doucet’s comments have been widely ridiculed, with Jewish officials pointing out that Syria is home to an estimated three Jews following a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Arab state.

The official spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy to the UK, Orly Goldschmidt, noted: “In the 1940s, Syria's Jewish community was 40,000 strong. Today just an estimated three remain. Good luck finding a Jew in Syria for an interview.”

The Board of Deputies’ Director of Public Affairs Daniel Sugarman echoed her comments, “You may find a ‘Jewish Quarter’ in Damascus. You won’t find Jews to interview, though... After hideous state repression (starting well before the Assad regime), the number of Jews there is now three.

“The ethnic cleansing of Jews from Arab lands is something that all post-colonial theorists across the world will ignore, deny or downplay,” Sugarman posted on X.

Anti-antisemitism campaigner Alex Hearn accused Doucet of “misleading viewers about the violent antisemitic history of Syria”.

Doucet’s comments come after the BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen suggested on a news bulletin that Israel wanted the toppled dictator to remain in power.

During a report on Tuesday’s 6 pm radio bulletin, Bowen said: “The fall of Bashar al Assad was not the result Israel wanted. It preferred a weak dictator in Damascus to a seemingly self-confident Islamist militia.”

Bowen also appeared to suggest that Israel’s attack on Assad’s chemical weapons factories may prevent a peaceful transition of power: “Israel’s response has been a series of huge attacks on the remains of the Syrian military. Airstrikes have destroyed dozens of Syrian fighter jets and helicopters and Israel’s navy sunk the Syrian fleet.

“Israeli troops and tanks have moved into Syria to create what Israel calls a buffer zone to protect its borders. It has alarmed the UN [United Nations] and others who believe a political process is better for the Syrians and their neighbours than a preemptive military offensive,” the international editor went on.

The BBC was approached for comment.