by Gordon Rayner, Telegraph (Photo: Wikimedia Creative Commons)
Hicham Yezza described militants’ terrorism as ‘resistance’ and called Israel an ‘apartheid regime’
A former prisoner who has accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and defended Hamas terrorism is now employed by the BBC to advise on the use of AI in its news output.
Algerian-born Hicham Yezza, the principal data scientist at the BBC’s Responsible AI division, was jailed in 2009 for falsely claiming he had leave to remain in the UK. After avoiding deportation at the end of his prison sentence, he set up the pro-Palestinian Ceasefire magazine.
Before he worked for the BBC, he used social media to call Israel an “apartheid regime … built on stolen land” and to describe Hamas terrorism as “resistance”.
The BBC said Mr Yezza had not worked for the magazine since it employed him and had not breached its social media policies during the time he had been employed.
The corporation has faced scrutiny of its coverage of the war in Gaza and about the views of employees involved in its news output.