“Israel is using sexual assault and rape on an industrial scale against Palestinians,” declared Guardian columnist Owen Jones in his latest grotesque and unfounded smear. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Jones alleged a fabricated conspiracy of mass rape by the Jewish state, claiming it was being “almost entirely covered up by a racist Western media.”
This baseless assertion, just one in a long line of conspiratorial accusations by Jones about Israel, is particularly unpleasant given Jones’ role in attempting to subvert the well-documented mass sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas during their October 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel, having previously lamented a supposed lack of documentation after viewing Bearing Witness, the harrowing 47-minute film compiled from Hamas body camera footage.
How can @guardian continue to be associated with @owenjonesjourno, who has consistently engaged in denying Hamas’ sexual crimes against Israelis on Oct. 7 and now inverts reality by accusing Israel of “rape on an industrial scale?”
Jones’s obsession with Israel is sickening. https://t.co/1ePu7GdeWk
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 9, 2025
Since those attacks, Jones has repeatedly propagated conspiracy theories, engaged in antisemitic rhetoric, and stoked online abuse against Jews and Israelis. His behavior exemplifies the insidious tactics used to delegitimize Israel while downplaying the atrocities of groups like Hamas.
Investigating the “Pro-Israel” BBC
In December, Jones published a so-called “investigation” on Drop Site News into the BBC’s coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas. Based on interviews with 13 anonymous “current and former staffers,” Jones accused the BBC of pro-Israel bias. A particular target of his vitriol was Raffi Berg, the BBC News website’s Middle East editor, with Jones quoting unnamed sources attacking Berg, who is reportedly considering legal action. According to a source close to Berg, the editor described Jones’ piece as “vile and sinister,” adding that it had “triggered the most severe torrent of antisemitic abuse” he’d ever endured.
Is @owenjonesjourno about to declare the BBC newsroom are Zionists?
We can’t wait to see this. 🤡🍿 https://t.co/OfFkk0fai8
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 17, 2024
Jones was then caught ‘liking’ blatantly antisemitic comments from his supporters responding to his BBC publication. When called out, Jones feebly claimed he hadn’t read the comments fully, insisting, “The lesson here is don’t scan through comments reading the first line and pressing ‘like,’ which is what I did.” No apology followed.
The content of Jones’ investigation has already been thoroughly deconstructed, exposing not only shoddy journalism but also a simmering, obsessive hatred for Israel.
So Owen Jones claims he did some ‘investigating’ to try to show that @BBCNews has a pro-Israel bias. He published his report last night.
So I looked closely at his investigation. In short – anyone who falls for his rubbish clearly hasn’t read it properly.
The method was…
— David Collier (@mishtal) December 20, 2024
Jones’s Rhetoric Grows More Extreme
After all, Jones has a long history of promoting conspiracy theories about Israel that far predate the current war. However, since the Hamas atrocities, his rhetoric has grown more extreme. He regularly spreads malicious falsehoods to his more than one million followers on social media, fueling an environment of hostility and abuse toward Jews worldwide. His latest smear is merely the most recent example of his relentless campaign to vilify Israel.
Any shred of journalistic credibility Jones may once have had has long since disintegrated. Yet, week after week, he continues to be published in The Guardian, a publication that claims its values are rooted in “honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community.” The publication further sanctimoniously proclaims, “Our values and behaviours provide the basis of how we work together, how we communicate, and what we should expect from each other.”
How, then, does The Guardian reconcile its employment of Jones—who routinely launches broadside attacks on fellow journalists—with its supposed commitment to integrity and fairness? How does it square its “sense of duty to the reader and the community” when Jones endorses antisemitic comments, such as a tweet calling Jews “the new master race?” Or does The Guardian simply exclude Jews from the community it claims to serve?
While The Guardian’s coverage of Israel has often been criticized for bias, Jones’ actions go far beyond that. His targeted attacks on journalists he deems “pro-Zionist,” such as Raffi Berg, are not merely criticism—they constitute an antisemitic bullying campaign.
The Guardian’s continued employment of Owen Jones—and its tacit endorsement of his actions—is a damning indictment of where the publication truly stands. A platform that willingly enables a bully who peddles antisemitic conspiratorial nonsense can no longer credibly claim to be a legitimate news outlet.
When will The Guardian finally draw the line and say enough is enough? When is time up for Owen Jones?
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