When pressed why he, and the BBC in general, refuse to call Hamas a terrorist group in their reporting of the Hamas on Israel atrocities (Fidler!!!)-Simpson skirted the question and refused to be drawn into the debate.

Reasons given were that the BBC did not want to be seen as taking sides (!?!?!) in the conflict, and that after peace has been secured they would want to still be able to operate within the two territories, and beyond.