brill.nl/mjcc MEJCC Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 3 (2010) 242–255 © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010 DOI 10.1163/187398610X510038 BBC World Service Hebrew Section (1949-1968): he ‘Voice of London’ for Israelis or the ‘Voice of Israel’ from London? Hillel Nossek* College of Management Academic Studies, Israel Email: hnossek@colman.ac.il Abstract his article seeks to ask the question why, when and how the BBC World Service Hebrew Section broadcast became part of British media diplomacy towards Israel and integral to British foreign policy towards the Middle East and the Cold War. It also seeks to understand why it was closed down and how it became a professional training ground for Israel’s public broadcasting system tasked with enhancing democracy as a part of BBC WS’ policy. he article tries to answer these questions by analyzing background documents and transcripts of the broadcasts at several critical moments, and by interviewing a key professional who served on the Israeli staff of the BBCWS Hebrew section in its last three years. he points in time were: the establishment of the service, 1949; the Suez/Sinai Campaign of 1956; the Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem, 1961; Ten Years to the Suez/Sinai Campaign, 1966; the Six Day War, 1967; and the closure of the service in 1968. Keywords BBC Hebrew Service, diplomacy, Israel, democracy he BBC’s first Hebrew broadcast went on air on October 30 1949 and was broadcast daily for half an hour from 1830 to 1900 until the last broadcast on * I wish to thank Professor Annabelle Sreberny and Professor Marie Gillespie for inviting me to participate in the Open University research project on the BBC World Service and to research the Hebrew Section. I also would like to thank the BBC’s Research Coordinator Sophie West for her assistance in coordinating the collection of the material, and Kate Ribet and Tara Sadooghi for undertaking the photocopying of the files. My special thanks also to Mrs. Louise North of the BBC Written Archives at Caversham for preparing the material and for all her assistance with opening the files and making them available for research. Special thanks to Mr. Yair Aloni, former CEO of the Israel Broadcasting Authority and a member of the Hebrew Section’s last team before it was shut down, for allowing me an in-depth interview, and for placing material he had collected and his memories of the time he worked in London at my disposal.