EXCLUSIVE: Sky News presenter Belle Donati has left the Comcast-owned network after comparing Israel’s war in Gaza to the Holocaust in an interview with UN ambassador Danny Danon.
Deadline understands that Sky News declined to renew Donati’s contract following the exchange in January, which prompted an on-air apology from the network. Donati did not apologize.
Donati has not presented on Sky News since the interview, while her Twitter (now X) account has been dormant since January. Sky News declined to comment. Donati has been contacted for comment.
During the interview, Danon — who was recently re-appointed as Israel’s ambassador to the UN after previously holding the role from 2015 to 2020 — took issue with the way Donati characterized a Wall Street Journal op-ed he wrote last November.
“You suggested the ethnic cleansing of some of Gaza’s population to Western countries that would accept the refugees,” Donati said.
Danon replied: “I will not allow it. Ethnic cleansing, that’s a word you used. If you read my article, I spoke about voluntary immigration.”
Donati said: “The sort of voluntary relocation of many Jewish people during the Holocaust, I imagine.”
Danon responded angrily to the remark, accusing the presenter of antisemitism. “Shame on you for that comparison,” he said. “You should apologize for what you just said.”
Danon described Donati as an “insolent interviewer” and later wrote to Sky News boss David Rhodes demanding he “facilitate the immediate resignation” of the presenter.
In an on-air statement following the exchange, Sky News presenter Jonathan Samuels said: “In an interview earlier today with Israeli politician Danny Danon, a Sky News presenter made a comparison between Mr Danon’s comments on Israel’s war with Hamas and the treatment of Jewish people in the Holocaust.
“Sky News recognized the complete inappropriateness of this comparison and the offensive nature of those comments. Sky News would like to apologize unreservedly for the comparison and to Mr Danon personally for making the comparison.”
