Veteran journalist : Jeremy Bowen said claims he is anti-Semetic are 'untrue and offensive ' BBC journalist Jeremy Bowen has come under fire after accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of 'playing the Holocaust card ' . The Middle East editor posted his comments on Twitter during the politician 's speech at the U.S. Congress . His tweet sparked outrage , with critics labelling the veteran journalist a 'slime bag ' and calling his statement 'deplorable ' . But the senior journalist has responded to his attackers and said claims he is anti-Semetic are 'untrue and offensive ' . It comes just weeks after Mr Bowen 's BBC colleague Tim Wilcox was accused of anti-Semitism over his coverage of the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris . Mr Bowen made his claim after highlighting how Prime Minister Netanyahu had referenced U.S. professor Elie Wisel , a survivor the Auschwitz , Buna and Buchenwald Nazi concentration camps . He wrote : ' # NetanyahuSpeech He acknowledged Elie Wiesel in audience . Once again Netanyahu plays the holocaust card . do n't repeat mistakes of the past ' . The Israeli Prime Minister was invited to speak by the Republicans and he took the opportunity to slam an emerging nuclear deal with Iran . Mr Bowen was live tweeting the speech using the hashtag # NetanyahuSpeech . In response to the senior BBC journalist 's tweet , Aboud Dandachi , who describes himself as a 'displaced Syrian from Homs ' living in Istanbul ' , wrote : ' A deplorable statement by Bowen . ' Twitter user @ AndyLondon7 added : 'It 's b/c of ppl like Bowen that Elie Wiesel has to remind people of the 1930s ' . Shimon Chaim tweeted : ' @ BowenBBC 'plays Holocaust card ' ? Avoiding a repeat of genocide some cynical game to you is it ? ' @ thehugheslady added : 'Bowen is a slime bag . Shame on him and BBC for using him ' . Controversial : This tweet sparked outrage , with critics labelling the veteran journalist a 'slime bag ' and calling his statement 'deplorable ' Response : Mr Bowen has responded to his attackers and said claims he is anti-Semetic are 'untrue and offensive ' The UK-based campaign group , North West Friends of Israel , also expressed anger . It tweeted : 'err-'Holocaust card ' ? The holocaust was n't a game , Jeremy . Maybe take a trip to Europe again to see how world treated Jews . ' Mr Bowen has been the BBC 's Middle East editor since 2005 , having previously been based in Jerusalem as a correspondent . When MailOnline asked him for a comment , he said : 'Nothing to add to the tweet I posted saying it was untrue and offensive to suggest I 'm anti-Semitic . ' Accusation : BBC journalist Jeremy Bowen ( left ) said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ( right ) was 'playing the Holocaust card ' In January , the BBC 's Tim Wilcox faced calls to resign after he told a French woman , the daughter of a Holocaust survivor , that 'Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well ' . His comments came as he covered a rally in Paris following the deadly attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Kosher supermarket . The woman had told him that she feared a return to the persecution of Jews seen in the 1930s .
bush 's blog Bowen accused Israeli PM of ' playing the Holocaust . ' veteran East journalist tweeted comments during PM 's speech at U.S. Congress . Tweet sparked controversy , with critics calling veteran journalists a ' punching bag ' In response , he said claims he is anti - Semitic are ' untrue and offensive '