Crisis at Jewish Chronicle as stories based on ‘wild fabrications’ are withdrawn

The world’s oldest Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Chronicle, has removed a series of sensational articles relating to the Gaza war after claims that the material was fabricated by a “freelance journalist” who had also misrepresented his résumé.

After an investigation last week into the author, Elon Perry, the Jewish Chronicle put out a two-paragraph announcement late on Friday night, saying that it was unsatisfied with explanations supplied by the journalist regarding his assertions.

“The Jewish Chronicle has concluded a thorough investigation into freelance journalist Elon Perry, which commenced after allegations were made about aspects of his record. While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims.

“We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr Perry.

“The Jewish Chronicle maintains the highest journalistic standards in a highly contested information landscape and we deeply regret the chain of events that led to this point. We apologise to our loyal readers and have reviewed our internal processes so that this will not be repeated.”

Founded in 1841, the JC – as it is familiarly known – has long been a respected institution in British Jewish life, attracting prominent Jewish journalists and writers to contribute. But the recent events have caused consternation about the direction of the paper as it has drifted further right under its editor, Jake Wallis Simons, and amid question over who owns it.

The extraordinary events of the past week, which have now seen a series of high-profile articles taken down, began several months ago when a writer described as a British-based Israeli journalist began contributing a series of reports allegedly based on Israeli intelligence sources.

Highly sensational, the articles purported to describe blow-by-blow Israeli operations – including what would be regarded as sensitive details – and intelligence purportedly gathered by Israel on the fugitive Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his plans.

Journalists covering the Gaza conflict, already dubious about the veracity of the material, were unable to establish a meaningful record of Perry’s bona fides as described by the paper. Those suspicions were pushed into the open last week as a series of reports in the Israeli media described Perry’s articles as “fabrications”.

In recent months, there have been suggestions in the Israeli media that stories have been placed in European newspapers, including one in the German tabloid Bild, that are based on fake or misrepresented intelligence, planted as part of an effort to support prime minister Benjamin’s Netanyahu’s negotiating position over Gaza.

At a 4 September press conference for foreign media, Netanyahu suggested that if the Gaza border area with Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor – a sticking point in negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire-for-hostages-deal – was not under Israeli military control, then Sinwar could use it to escape, perhaps taking hostages with him.

The following day, an article by Perry in the JC had turned that into reality. The piece claimed that intelligence existed showing that Sinwar planned to escape to Iran with the hostages, derived from the interrogation of a senior Hamas figure and a document found late in August.

Picked up by various Israeli media – and also promoted by Netanyahu’s son Yair and his wife Sara – the story, however, was quickly knocked down as a “wild fabrication”, with an IDF spokesman describing it as baseless.

Digging by reporters in Israel and elsewhere also quickly established that Perry’s claims about his background, including his supposed work as a journalist and academic, and parts of his military record, were untrue or questionable.

In particular, Perry faced questions about his claim to have served as a soldier during the famous Entebbe hostage rescue mission in 1976 and that he was a professor at Tel Aviv University for 15 years.

The removal of the articles, after an investigation formally announced by the paper only the day before, raises serious questions for JC editor Wallis Simons, a former novelist who has written for the Mail, the Telegraph and Spectator.

Despite being provided with a series of questions, Wallis Simons and the JC have so far declined to describe how Perry – an individual with no discernible journalistic track record, let alone as an investigative reporter – came to be writing for the paper or what due diligence had been exercised over an increasingly fantastic series of claims.

Perry told the Observer that “the JC made a huge mistake with its statement”. He described the criticism as a “witch-hunt… caused by jealousy from Israeli journalists and outlets who could not obtain the details that I managed to.”

The Perry affair comes on top of growing disquiet over the paper’s recent direction. In February, the Sunday Times Whitehall editor, Gabriel Pogrund, aired his misgivings about the paper on social media, including over its murky ownership arrangements that have puzzled observers.

“The coarseness and aggression of the JC’s current leadership is such a pity and does such a disservice to our community,” wrote Pogrund. “It also once again poses the question: who owns it!? How is it that British Jews don’t know who owns ‘their’ paper. Moreover, how can a paper not disclose its ownership? It’s an oxymoron. I hate having to pose the question publicly but I asked privately more than a year ago to no avail.”

Pogrund’s reservations are widespread among liberal British Jews, who feel it no longer represents them as it once did.

“There was a sense that it was in the pocket of no one. It worked for the whole Jewish community, and because of that it had a greater institutional reach … in the Jewish community,” said one figure familiar with the paper’s history and role.

“It has become much narrower in its outlook and campaigns on a particular set of issues.”

The question of the ownership of the JC was examined in an article by Alan Rusbridger, the former editor of the Guardian, in Prospect magazine earlier this year. He suggested the paper was ultimately backed by a billionaire American, who has denied the claim.

Related: Israel’s prime target: the hunt for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Among those commenting on the Jewish Chronicle’s removal of Perry’s articles were some who had been reposting them, including Eylon Levy, the combative former Israeli government spokesman who apologised for circulating the misleading articles to his 200,000 followers.

“The @JewishChron has removed the dodgy stories by ‘freelance journalist’ Elon Perry and ended its work with him,” wrote Levy on X. “This is exactly how media should treat reporters who quote dodgy sources. My apologies to anyone misled by my posting of these reports.”

Some were sceptical, however, that the removal of Perry’s stories would end the issue, including Ben Reiff of +972, one of the Israeli publications involved in exposing the fabrications.

“It seems that by firing Elon Perry @JewishChron is hoping to put this whole affair to bed, as if decisions weren’t made at the very top to employ a fake journalist, publish nine fake articles without verifying sources, and use the paper [as] an active agent in a pro-Bibi influence op,” wrote Reiff on X.