A heated exchange erupted on Friday during a live broadcast on Arise Television as anchor Rufai Oseni confronted the Israel Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, over allegations of historical atrocities, civilian casualties in Gaza, and claims of nuclear hypocrisy.
During the interview, Oseni challenged the ambassador over Israel’s past military actions and ongoing controversies involving the Palestinian territories.
“I mean, we can go back historically. I can tell you about the King David Hotel bombings, Argon, Shargon, and all the other atrocities, even Gaza, where Israel initially denied the number of people killed before eventually acknowledging them,” Oseni said.
He further referenced alleged actions in the West Bank, noting that several reports have raised concerns about the conduct of the Israeli military.
“What they are doing in the West Bank… a lot of crimes are being investigated against the Israeli army. So if you think Israel is the same…” he added before being interrupted.
When Ambassador Freeman attempted to respond, Oseni halted him, insisting on completing his remarks.
“Hang on a minute, let me finish. Do not interrupt me, ambassador. Let me finish,” he said.
Oseni also accused Israel and its allies of hypocrisy regarding nuclear weapons, referencing comments made during a previous conflict.
“Only last year, during the 12-day war, you said the words of Donald Trump and Israel allies that they are obliterating the nuclear program in Iran,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, Ambassador Freeman rejected several of the claims made by the anchor, describing them as inaccurate.
“Well, before I go to the second part, some of the statements you made in the beginning were outrageous and absolutely based on no facts,” Freeman said.
He added that Israel continues to dispute casualty figures reported from Gaza.
“For example, Israel still disputes some of these numbers of people in Gaza that the Hamas authorities claim. We absolutely do not accept those figures. Reports suggesting otherwise are simply not true, and I can say that categorically now,” he stated.
Freeman also addressed the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, referencing the conflict he described as the “12-day war.”
“In the 12-day war, Israel and America destroyed and set back Iran’s nuclear program,” he said.
According to the ambassador, the Iranian leadership has continued efforts to rebuild its nuclear capabilities despite economic challenges.
“But over the last less than one year, the Iranian leadership began again. Even when Iran has no water and people in Tehran are dealing with one of the worst economic crises they’ve ever had, they decided to invest $1 billion into building a new nuclear program,” Freeman said.
He further alleged that Iran has been working to deepen underground facilities, enrich uranium further, and expand its missile programme.
“They were not prepared to give up nuclear enrichment, they were not prepared to give up their ballistic missile programme, and they were not prepared to stop sponsoring terror organizations throughout the region and the world,” he added.
The tense exchange quickly drew attention on social media, with viewers reacting to the sharp disagreement between the broadcaster and the diplomat during the live interview.