Jeopardy! says question on Bethlehem church shouldn't have aired

Popular television game show says question which caused uproar among pro-PA supporters was included in broadcast in error.

Ben Ariel, 15/01/20 04:33

 www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/274573

 
 Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity



Popular television game show "Jeopardy!" said Monday that a question about the location of the Church of the Nativity was included in last Friday's broadcast in error.

The question prompted an uproar among pro-Palestinian Arabs after the show refused to accept “Palestine” as an answer for the location of the church.

"In the process of taping this clue, 'BUILT IN THE 300s A.D., THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY' we became aware that the clue was flawed as written and that determining an acceptable response would be problematic,” the show said in a statement quoted by NBC News.

"In accordance with our rules and in the interest of fairness, we voided the clue and threw it out," the statement added.

The contestants' scores were restored to what they had been before the clue came up, and the outcome of the game was not affected, the show said.

"Unfortunately, through human error in post-production, the uncorrected version of the game was broadcast. We regret the error, and we will make every effort to ensure this never happens again," the statement from the show added.

The controversy began after contestant Katie Needle answered the question about the location of the church in Bethlehem as "What is Palestine?"

Host Alex Trebek's response, a decisive "no," set off a wave of controversy. Another contestant, Jack McGuire, answered "What is Israel?" and the $200 was added to his score.

Bethlehem, where the church is located, has been under the control of the Palestinian Authority since the Oslo Accords in 1993.

In 2012, UNESCO's World Heritage committee approved a PA bid to place the church in Bethlehem on its list of sites of World Heritage in Danger.