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PEN America Lists Palestinian Terrorists as ‘Writers’ in Annual Freedom Index
A taxi passes by in front of The New York Times head office, Feb. 7, 2013. Photo: Reuters / Carlo Allegri / File.
Shortly after PEN America published its annual Freedom to Write Index last Wednesday, The New York Times rushed out a story quoting the organization’s “director of writers at risk,” Karin Karlekar, who described the worsening threats against writers worldwide.
“Russia and Israel entered the list of the Top 10 biggest jailers, as Karlekar noted that countries with conflict or war crackdown on dissent,” The New York Times reported in the piece, which also detailed how the Israel-Hamas war had “roiled PEN America itself” when it was forced to cancel its 2024 literary awards ceremony amid a boycott by prize nominees who insisted PEN America is overly sympathetic to the Jewish State.
While the Times is happy to lump Israel alongside authoritarian regimes like Russia, it failed to name any of the writers whose allegedly unjust jailing has led to Israel’s ignominious inclusion on PEN America’s list. If these writers had been named, it would’ve immediately become clear to readers why Israel has no business being listed alongside countries like Russia, China, and Iran.
.@nytimes reports Israel has entered @PENamerica‘s top 10 list of countries with the most imprisoned writers, in the company of states including Iran, China, Saudi Arabia & Russia.
Let’s take a look at some of those “dissenters” on the Israeli list. https://t.co/zPbZ4Hhji4
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 2, 2024
Palestinian Terrorists Listed as “Writers”
Among the first names on the list is none other than Khalida Jarrar, a self-confessed senior leader in the terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who has served time in prison for multiple terrorism offenses.
Also listed is Ahed Tamimi, whose inclusion is absurdly based on the fact she has a memoir that was ghost-written for her, a 23-year-old Palestinian provocateur who, in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas massacre, wrote online: “We will slaughter you & you will say that what Hitler did to you was a joke. We will drink your blood & eat your skull. Come on, we are waiting for you.”
Tamimi was arrested on suspicion of incitement and later freed as part of the hostage-prisoner exchange with Hamas.
Rasem Obaidat, who, unlike most of the other “writers” on the list, has actually published a few things, has been jailed a total of five times and is a member of the PFLP, according to an Israeli security source. Of course, you wouldn’t know this from PEN America’s sanitized description of Obaidat, which claims he was arrested for merely “sharing his critical views of Israel.”
PEN America also included Radwan Qatanani, describing him as an “online commentator posting primarily on Twitter,” without detailing any of the posts that likely led to Qatanani’s detention, such as his October 8 message that praised Hamas’ “beautiful” terrorists and lauded their “wonderful captures.”
Nawef Al-Amer and Musab Khamees Qafeisha are both on the list and identified as a social media commentator and a freelance reporter. Wisely, PEN America opted not to reveal where their work most frequently appears, which is the Sanad News Agency, a propaganda website that lavishes praise on Hamas and the “heroic” Palestinians who murder Israeli civilians.
However, the most disturbing entry on the list is that of Mirvat Al-Azzeh, whom PEN America acknowledges was fired by NBC News over a series of posts made shortly after October 7, including one in which she mocked Israeli hostages.
In another post, she wrote: “Sirens all the time, the Jews are hiding and the Arabs are out drinking coffee on their balconies” and said the Hamas attacks were like “watching a movie where the director is Palestinian and the protagonists are from Gaza.”
Finally, a salient fact completely overlooked by both PEN America and The New York Times in its cursory coverage of the Index is that many of the arrested “writers” were later released. Unlike the other countries on PEN America’s list, Israel practices the rule of law: it arrests individuals on suspicion of breaking the law and releases them if no grounds for continued detention are found.
PEN America’s list is a farce — an A to Z of terrorists and Jew-haters. Nothing more, nothing less.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post PEN America Lists Palestinian Terrorists as ‘Writers’ in Annual Freedom Index first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hezbollah Says Lebanon Move on Army Plan Is ‘Opportunity,’ Urges Israel to Commit to Ceasefire
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”
Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan.
Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the government’s declaration on Friday that further implementation of a US roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel’s commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s implementation of the plan should remain “suspended until further notice.”
Lebanon’s cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Qmati said that Hezbollah “unequivocally rejected” those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken center stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah’s domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the specter of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
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UK Police Arrest Dozens at Latest Protest for Banned Palestine Action
Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organization.
Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained.
Palestine Action’s ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offense under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. “We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.”
Human rights groups have criticized Britain’s decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.
The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests.
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Macron’s Meeting with American Jewry ‘Won’t Happen’ Amid Palestinian Recognition Drive, Surge in Antisemitism
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
i24 News – French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to set up a meeting with American Jewish leaders later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
i24NEWS has learned that the meeting won’t happen, firstly because Macron was only available for the meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly during Rosh Hashanah, and yet, a person invited to meet with Macron and who has knowledge of the discussions told i24NEWS the sit-down simply wasn’t going to happen, anyway.
“I think the organizations, for the most part, would not have participated,” the person said, adding that AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee would have likely received invitations, among other entities.
“The guy has a 15% popularity rating in France. It’s not our job to help him out,” the person said.
Asked by i24NEWS whether Macron’s push for greater Palestinian state recognition or his lack of action in tackling antisemitism at home led to the stance of organized American Jewry, the person said it’s more of “the climate” which allows one to say ‘Look, the American Jews met with me,’ regardless of the content.”
The person said they are sure, if a meeting would have happened, that everybody in the room would have taken a hard line with Macron, including his “statements on Israel, the failure to respond to antisemitism” and France’s announcement this summer that it will recognize a Palestinian state later this month, and is leading an effort to get more countries to do the same.
But, the person told i24NEWS they are convinced that, in the end, while no final decision actually had to be taken, there was enough pressure that a consensus would have been reached to decline the meeting.
Of the timing of Rosh Hashanah allowing for leadership to not be forced to officially say no to Macron, the person said “G-d saves us every time.”
Another source familiar with the matter noted that it cannot be ruled out that Macron may eventually succeed in arranging a meeting with certain representatives, as the organizations are not a single unified body. However, he is unlikely to be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of groups representing American Jewry.
i24NEWS has also learned that French President Emmanuel Macron explored the possibility of visiting Israel ahead of the convention, but was advised by the Prime Minister’s Office that the timing was inappropriate. The message came as Macron continues to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move Israel strongly opposes. Sources further told i24NEWS that Israel is weighing additional retaliatory measures against Macron, including the potential closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank.