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Hamas Is Not ‘Militant’: The Media’s ‘Terrorist’ Cover-Up
Hamas terrorists in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah in January 2017. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/ Flash90.
There’s a well-known quote that goes: “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”
Evidently, many media outlets subscribe to this relativistic worldview. Yet this line is from a novel — a work of fiction — and is of no relevance to the media’s responsibility to relay information to news consumers in an objective manner.
By incessantly referring to Hamas as a militant group (See here, here, here, here, and here) the world’s premiere outlets are effectively burying the character, methods of operation, and true goals of the Gaza-based movement that has been officially designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and dozens of other countries around the world.
BBC’s and NYT’s “Terrorist” Blindside
To the casual reader, the issue of accurately describing Hamas could be perceived as a mere matter of semantics. But it became a hot-button topic following the October 7 attack by the terrorist group against Israel. So much so that Israeli President Isaac Herzog blasted the BBC – which refuses to term Hamas as terrorist even though the UK proscribes the group’s military wings as terror organizations.
In his meeting with then-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Herzog told the UK premier: “We feel that the way the BBC characterizes Hamas is a distortion of the facts. We are dealing with one of the worst terror organizations in the world…there has to be an outcry so that there will be a correction, and Hamas will be defined as a terror organization.”
The reluctance to call a spade a spade isn’t confined to the British press. The New York Times is another serial offender. A review by HonestReporting of a recent interview with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken found that the term Israel appeared 104 times in the transcripts, while Hamas made 34 appearances. The term terror (or terrorism or terrorist) shows up a grand total of zero times.
Indeed, the only time you’re likely to see the terms terror or terrorism in connection to Hamas is in quotation marks, since they’re almost invariably taken from an Israeli source — providing a way for journalists to distance themselves from supposedly biased Israeli officials.
“Terrorist” Vs. “Militant”: A Distinction With Major Differences
There is undoubtedly some overlap between militants and terrorists. For example, they both engage in violence in order to achieve their goals. But there are important distinctions. The motives and actions of a designated terrorist organization are unique.
While there is no international consensus on the definition of terrorism, it’s broadly understood to be the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. Every government has its own interpretation of terrorism. According to the United States State Department:
For the purpose of the Order, “terrorism” is defined to be an activity that (1) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, property, or infrastructure; and (2) appears to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, kidnapping, or hostage-taking.
By describing Hamas as a mere militant group, media outlets are downplaying the very acts that made the October 7 attack so horrific: The targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure; the use of civilians as human shields; and the taking of non-combatants as hostages. It’s also worth noting that these crimes against humanity were all “…central aims of the planned attack, and not actions that occurred as an afterthought or as a plan gone awry or as isolated acts.”
Not calling out Hamas for the terrorist organization it is has had far-reaching consequences beyond a battle over terminology.
Because Hamas is widely depicted as a militant group, agenda-driven media personalities like Mehdi Hasan have found a way to perpetuate false analogies between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s conflict with the Gaza-based terrorist organization.
Though the disparity between the two situations could not be more striking, Hamas gains support and legitimacy whenever it’s compared to a UN-member state that was invaded.
The whitewashing of Hamas can also be discerned in the way many prominent publications describe the group’s most powerful members. After Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination, The Wall Street Journal called him a “leading advocate for a ceasefire,” while Reuters and The Guardian labeled him a “moderate.”
In fact, Haniyeh was designated a “global terrorist” by the US, and responsible for heinous acts against civilians.
And when Hamas’ true terrorist nature is covered up, burying their true aims becomes that much easier. The Wall Street Journal stated in October 2023 that the internationally-recognized terror organization is “dedicated to the creation of an independent Palestinian state” and that it has “indicated it is willing to accept a two-state solution….” The truth is, the group is openly committed to the destruction of Israel. This has been expressed in Hamas’ 1988 founding charter, as well as numerous statements by Hamas leaders such as Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh Al-Arouri.
Media Not Adjusting to New Realities After October 7
While media outlets don’t want to be accused of taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war, governments have. Switzerland in December 2024 officially declared that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Argentina became the first state in Latin America to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, in a move announced by President Javier Milei in July 2024.
These and other governments adjusted their policies regarding Hamas in response to the horrors perpetrated by the terrorist outfit on October 7, 2023. There is a growing recognition that the threat Hamas represents is global, and must not be ignored any longer.
Yet far too many news organizations continue to treat Hamas with kid gloves. By not describing Hamas as a designated terrorist group, news publications have effectively normalized it.
Gidon Ben-Zvi, former Jerusalem Correspondent for The Algemeiner, is an accomplished writer who left Hollywood for Jerusalem in 2009. He and his wife are raising their four children to speak fluent English – with an Israeli accent. Ben-Zvi’s work has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, The Algemeiner, American Thinker, The Jewish Journal, Israel Hayom, and United with Israel. Ben-Zvi blogs at Jerusalem State of Mind (jsmstateofmind.com). 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.
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Ilhan Omar Says Trump Has ‘No Legal Right’ to Take Over Gaza, Blames Harris Loss on Israel-Hamas War
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks at a press conference with activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in front of the Capitol in Washington, DC, Dec. 14, 2023. Photo: Annabelle Gordon / CNP/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) blasted President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinian civilians in Gaza, arguing in a new interview that the United States has “no legal right” to take over the enclave and calling on the leaders of neighboring Arab countries to “stand in solidarity” against Israel.
During a Friday interview with progressive journalist Mehdi Hasan on Zeteo, Omar fielded questions about the Trump administration’s approach to resolving the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Hasan asked Omar to reveal her feelings about Trump’s suggestion that Palestinian civilians be transferred out of the war-torn enclave in order to rebuild it.
“Well, I just think the irony of Trump being elected to be the anti-imperialist president coming in and talking about taking over Canada, Greenland, and now kicking all the Palestinians out of Gaza to turn it into a resort for himself and his billionaires, and then the fact that the American people don’t see it is just fascinating,” Omar responded.
The Minnesota Democrat argued that Trump has “no legal right to take over Gaza” and that the Palestinians are going to “fight for that right” to stay in the coastal enclave, which borders southern Israel.
Earlier this month, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting the White House, held a press conference following their private meeting in the Oval Office. Trump asserted that the US would assume control of Gaza and develop it economically into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere. Trump’s proposal was met with widespread backlash and skepticism across the US Congress.
Omar also blasted leaders of neighboring Arab countries for their “cowardice in allowing for the destruction of the Palestinian people,” urging them to “stand in solidarity” with the civilians of Gaza.
Hasan, who is also an outspoken opponent of Israel, said that Democrats “haven’t given a damn about Palestinian livelihoods over the past 18 months,” noting the pro-Israel stances of high-profile liberals such as Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). He then asked Omar if she believes the Democratic Party will become more adversarial toward Israel in an effort to counter the Trump administration.
Omar said she’s “not sure” if the Democratic Party will adopt a more anti-Israel ideological bent, citing the alleged “erasure of the Palestinian people, the ethnic cleansing, the genocide” that has supposedly happened in Gaza over the past 16 months. She cautioned that Democratic support for Israel will continue “until there is a price to pay and that price is felt.” The congresswoman claimed that American support for Israel will undermine its moral authority in speaking up against genocides that occur in the world.
Omar also suggested that 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris lost the White House in November because of the Israel-Hamas war. The lawmaker pointed to polling data that indicated large swaths of voters “stayed home because of the bloodshed, the genocide that was televised on their phones.”
However, according to polling data compiled by Blueprint, a Democratic-aligned data analytics firm, the Israel-Hamas war had minimal impact on Harris’s election performance. Voters largely rejected Harris and supported Trump due to the Biden administration’s record on inflation and immigration, the poll found. Perception of Harris being “too pro-Israel” ranked among the bottom three “reasons to not choose” Harris. Notably, perception of Harris being “too pro-Palestine” ranked higher in the list of concerns among respondents.
Since being elected to Congress in 2018, Omar has established herself as a harsh critic of Israel. She has accused the Jewish state of committing “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza and erecting an “apartheid” government in the West Bank. The lawmaker has also publicly declared support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS), which seeks to turn the Jewish state into an international pariah as a first step toward its eventual destruction.
In the 16 months following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, slaughter of roughly 1,200 people and abduction of 250 others in southern Israel, Omar has positioned herself as one of the most vocal opponents of the Jewish state’s defensive military efforts. Omar was among the first members of Congress to call for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, falsely arguing that the Jewish state’s military operations “indiscriminately” killed Palestinian civilians. She has repeatedly issued calls for an “arms embargo” on Israel and has suggested that the Jewish state could violate the terms of the current ceasefire deal to continue its so-called “genocide.”
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Ousted US Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush to Star in New Show on Anti-Israel Zeteo Network
US Reps. Cori Bush (left), Jamaal Bowman (right), and Rashida Tlaib (center). Photo: Reuters
Former US Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush are set to launch a new show on the controversial anti-Israel Zeteo network.
On Thursday, Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan, a prominent anti-Israel journalist, announced that Bowman and Bush have agreed to star in a new monthly show on his network.
Let’s go baby! https://t.co/dgoMhBVYRW
— Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (@JamaalBowmanNY) February 20, 2025
In the trailer, the former lawmakers say that their show “Bowman & Bush” will expose the shady inner-workings and backroom dealings of the federal government.
“We’ll be breaking down what’s really happening in Washington, DC,” Bowman says.
Bush, one of the most strident opponents against Israel during her term in office, laments in the trailer that “outside groups, including AIPAC, spent millions and millions of dollars to unseat me, to try to silence me.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most prominent pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, spent millions of dollars last year in the Democratic primary races of Bush and Bowman, both progressive firebrands, successfully unseating them.
Bush explains in the trailer that her show will deliver an unvarnished look into the
the corruption, the lobbying, the big money” that influences federal politics, “and how it could all be working better for you.”
Following Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, both Bush and Bowman issued intense criticism of the Jewish state’s defensive military efforts in Gaza.
The progressive former lawmakers called for a “ceasefire” between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group less than a month removed from the Oct. 7 massacre. They each falsely accused Israel of engaging in an array of war crimes in Gaza, including “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” and imposing a “famine.” The duo also dismissed Israel’s counterterrorism initiatives in the West Bank as “apartheid.”
Bowman specifically, declared the mass rapes of Israeli women on Oct. 7 a “hoax,” before walking back his comments following widespread backlash. He has accused Israel of advancing “white nationalism” and “settler colonialism” and also suggested he may no longer support Israel’s unequivocal right to exist or defend itself.
Bush ultimately lost her reelection campaign to St. Louis attorney Wesley Bell in August while making her opposition to Israel a key talking point of the race. Bowman came up short against Westchester County executive George Latimer.
Zeteo, the network on which “Bowman & Bush” is set to air, has positioned itself as a major source of anti-Israel content creation. Hasan, the network’s founder and main host, has declared the ongoing war in Gaza a “genocide” and repeatedly pressured US lawmakers to implement an arms embargo against the Jewish state.
Moreover, Zeteo’s high production value and elaborate sets have raised questions surrounding its funding sources, with critics alleging it has received money from Qatar. In response, Hasan has denied receiving “any money from foreign governments or foreign citizens,” adding that “every investor in Z is an American citizen [who] has nothing to do with Qatar.”
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EU and Israel Resume Dialogue With Focus on Gaza’s Future
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar speaks next to High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, and EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica as they hold a press conference on the day of an EU-Israel Association Council with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called for a constructive dialogue but braced for criticism from some European countries as he arrived for talks on Monday in Brussels.
The Israeli minister is meeting senior European officials, reviving a dialogue with the European Union as the bloc considers a role in the reconstruction of Gaza following last month’s fragile ceasefire deal.
“I’m looking for a constructive dialogue, an open and honest one, and I believe that this is what it will be,” Saar told reporters on arrival.
“We know how to face criticism,” he said, adding “it’s okay as long as criticism is not connected to delegitimization, demonization, or double standards … but we are ready to discuss everything with an open mind.”
Saar will co-chair a meeting of the EU–Israel Association Council with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in the first such session since 2022. Talks are set to focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and changing regional dynamics.
The Israeli foreign minister said that within the EU “there are very friendly countries, there are less friendly countries,” but that Monday’s meeting showed a willingness to renew normal relations.
The Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel‘s response, exposed sharp divisions within the EU. While all members condemned the Hamas attacks, some staunchly defended Israel‘s war in Gaza as others condemned Israel‘s military campaign and its toll on civilians.
COMPROMISE
In February 2024, the leaders of Spain and Ireland sent a letter to the European Commission asking for a review of whether Israel was complying with its human rights obligations under the 2000 EU–Israel Association Agreement, which provides the basis for political and economic cooperation between the two sides.
But ahead of Monday’s meeting, the bloc’s 27 member countries negotiated a compromise position that praises areas of cooperation with Israel while also raising concerns.
At the meeting, the EU will emphasize both Europe’s commitment to Israel‘s security and its view that “displaced Gazans should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza,” according to a draft document seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump shocked Arab nations and Western allies by proposing the United States “take over” Gaza, displacing its Palestinian inhabitants and creating the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
The war started when Hamas-led terrorists launched a cross-border attack on Israeli communities that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.
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