Connect with us

RSS

Over 150 Entertainment Industry Figures Call on Emmys to Rescind Nomination of Journalist Tied to Terror Group

Bisan Atef Owda in a scene from “It’s Bisan From Gaza, I’m Still Alive After Six Months Of Bombing.” Photo: YouTube screenshot

More than 150 entertainment industry leaders signed an open letter urging the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) to rescind the Emmy nomination of Palestinian journalist and filmmaker Bisan Owda because of her connection to the US-designated terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The open letter was penned by the nonprofit organization Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) following Owda’s nomination for her documentary series “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” in the 2024 Emmy Awards for News & Documentary. She was nominated with the Qatari-owned media outlet AJ+ in the category of outstanding hard news feature story: short form. In the series, Owda reports from the Gaza Strip and documents Palestinian living conditions during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Owda’s affiliation with PFLP was exposed last month after her Emmy nomination was announced on July 25. Owda also regularly posts anti-Israel content on social media, such as accusing the Jewish state of committing genocide in Gaza and referring to Israel as “IsraHell.” She has also promoted violence against Israel.

In their open letter, members of the entertainment industry said Owda’s Emmy nomination “is deeply troubling, given the creator’s history of promoting dangerous falsehoods, spreading antisemitism, and condoning violence.” They explained that Owda’s nomination is in direct violation of the NATAS’s code of ethical conduct, which states that it has “zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, illegal, dishonest, unethical, or otherwise harmful conduct.” The entertainment industry figures said Owda’s association with PFLP “raises serious ethical concerns that cannot and should not be ignored.”

“Honoring someone linked to an organization that has caused so much pain and suffering is not just irresponsible; it is a direct affront to the values we hold dear in the entertainment industry,” they added. “The Emmys are a prestigious entertainment institution, known for recognizing excellence in entertainment, often highlighting the unifying power of the arts. Choosing to elevate someone with clear ties to the PFLP not only legitimizes a terrorist organization, it undermines the integrity of the awards. We urge NATAS to rescind Owda’s nomination to prevent glorifying a figure associated with terrorism and ensure the Emmys remain a symbol of peace and artistic collaboration.”

“Only in rescinding this nomination, will NATAS uphold its code of ethical conduct,” they concluded their letter by saying.

The signatories included actors, studio executives, publicists, photographers, showrunners, screenwriters, composers, talent managers and agents, record producers, directors, lawyers, and NATAS members. Among those who signed the open letter were Selma Blair, Debra Messing, Rebecca De Mornay, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Disturbed frontman David Draiman, Saban Capital Group Chairman and CEO Haim Saban, Fox Entertainment President Fernando Szew, and “Grey’s Anatomy” co-executive producer Jamie Denbo.

“NATAS must decide — they can either condone the murder of innocent civilians or they can listen to the entertainment community, and stand in  opposition to hatred and violence,” said CCFP co-founder and chairman David Renzer, who is also the former chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group.

Emmy winners will be announced during two ceremonies on Sep. 25 and 26 in New York City.

The post Over 150 Entertainment Industry Figures Call on Emmys to Rescind Nomination of Journalist Tied to Terror Group first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

El Al Says to Start Rescue Flights Out of Israel Starting on Monday, After Getting 25,000 Applications

FILE PHOTO: Aircraft belonging to Israel’s state carrier El Al and Israir among other airlines, are parked at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo

Israeli airline El Al said it would resume flights out of Tel Aviv airport on Monday, as the government began to allow limited “rescue” flights in the midst of the Middle East conflict and US bombing of Iran.

El Al said it had received 25,000 applications for flights out of Israel since it opened a web site for requests on Saturday, although government rules will limit flights to 50 passengers each, it added in a Sunday statement.

The post El Al Says to Start Rescue Flights Out of Israel Starting on Monday, After Getting 25,000 Applications first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

US Urges China to Dissuade Iran from Closing Strait of Hormuz

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Rubio’s comments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” show came after Iran’s Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas flows.

“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” said Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser.

“If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.”

Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment.

US officials said it “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. The strikes mark an escalation in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.

Tehran has vowed to defend itself. Rubio on Sunday warned against retaliation, saying such an action would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.”

He added that the US is prepared to talk with Iran.

The post US Urges China to Dissuade Iran from Closing Strait of Hormuz first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

US Strikes Against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump’s budget request for the Department of Defense, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites were not a preamble to regime change, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, adding that Washington sent private messages to Tehran encouraging negotiation.

Officials kept operation “Midnight Hammer” highly secret, limiting knowledge of the mission to a small number of people in Washington and at the US military’s Middle East headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

Seven B-2 bombers flew for 18 hours from the United States into Iran to drop 14 bunker-buster bombs, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, told reporters.

Hegseth warned Iran against following through with past threats of retaliation against the United States and said US forces would defend themselves.

“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon. “The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program.”

Caine said initial battle damage assessments indicated that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction, but he declined to speculate whether any Iranian nuclear capabilities might still be intact.

In total, the US launched 75 precision-guided munitions, including more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles, and more than 125 military aircraft, in the operation against three nuclear sites, Caine said.

The operation pushes the Middle East to the brink of a major new conflagration in a region already aflame for more than 20 months with wars in Gaza and Lebanon and a toppled dictator in Syria.

Tehran has vowed to defend itself and responded with a volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and destroyed buildings in its commercial hub Tel Aviv.

But, perhaps in an effort to avert all-out war with the superpower, it had yet to carry out its main threats of retaliation – to target US bases or choke off the quarter of the world’s oil shipments that pass through its waters.

Caine said the US military had increased protection of troops in the region, including in Iraq and Syria.

“Our forces remain on high alert and are fully postured to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attacks, which would be an incredibly poor choice,” Caine said.

The United States already has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops in the region, including air defense systems, fighter aircraft and warships that can detect and shoot down enemy missiles.

Reuters reported last week that the Pentagon had already started to move some aircraft and ships from bases in the Middle East that may be vulnerable to any potential Iranian attack.

The military had already moved aircraft that were not in hardened shelters from Al Udeid base in Qatar and its naval vessels from a port in Bahrain, where the 5th Fleet is located.

NOT OPEN ENDED

With his unprecedented decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites, directly joining Israel’s air attack on its regional arch foe, Trump has done something he had long vowed to avoid – intervene militarily in a major foreign war.

Trump, who insisted on Saturday that Iran must now make peace or face further attacks, could provoke Tehran into retaliating by closing the Strait of Hormuz, attacking US military bases and allies in the Middle East, and activating proxy groups against American and Israeli interests worldwide.

The Iranian parliament approved closing the Strait of Hormuz, a potential choke point for oil shipments, but the country’s top security body is required to make a final decision, Iran’s press TV reported.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth, who said the Pentagon notified lawmakers about the operation after US aircraft were out of Iran, said the strikes against Iran were not open ended.

“As the president has directed and made clear, this is most certainly not open ended,” Hegseth said, adding that the US military would respond if necessary.

The post US Strikes Against Iran Not Aimed at Regime Change, Pentagon Chief Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2017 - 2023 Jewish Post & News