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.
RSS
After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
RSS
Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
RSS
Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.