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Terrorist Mouthpiece? Hamas Shared Anti-Israeli Message by France24 Correspondent
Former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, March 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
What do you call a person who delivered an anti-Israeli message that was quoted in an official Hamas pamphlet, received honors from top Hamas terrorists, shared the “genocide” libel against Israel, and mourned terrorists? A mouthpiece, not a journalist.
Yet, the France24 correspondent in Gaza, Maha Abuelkas, can take credit for all of the above, casting doubt on her objectivity and the journalistic standards of her publicly funded network.
The veteran journalist, who has been working for France24 since 2013, was quoted in a 2021 Hamas propaganda pamphlet that promoted the terror movement’s “Day of Loyalty to the Palestinian Journalist.”
Her message blamed “the Israeli occupation” for “severe assaults and violations against human rights, land, and sacred sites”:
“On the 31st of December, we, as journalists, media professionals, and official institutions, commemorate the #Day_of_Loyalty_to_the_Palestinian_Journalist in remembrance and appreciation of all colleagues working in the Palestinian territories, which continuously suffer from severe assaults and violations against human rights, land, and sacred sites by the Israeli occupation.”
Maha Abuelkas, FRANCE 24 Arabic Correspondent.
And the event she was promoting was not merely professional. According to the Hamas Media Office’s Facebook page, where the pamphlet was published, the “Loyalty” event is aimed at supporting “the professional and national significance of the field’s knights and truth-seekers — those masters of words and images who wielded the lens of the camera and the tip of the pen, making them the most powerful tools of resistance against the occupier.”
Abuelkas also received special honors in 2014 from top Hamas figures, and was proud to share it on her Instagram page.
Here she is honored by Hamas’ spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum (left) and Taher al-Nunu (middle), the advisor to former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh:
And here she is joined by none other than senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri (right), who has vowed to “uproot the Zionists with our axes, knives, guns”:
It doesn’t matter whether Abuelkas truly shares Hamas’ agenda or not. Her unethical reciprocal relationship with Gazan rulers — whom she needs to cover objectively — automatically compromises her journalistic credibility.
The same applies to all the other “journalists” who were exposed by HonestReporting for actively participating in Hamas’ events and honorary ceremonies.
But one can glean what Abuelkas’ true opinions are from a Facebook post she shared on July 2024, showing US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) holding up a sign reading “Guilty of Genocide” during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent speech to Congress:
In another post, Abuelkas laments the death of an Al Jazeera “reporter” Ismail Al-Ghoul (left), a Hamas terrorist who participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel:
Given the evidence above, how can Abuelkas objectively report from Gaza?
And worse, might France24’s Gaza coverage have been seriously compromised by Abuelka’s connection to Hamas figures?
How can any editor or news consumer trust the news that Abuelkas delivers, if at the end of the day, she is nothing but a Hamas mouthpiece?
HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Terrorist Mouthpiece? Hamas Shared Anti-Israeli Message by France24 Correspondent first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
i24 News – The United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.
French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.
This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.
However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.
The post Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack
A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
i24 News – The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.
Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.
The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.
He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.
The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.
His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.
The post Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.
“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.
Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.
The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.
Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.
German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.
Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.
The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.