Connect with us

RSS

Why Is the BBC Giving Voice to Hamas and Palestinian Terrorists in Gaza?

The BBC logo is seen at the entrance at Broadcasting House, the BBC headquarters in central London. Photo by Vuk Valcic / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

While the world anxiously awaited the release of Israeli hostages last week following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement, the BBC’s Jon Donnison had other priorities — giving Palestinian prisoners a platform to justify the unspeakable atrocities of October 7, 2023.

Donnison, a familiar face who previously proved to be something of a liability for the BBC’s coverage of Israel and Gaza, is back on the Middle East newsdesk — at least for now. Unsurprisingly, his first order of business was to head to Ramallah, where he began churning out sympathetic stories about the hostage-prisoner exchange.

In the lead-up to the exchange, Donnison ventured just a few kilometers from his presumed base in Ramallah to Beitunia. There, he tracked down a family member of a Palestinian prisoner — many of whom were jailed for violent offenses or membership in terrorist organizations — and published a piece featuring their joyful anticipation of the prisoners’ early release, titled, “Palestinians in West Bank wait anxiously for prisoners to be released.”

And last Monday, Donnison’s roving reporting around the West Bank was rewarded. He was able to file a glowing piece about Bushra al-Tawil, a Hamas-linked “journalist” whose father, Sheikh Jamal al-Tawil, is not merely a “Hamas politician” (as Donnison euphemistically labels him) but a senior figure in the terrorist organization.

The headline of Donnison’s piece, “‘The hostages meant I got out’: Freed Palestinian prisoner welcomes Gaza deal,” is as revealing as it is appalling.

This was an example of the publicly funded BBC handing a platform to a woman with well-documented ties to Hamas, a UK-proscribed terrorist organization, to justify the kidnapping of innocent civilians on the grounds that it gave Hamas the leverage to secure the early release of Palestinians convicted of violent offenses.

The article generously indulges in the kind of sensational claims that Donnison appears to thrive on, with al-Tawil alleging she was frequently “badly beaten,” burned with cigarettes, stripped naked, and denied her headscarf.

To his credit, Donnison did manage to muster one tough question amid his otherwise soft-focus portrayal of al-Tawil: Does she support Hamas? Her refusal to answer was seemingly not followed up, and then it was straight back to giving her a publicly-funded platform to rationalize Hamas’ atrocities. After all, why shouldn’t British taxpayers be invited to look fondly on the release back into society of the likes of notorious mass murderer Zakaria Zubeidi? Or, as she put it, allowed to “go back home.” Truly heartwarming.

On Bushra al-Tawil’s father, Jamal al-Tawil, Donnison opts for a remarkably sanitized description, labeling him a “prominent Hamas politician.” It’s a curiously neutral way to describe a man who has publicly declared that Palestine “from the river to the sea” is “united under the banner of the resistance and the Intifada.”

In a 2021 speech honoring “martyrs,” broadcast on Palestine TV, Jamal al-Tawil proclaimed that Palestinians and their “martyrs” had “redrawn the map of Palestine,” with their blood blending together to achieve this goal. Hardly the kind of oration of a mere “politician.”

Donnison’s decision to frame al-Tawil this way is especially puzzling given that the UK — where the BBC is based — makes no distinction between Hamas’ so-called political and military wings. The entire organization is designated as a terrorist group.

We should hardly be surprised by Donnison’s reporting. After all, this is a journalist who, just weeks into the Israel-Hamas war, was widely criticized for suggesting the explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza must have been caused by an Israeli airstrike. That claim, which conveniently aligned with Hamas’ narrative, was proven false by US intelligence and video evidence, which showed the explosion was the result of a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket.

The BBC quietly reassigned Donnison away from the region shortly thereafter, placing him back in London. But, as is tradition at the BBC — where no editorial “mistake” involving Israel ever seems to carry meaningful career consequences — Donnison is back. And judging by his latest output, he’s already hard at work doing fresh damage to the corporation’s reputation.

But then again, why should the BBC care? This is the same organization whose coverage of the Israel-Hamas war was found to have breached its own editorial guidelines at least 1,500 times in an independent review. If Donnison wants to spend his time padding out his contacts book with every Hamas sympathizer and jihadi from Tulkarm to Timbuktu, who at the BBC is going to stop him?

Israel’s hot war with Hamas may have paused for now, but it appears the BBC has no plans to slow its relentless campaign against the Jewish state.

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 Why Is the BBC Giving Voice to Hamas and Palestinian Terrorists in Gaza? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

Syrian Leader al-Sharaa Holds Talks With Erdogan on Surprise Istanbul Visit

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, met during al-Sharaa’s first diplomatic trip since the fall of the al-Assad regime. Photo: Screenshot

i24 NewsTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday, local media reported. No further details were available.

This comes one day after the US administration of President Donald Trump issued orders that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria in order to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.

The Treasury Department issued a general license that authorizes transactions involving the interim Syrian government led by Al-Sharaa, as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.

The general license, known as GL25, “authorizes transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria,” the Treasury said in a statement.

Syria welcomed the sanctions waiver early on Saturday, which the Foreign Ministry called a “positive step in the right direction to alleviate the country’s humanitarian and economic suffering.”

Syria is keen on cooperating with other countries “on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. It believes that dialogue and diplomacy are the best path to building balanced relations,” the ministry said in a statement.

The post Syrian Leader al-Sharaa Holds Talks With Erdogan on Surprise Istanbul Visit first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

‘It Was Just An Accident’ by Iran’s Jafar Panahi Wins Cannes’ Top Prize

Director Jafar Panahi, Palme d’Or award winner for the film “Un simple accident” (It Was Just an Accident), reacts, during the closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 24, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

Revenge thriller “It Was Just An Accident” by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was last at the Cannes Film Festival in person more than 20 years ago, won the Palme d’Or top prize on Saturday.

Panahi, who has been arrested several times for his filmmaking and was under a travel ban until recently, last attended the festival in person in 2003, when “Crimson Gold” was screened in the Un Certain Regard category.

“Art mobilizes the creative energy of the most precious, most alive part of us. A force that transforms darkness into forgiveness, hope and new life,” said jury president Juliette Binoche when announcing the award.

“It Was Just An Accident” follows Vahid, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life.

Vahid sets out to verify with other prison survivors that it is indeed their torturer – and then decide what to do with him.

An emotional Panahi, wearing sunglasses on stage, thanked his cast and film crew during his acceptance speech.

The Grand Prix, the second-highest prize after the Palme d’Or, was awarded to “Sentimental Value” from acclaimed director Joachim Trier.

The jury prize was split between the intergenerational family drama “Sound of Falling” from German director Mascha Schilinski and “Sirat,” about a father and son who head into the Moroccan desert, by French-Spanish director Oliver Laxe.

Brazil’s “The Secret Agent” won two awards, one for best actor for Wagner Moura, as well as best director for Kleber Mendonca Filho.

“I was having Champagne,” said Mendonca Filho after he ran up to the stage to collect his award after celebrating Moura, who previously made a name for himself in hit TV series “Narcos.”

Newcomer Nadia Melliti took home best actress for “The Little Sister,” a queer coming-of-age story centered around the daughter of Algerian immigrants in Paris.

Belgium’s Dardenne brothers, who have the rare honor of already having won two Palme d’Or prizes, took home the award for best screenplay for their film “Young Mothers.”

Twenty-two films in total were competing for the prize at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, with entries from well-known directors Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson and Ari Aster.

Saturday’s closing ceremony officially ends the glamour-filled festival that began on May 13.

The post ‘It Was Just An Accident’ by Iran’s Jafar Panahi Wins Cannes’ Top Prize first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin From Revoking Harvard Enrollment of Foreign Students

US President Trump speaks to the media at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Washington, DC, April 21, 2025. Photo: Andrew Leyden/ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

A US judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign students, a policy the Ivy League school called part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to retaliate against it for refusing to “surrender its academic independence.”

The order provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university called a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.

“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the 389-year-old school said in its lawsuit filed earlier on Friday in Boston federal court. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27% of total enrollment.

The move was the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White House, as Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias.

Harvard has pushed back hard against Trump, having previously sued to restore nearly $3 billion in federal grants that had been frozen or canceled. In recent weeks, the administration has proposed ending Harvard’s tax-exempt status and hiking taxes on its endowment, and opened an investigation into whether it violated civil rights laws.

Leo Gerden, a Swedish student set to graduate Harvard with an undergraduate degree in economics and government this month, called the judge’s ruling a “great first step” but said international students were bracing for a long legal fight that would keep them in limbo.

“There is no single decision by Trump or by Harvard or by a judge that is going to put an end to this tyranny of what Trump is doing,” Gerden said.

In its complaint, Harvard said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown “countless” academic programs, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation. It said the revocation was a punishment for Harvard’s “perceived viewpoint,” which it called a violation of the right to free speech as guaranteed by the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

The Trump administration may appeal US District Judge Allison Burroughs’ ruling. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy.”

Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, his administration has accused several universities of indifference toward the welfare of Jewish students during widespread campus protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Harvard’s court challenges over the administration’s policies stand in contrast to its New York-based peer Columbia University’s concessions to similar pressure. Columbia agreed to reform disciplinary processes and review curricula for courses on the Middle East, after Trump pulled $400 million in funding over allegations the Ivy League school had not done enough to combat antisemitism.

In announcing on Thursday the termination of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”

Harvard says a fifth of its foreign students in 2024 were from China. US lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the influence of the Chinese government on US college campuses, including efforts by Beijing-directed Chinese student associations to monitor political activities and stifle academic speech.

The university says it is committed to combating antisemitism and investigating credible allegations of civil rights violations.

HARVARD DEFENDS ‘REFUSAL TO SURRENDER’

In her brief order blocking the policy for two weeks, Burroughs said Harvard had shown it could be harmed before there was an opportunity to hear the case in full. The judge, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, scheduled hearings for May 27 and May 29 to consider next steps in the case. Burroughs is also overseeing Harvard’s lawsuit over the grant funds.

Harvard University President Alan Garber said the administration was illegally seeking to assert control over the private university’s curriculum, faculty and student body.

“The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence,” Garber wrote in a letter on Friday to the Harvard community.

The revocation could also weigh on Harvard’s finances. At many US universities, international students are more likely to pay full tuition, essentially subsidizing aid for other students.

“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Harvard’s bonds, part of its $8.2 billion debt pile, have been falling since Trump first warned US universities in March of cuts to federal funding.

International students enrolled at Harvard include Cleo Carney, daughter of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Princess Elisabeth, first in line to the Belgian throne.

The post Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin From Revoking Harvard Enrollment of Foreign Students first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2017 - 2023 Jewish Post & News