Terror group mouthpiece deletes article about affiliated journalist nominated for Emmy

Al-Hadaf, a Gaza-based outlet established by and serving as a mouthpiece for the terror-designated Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), deleted an article devoted to Bisan Owda, titled “Journalism in the Crosshairs of Politics... how Bisan Owda became a symbol of resistance journalism.”

This happened only days after Owda was the subject of a letter signed by 150 film industry professionals which demanded the Emmy Awards cancel her nomination over her past ties to the PFLP, which is designated by the US, EU, Canada, Israel, and other countries as a terrorist organization.

In late July 2024, the Emmy Awards nominated Bisan Atef Owda, a Palestinian content creator from Gaza, along with the Qatari-owned media outlet AJ+, for their series, It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive. The nomination was included in the category for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form.

Following the nomination, it was discovered that Owda has portrayed herself as a member of the PFLP and has even spoken in PFLP events in the Gaza Strip in the past in full PFLP militant garb. Owda also oversaw celebrations. The article’s rapid takedown from the PFLP’s mouthpiece raised further concerns regarding Owda’s affiliation with the organization.

AJ+ (a subsidiary of Qatari mouthpiece Al Jazeera) has been ordered by the US Department of Justice to register as a foreign agent of the Qatari government under the United States Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) because the outlet is “controlled and funded by the Government of Qatar.” Yet the outlet has refused to do so, thereby openly violating United States law. At the same time, Al Jazeera has been a hotbed for antisemitism, holocaust denial, and circulating Hamas propaganda and talking points.

For these reasons, 150 industry professionals signed a letter addressed to the National Academy of Television Arts and Services (NATAS) calling on them to rescind Owda’s nomination, which they believe contradicts the Academy’s own codes of conduct. Despite this, NATAS has doubled down on maintaining Owda’s nomination, claiming that despite the fact that she took part in the terrorist organization in the past, there is no further evidence that she is still part of the group.

Who is the PFLP

The PFLP is an infamous Palestinian organization with Marxist tendencies that took pride in participating in the October 7 massacre, during which the group was reported to have held hostages and fired rockets at Israeli civilians. The front was also responsible for the 2910 assassination of 17-year-old Rina Shnerb and the 2001 assassination of minister Rehavam Zeevi. The group was also responsible for the 1972 Lod Massacre which killed 26, injured 80, and involved plans to assassinate former Israeli Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yossef.

Eitan Fischberger, an independent analyst who first identified Bisan’s ties to the PFLP following her Emmy nomination, explained to The Jerusalem Post why Al-Hadaf published and then promptly removed the article. “A fundamental rule of any influence operation is to avoid linking the operative directly to the organization they belong to,” Fischberger said. “Once the organization acknowledges a connection, it becomes much harder to deny it. Fortunately, the PFLP had already mistakenly identified Bisan as part of its youth group in 2018 and uploaded pictures of her wearing full PFLP military uniform.

“What likely happened is that an overzealous writer at Al-Hadaf failed to foresee the implications of praising Bisan and her Emmy nomination, leading another member of the terror group to quickly scrub it and inadvertently make the connection even clearer,” Fischberger said. “This incident further proves that the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and its CEO, Adam Sharp, have been misled. They should reconsider and immediately withdraw Bisan’s nomination, as well as that of the Qatari-funded AJ+.”