Haaretz newspaper conducted an interview with British-American journalist Mehdi Hassan, who has been repeatedly targeted by pro-Israel groups because of his “violent” attacks on the actions of the occupation, Zionism, and the American administration in the Gaza Strip.
At the beginning of his conversation with the Israeli newspaper, Hassan admitted that one of the people who interviewed him on his program “Mahdi Unfiltered” – which he presents on the “Zitio” digital website, affiliated with a new media company he owns that bears the same name – criticized him because he covers events in Gaza a lot.
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He replied, “How can the ongoing coverage of genocide in our lifetime be too much?”
Haaretz noted that Mehdi Hassan moved from working for the American news channel MSNBC to establish his own media company, Zetio, which was launched in February of this year. “Zytio” is a Greek word that means “seeking the truth in order to reach it.”
A movement for media accountability
The company describes itself on its website as not only a news platform, but rather as a “media accountability movement,” broadcasting a media service that combines video clips, newsletters, and audio podcasts. Its founder and editor-in-chief, Mehdi Hassan, says that it will provide – from its headquarters in the United States – “powerful interviews.” And scathing analyzes you won’t find anywhere else.”
Israeli journalist Eitan Neshin stated that he conducted the interview with Hassan in mid-May at the headquarters of his new company.
According to Haaretz, Hassan’s departure from MSNBC in January sparked speculation that the cancellation of his program was a reaction to his focus on the Gaza war, and because of his “confrontational style” of conducting interviews.
A member of the US House of Representatives from the Democratic Party, Ro Khanna, described in a tweet the cancellation of the program as “bad behavior” by MSNBC, at a time when he was openly defending human rights in the Gaza Strip in light of the raging war there. .
Now that the British-American journalist has been freed from the restrictions of media institutions, he has become more visible than ever.
Hassan told the Israeli newspaper: “People keep warning me not to burn myself professionally, and I hope I don’t do that. But now I am seizing this moment to use the platforms I have to speak truth to power.”
A brilliant debater
Haaretz described Hassan as “a brilliant debater who meticulously investigates the facts” he presents to his guests on the air, and who is “known for his sharp criticism of Israel.”
She stated that many of his interviews became famous, especially after the outbreak of the war on Gaza, especially the interview he conducted with former Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev.
She added that his outspoken positions made him a frequent target of attacks by pro-Israel groups and activists on the Internet.
The Zetio website has defied all early expectations. Since its launch at the end of February, the site has generated an estimated revenue of $2 million from 25,000 paid subscriptions, according to the British New Statesman magazine.
Hassan said that he has always worked as a journalist employed by international media organizations, such as the BBC, the British Independent Television Channel (ITV), Tel Aviv Tribune English, the American NBC network, and the British Sky News.
He continued that he had never worked as an independent journalist except for a period of only 9 months, describing himself as now a “different beast.”
In his interview with Haaretz, Hassan Siham directed his criticism at Israel, describing the occupation as an apartheid regime, and its actions during its war in Gaza as “true genocide,” stressing, at the same time, that anti-Zionism is not equivalent to anti-Semitism.
Double standards
He also condemned the double standards in the Western media regarding silencing criticism of Israel. According to Haaretz, his criticism has become more severe since the beginning of the war.
After the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza, MSNBC and NBC pressured Mahdi Hassan and two other Muslim correspondents, Ali Velshi and Ayman Mohieldin, respectively, to change the way they covered the war in Gaza. .
This is a directive that some saw as singling out pro-Palestinian journalists, while leaving other journalists – such as Joe Scarborough – to express their opinions freely, according to the Israeli newspaper.
Hassan accused the satellite channels, saying that the events of October 7 “made it very clear that there is an exclusion of Palestine, and exposed the hypocrisy of those who claim to care about freedom of expression.”
Left-leaning
He added that the same supporters of the American Republican Party who defended freedom of expression in universities are the same ones who are now eager to take strict measures against the protests of students, university presidents, and even their fellow members of Congress, against the war in Gaza.
According to Haaretz, Mehdi Hassan insists that he is left-leaning, and he distinguishes between targeting civilians and military personnel, which is why he does not support “anyone who says that the Hamas attack was justified.”
However, he refuses to criticize the entire pro-Palestinian movement. “There are ill-intentioned people who want to focus on what a random 19-year-old says on campus, while ignoring the statements of Israeli leaders like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who talks about resettlement.” Residents of Gaza, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who calls for the complete annihilation of Gaza.”
Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism
Regarding accusations that the war on Gaza led to increased anti-Semitism, Hassan agrees. In this regard, he says, “I do not deny that many anti-Zionists are anti-Semites, and the opposite is true: many anti-Semites hide behind anti-Zionism. You cannot pretend that there is no overlap.”
However, Hassan asserts that the actions of Israel and Western governments such as Germany and the United States have blurred the lines and made any criticism against Israel suspect.
Regarding the unprecedented dominance of the war in Gaza and the anti-Israel protests in the headlines in the upcoming US presidential election campaigns, Mehdi Hassan expressed his belief that the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, will be worse than his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, with regard to this issue.
Trump – says the British-American journalist – has a settlement in the Golan Heights bearing his name, and he also enjoys public support from right-wing extremist Israeli figures.
Prominent Israeli figures have announced that they prefer Trump over Biden, because his election will stimulate “extremist elements in Israeli politics.”