Israeli Ambassador to India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, Naor Gilon on Tuesday, October 31, tore into The Hindu for providing a platform to Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk. In an open letter to the media house’s editor-in-chief Suresh Nambath, Naor Gilon said that he found the publication’s “choice of interviewee sickening.”
My letter to the Editor-in-Chief of @the_hindu expressing my dismay for giving a platform to a #HamasISIS arch-terrorist. This is a shameful interview. pic.twitter.com/yF82UGwZxL
— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) October 31, 2023
Referring to the interview of Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk published in Frontline, the fortnightly English magazine from The Hindu on October 27, Naor Gilon said that he was writing the letter to express his extreme disappointment at the publication’s choice to interview Mousa Abu Marzouk, whom he called a known terrorist from the Hamas-ISIS.
Notably, on October 27, amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict, The Hindu’s fortnightly magazine The Frontline published an interview of Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk typically in line with several other Indian leftist media portals and political parties like the Congress which have been consistently trying to garner sympathy for Hamas while demonizing Israel ever since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched an audacious attack on Israel that killed hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians, including infants and the elderly.
The Frontline article was titled, “‘The root of the problem is the occupation’: Moussa Abu Marzouk”. The archive version of the article can be viewed here.
Though the Israeli Ambassador to India acknowledged the press has the right to provide a platform to diverse voices, he questioned the media outlet whether it would have been willing to provide a platform to terrorists like Ajmal Kasab or Osama Bin Laden to explain their rationale behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack and the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Naor Gilon said he was disturbed that The Hindu considered providing space to Mousa Abu Marzouk, whom he referred to as ‘not just a controversial figure but a known terrorist with gallons of Israeli blood on his hands’.
“Abu Marzuk, a member of the terror organization Hamas-ISIS which has been listed as a terror organization by many countries of the world including the US, all EU members, UK and others -is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Israeli civilians since 1988. He has spent time in US prison for his actions. The decision to grant him a platform, especially in the wake of the tragic 7th of October Nazi-attacks, where 1400 Israelis, including babies, women and Holocaust survivors were tortured to death in the worst possible ways – is deeply unsettling,” the letter read.
The Israeli Ambassador to India, who recently spoke about the possible involvement of Islamic State (ISIS) in the Hamas attack on Israel, chastised The Hindu’s Editor-in-Chief for failing to demonstrate responsible journalism. “It is incumbent upon responsible journalism to exercise due diligence in such cases, ensuring that the voices amplified do not contribute to the promotion of violence and terror,” Naor Gilon said, further slamming the publication for not considering the need for fact-checking or asking follow up questions to Abu Marzuk, which, in turn, assisted the Hamas official to decimate lies and fake news with utmost ease.
“In a 1806 word article, less than 100 words could be considered something others than blatant lies and defamation, by any person who knows an iota about the reality between Israel and Hamas. This is an old and known Terrorist tactic utilized by Hamas-ISIS regularly: Lie and Murder, if possible – Lie about the Murder,” the letter read.
While highlighting the importance of responsible journalism yet again, Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon also pointed out that failing to accurately fact-check and follow up on false statements, especially when the issue is of such grave consequence, not only damages the publication’s credibility but also shows disrespect for the numerous victims who, in this case, were brutally killed in the attack on Israel on October 7 by terrorists from Hamas.
“Not long ago it was the duty of journalists to hold their subjects accountable for their statements and their actions. To fact check. To follow up false statements with accuracy. particularly when they pertain to matters of so grave consequence. Failing to do so not only undermines the credibility of the publication it also disrespects the countless dead victims whose blood screams from the ground. Worst of all, publishing a manifesto of a terrorist, poses a real risk of radicalizing and empowering susceptible readers to take more violent actions in the name of these “pseudo facts” claimed by terrorists. We’ve had more than our share of Jews murdered for these reasons so we should be taken seriously when we say: “Some words do kill”, Naor Gilon wrote.
He ended his letter by expressing his dismay over the interview with Hamas-ISIS mass murderer Moussa Abu Marzuk, saying it casts severe questions on media ethics and standards.
In light of this occurrence, he hoped The Hindu would reflect on this and take appropriate action to guarantee that future interviews are carried out with the diligence and honesty that their readers deserve.
Israel-Hamas war
On 7th October (local time), the terrorist organisation Hamas launched a brutal terror attack on Israeli soil. Over 1,200 people were killed in the attack. Paragliders and vehicle-borne Hamas terrorists wielding automatic weapons barged inside the border walls and attacked civilians, residential communities, and even a music festival in Southern Israel. In response to the brutal terrorist attack on Israel that killed over 1,000 civilians and wounded over 2,500 others, Israel declared war on Hamas and has been pounding the Gaza Strip with bombs since then.
The US and other NATO nations have declared support for Israel. Hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals are believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas. Hamas has massacred civilians brutally after attacking a music festival, and family homes in Southern Israel. Social media posts have surfaced where Hamas terrorists are seen killing children, women, and the elderly. The exact number of hostages is unknown.
