On September 8, 2022, 36 British politicians, public figures, and leaders of the Jewish community signed a letter calling on BBC Director-General Tim Davie to stop featuring British-Palestinian commentator Abdel Bari Atwan on the network, pointing to his antisemitic views and statements expressing support for terrorists.[1]
MEMRI has been monitoring and documenting Atwan's public appearances, including his antisemitic and pro-terrorism statements, since 2001. The following are MEMRI TV clips of these statements from the past decade alone; this does not include MEMRI translations of his articles in media.
Abdel Bari Atwan in MEMRI TV clip from 2010
MEMRI TV Clips Of British Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan
British Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan Rebukes Hamas For Not Joining The Islamic Jihad In Fighting Against Israel: They Joined All Of Hamas's Wars, August 7, 2022
British Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan rebuked Hamas for failing to join the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in fighting Israel during the recent armed conflict on a show that aired on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) on August 7, 2022. He said that the PIJ had joined all of Hamas's wars with Israel, including the May 2021 "Sword of Jerusalem." Atwan further said that "everybody" was expecting at least a statement of support from Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades' spokesman Abu Ubeida. He said: "The Palestinian people is asking: Where is Hamas? Where is Abu Ubeida? Where are the Al-Qassam Brigades?"
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: PIJ Leader Nakhala Directing The War From Tehran Signals That He Is Not Alone, He Has Support From Iran, The 'Resistance Axis', August 5, 2022
British Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said that the fact that Ziyad Nakhala, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad secretary-general is directing the war in Gaza from Tehran is very significant, in a video posted on his YouTube channel on August 5, 2022. Atwan said that this shows that Nakhala has the support of the "resistance axis." He added that the Iranians are providing the Palestinians with weapons, Kornet missiles, technology, and combat expertise.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: In Light Of The Energy Crisis, The 'Resistance' Will Be Calling The Shots When It Comes To Europe's Prosperity, Energy Security; Biden Has Lost His Mental Faculties, He Cannot Lead The World Against Russia, July 14, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a July 14, 2022 show on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) that America is in decline, that the future belongs to the Arabs and the Muslims, and that in light of the global energy crisis, the "resistance" will be calling the shorts with regard to Europe's prosperity in energy security. He said that a war between Israel and Hizbullah would lead to a regional conflict in which American bases in the Middle East would be destroyed, and he predicted that the U.S. would not dare intervene in such a war, which he said would drive the price of oil to $300 a barrel. In addition, he said that U.S. President Joe Biden has lost his mental faculties and is unable to "lead the world against Russia". He also mocked President Biden and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, referring to them as "dog meat in a soup".
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: The Lebanese Resistance Does Not Need Permission From The State To Attack The Greek FPSO Ship At Karish Gas Field; Drones, Missiles Are Ready To Strike, June 9, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a video that was uploaded to his YouTube channel on June 9, 2022 that Hizbullah and the Lebanese "resistance" did not ask for permission from the Lebanese heads of state when they "liberated" southern Lebanon and when they confronted Israel in the 2006 Lebanon War. He elaborated that liberation of Arab territory is a legitimate act that does not require permission from anyone.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: The Recent Axe Murder Of Three Israelis Was Legitimate Resistance To The Occupation; The Attackers Are Tigers, Lions, May 6, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a video that was uploaded to his YouTube channel on May 6, 2022 that the previous-day axe murder of three Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists in Elad, Israel was a legitimate act of resistance against the Israeli occupation. He said that the attackers are not lone wolves, but "tigers" and "lions" who are "defending their honor" and who are worth "even 100" of the "defeatist Arabs who are watching from the sidelines." He compared the attack to the French resistance to the Nazi occupation and to the American resistance to the British. In addition, Atwan criticized Germany for preventing a pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin, saying that the Germans are not qualified to lecture the Palestinians on antisemitism. Atwan also claimed that the Israelis want to assassinate Hamas' Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar because he called on Palestinians to use axes and cleavers against the Israeli occupation (see MEMRI TV Clip No. 9527). For more videos of Atwan praising recent terrorist attacks in Israel, see MEMRI TV Clips No. 9493 and No. 9469.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan Praises Palestinian Terrorist Raad Hazem: He Shot The Settlers In Tel Aviv, Made The Israelis Flee Like Mice; There Are No Civilians There, They Are All Military, April 8, 2022
In a video that was uploaded to his YouTube channel on April 8, 2022, British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan praised Raad Hazem, the Palestinian terrorist who killed three Israelis and wounded severa others in a previous-day shooting in a bar in Tel Aviv, Israel. In the video, which had over 500,000 views, Atwan said that the terrorist was a hero who made the Israelis flee in terror "like mice." He also said that the Palestinians do not accept the "story of Israeli civilians" because even Israeli civilians they are active or reserve members of Israel's security forces. He added that today the Palestinians are manufacturing guns, and tomorrow they will manufacture rockets.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan Praises Hadera, Israel Shooters: I Am Truly Happy That Palestinians From Within Israel's 1948 Borders Took Up Arms And Killed Israeli Police Officers; This Spoiled The Negev Summit, March 30, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a video that was uploaded to his YouTube channel on March 30, 2022 that he is "truly happy" and "gloating" over the fact that four Arab foreign ministers attended the Negev Summit in Israel only for their celebration to be "ruined" by Ayman and Ibrahim Aghbariya, the two ISIS terrorists who carried out the March 27 shooting in Hadera, Israel that killed two Israeli Border Police officers and injured several others. He praised the Aghbariya cousins for being Palestinians from within Israel's 1948 borders, for using firearms, and for killing only Israeli police officers. He said: "There is loftiness and tolerance in saying: We are against the police, not the civilians." Atwan did not mention the fact that the Aghbariya cousins had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: The Ukraine War Is A Gift From Allah To The Arabs; The Arabs Benefit The Most From This War; The West Is Begging Us To Increase Oil Production, Their Lives Are In Our Hands, March 18, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a video uploaded to his YouTube account on March 18, 2022 that the Ukraine-Russia war is a blessing and a gift from Allah to the Arabs. He explained that the Arabs benefit the most from the war since the price of oil had increased and since the West is now begging the Arabs to increase oil production. He said: "[Their] lives are in our hands... We should thank Allah [and] act like men." He also said that the Arabs sympathize with the Ukrainians because they are the victims of an American conspiracy, just like the Arabs in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Libya, and Sudan have been victims of American conspiracies that have killed millions of Arabs. In addition, Atwan said that Israel is considering buying deserted Greek islands for Israelis to flee to in the event of a missile attack from Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, or Iran.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: Why Are We Hostile To Russia? The Ukraine War Has Nothing To Do With Us, February 28, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in video that was uploaded to his YouTube channel on February 28, 2022 that the Arabs should not side against Russia in the Ukraine-Russia war, since it is America – which is on the other side – that supports Israel and that is responsible for the destruction of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, as well as for the occupation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He emphasized that the war in Ukraine has nothing to do with the Arabs, who he said should thank Allah that the war is taking place in Europe, which has enjoyed peace and prosperity for decades while the Middle East was being ravaged by wars. In addition, Atwan criticized journalists who have called for opposing Russia, and he said: "They want to recruit the neo-Nazis [in Europe]? Okay, let them recruit them... The neo-Nazis against the Islamists? Let them slaughter one another." He added: "The war has reached Europe. Let them crush one another. What does this have to do with us?"
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan: U.S. Did Not Really Kill ISIS Leader Al-Qurayashi, Just As It Did Not Kill Bin Laden Or Al-Baghdadi; Their Bodies Were Never Shown, February 5, 2022
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan said in a February 5, 2022 show on NBN TV (Lebanon) that he believes that the recent assassination of ISIS leader Al-Qurayshi was staged by the U.S. in light of President Biden's drop in popularity. He also suggested that the assassinations of Osama Bin Laden and Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi were staged, since the U.S. never showed their bodies. He contrasted this with Saddam Hussein and his sons, Uday, and Qusay, whose bodies were shown to the public after their deaths.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan On Hizbullah TV: The U.S. Has Made It Clear that It Will Not Support Israeli Military Action Against Iran; Biden Knows This Would Spell America's End, December 5, 2021
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a December 5, 2021 show on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that the U.S. would not support Israeli military action against Iran and that there are options that are no longer on the table. He added that after the American failure in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, U.S. President Joe Biden knows that such intervention would spell his end and the end of the United States.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: Kabul Airport Events Will Repeat At Israel's Ben Gurion Airport; Israelis Should Learn To Swim; Arafat Told Me In 1995 That I Would Live To See The Israelis Fleeing Palestine Like 'Rats Fleeing A Sinking Ship', August 19, 2021.
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said that Israelis know that the scenes from Kabul Airport will be repeated at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. He made his remarks in an interview that aired on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) on August 19, 2021. Atwan said that the Israelis will then find that there are no planes leaving Ben Gurion Airport, and they will be forced to escape to the Mediterranean Sea. He further said that in 1995, PLO leader Yasser Arafat promised him that he would live to see the day that the Israelis will flee Palestine "like rats fleeing a sinking ship." Atwan added: "Today, I believe that this prophecy will come true."
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: If The U.S. Does Stupid Things Like Freezing Afghan Assets, The Taliban Might Turn Into A Terrorist Organization, August 17, 2021
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said that the Taliban has changed and that it is now more pragmatic and seeks ties with regional powers such as Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan. He made his remarks in an interview that aired on BBC Arabic TV (U.K.) on August 17, 2021. Atwan said that if the U.S. takes a "vindictive approach" towards the Taliban, such as the recent freeze of Afghan government assets in American banks, then the Taliban might become a terrorist organization.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: The Sirens That Go Off When Hamas Rockets Hit Ashdod Are Like A Beethoven Symphony To My Ears, May 16, 2021
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said that when he hears sirens indicating a rocket attack going off in Ashdod, it is like music, a Beethoven symphony to him. He made these remarks in an interview with Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that aired on May 16, 2021. Atwan added that it is unprecedented for the rockets to hit Tel Aviv and for "settlers" to leave the beaches in their bathing suits, seeking refuge in the nearest bomb shelter.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: The U.S. Is A Banana Republic, Collapsing Like The USSR, January 7, 2021
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in an interview with Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) on January 7, 2021 that America has turned into a banana republic and that it is on its downfall, much like the Soviet Union. He said that America that has always lectured the Arab world about democracy is failing the test of democracy. Atwan continued to say that the Americans wanted to fragmentize the nations of the Middle East but now they are facing very dangerous schisms. He added that White supremacists are trying to impose their aspirations on the American people and that during the storming of the Capitol, American security forces ran away from the protesters, while in contrast, the police used live ammunition against black demonstrators and killed them in cold blood. He asked: "Why is there such racial discrimination?"
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan Warns: The U.S. Has Not Returned To Lebanon Since The 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing; Hizbullah And Syria Have Experience In This Field, June 18, 2020
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a June 18, 2020 interview on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that Iran will not give up on Syria, since it and Hizbullah have been present there for nine years. He said that he has information that Iran will soon send oil tankers loaded with petrol to Latakia, Syria, and he said that if necessary, an armed confrontation will take place in the Middle East. Pointing out that there are 150,000 missiles in Lebanon, 200,000 missiles in Syria, and hundreds of thousands of missiles in Iran, Atwan predicted that such a confrontation would be the last war in the region and that all these missiles would be launched at Israel. He said that the U.S. has not returned to Lebanon since the 1983 Marine Barracks bombing, warning that Hizbullah and Syria have experience in this field.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Visions of the Post-Coronavirus World - Abdel Bari Atwan: Coronavirus Will Bring the End of the U.S. Empire; Let China Rise – It Won’t Be Worse than America, March 27, 2020
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan Responds to U.S. Airstrike against Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq: America Has Opened the Gates of Hell; It Will Miss the Days of ISIS, December 29, 2019
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a December 29, 2019 interview on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) that America has “opened the gates of Hell” by carrying out the recent airstrike against Iran-backed militias in Iraq. He said that the recent Iraqi militia rocket attack against the American K-1 base in Kirkuk that killed an American civilian contractor is just an example of what the militias in Iraq are capable of, and he warned that America is going to miss the days of ISIS and of the pre-2011 Iraqi resistance. Urging the Iraqi people to support the new Iraqi resistance in order to drive out the Americans, Atwan said that the countdown has begun until President Trump withdraws American troops from Iraq. He also said that the proxy war between the U.S. and Iran has begun, and he added that American bases throughout the Middle East will become targets in this proxy war.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
British-Palestinian Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan: Attack on Saudi Oil Installations Has Rocked the Prestige of America; Where Was the Protection That Trump Promised?, September 20, 2019
British-Palestinian journalist Abdel Bari Atwan said in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on September 20, 2019 that the September 14 Houthi drone attack on the Abqaiq and Khurais oil fields in Saudi Arabia has rocked the national, intelligence, military, and political prestige of Saudi Arabia and the United States. He said that the American defense umbrella that Saudi Arabia has spent hundreds of billions of dollars has collapsed and turned out to be a failure. In a related video posted on September 15, Atwan asked why the American Patriot missiles in Saudi Arabia failed to intercept the Houthi drones, and he asked why U.S. President Donald Trump did not protect Saudi Arabia even though he had "extorted" it and the Gulf for money in exchange for protection.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
U.K.-Based Journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan: America Betrayed the Kurds and Has Been Defeated in Syria, December 21, 2018
In a video he posted to his YouTube channel on December 21, 2018, U.K.-based journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan said that the Kurds have been stabbed in the back repeatedly for over 80 years, and that they are only being exploited by the U.S. and Israel. He said that Syria has given them the best treatment and that they should cooperate with their Arab brothers and become Syrians. Atwan said that he fears that America pulled out Syria in order to allow ISIS to regroup and as part of a plan to ultimately attack Iran. He added that he is nonetheless glad that the American enterprise in the region has been defeated by the resistance and that Israel is besieged from all sides by Hizbullah, Hamas, and Syrian and Iranian forces.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Abdel-Bari Atwan: I Love Kim Jong-un; He Grabbed the Americans Where It Hurts; That’s the Way to Treat Americans and Israelis, May 25, 2018
Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of Al-Rai Al-Youm and former editor-in-chief of the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi, praised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for treating U.S. President Trump with "utter contempt." "He grabbed them where it hurts. This is the way to treat the Americans and the Israelis," he said. Atwan further said that Kim Jong-un "has more honor, self-esteem, and manliness than all the Arab leaders put together" and that "I love him." He commended the North Korean leader for not giving up his nuclear and missile capabilities. "Who would sacrifice their nuclear deterrence?" he asked. His address was posted on his YouTube channel on May 25.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Abdel-Bari Atwan Lauds Release of Daqamseh: Beacon of Pan-Arabism, March 11, 2017
Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of "Al-Rai Al-Youm" and former editor-in-chief of the London-based "Al-Quds Al-Arabi," said that the entire Arab nation was celebrating the release of former Jordanian soldier Ahmed Daqamseh, who served a 20-year prison term for the murder of seven Israeli schoolgirls. “He has become a beacon for many people, who yearn for the good old Arab days, when pan-Arab sentiments still existed, and most Arab regimes still considered Israel to be the enemy,” said Abdel-Bari Atwan, speaking on Hizbullah’s Mayadeen TV.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Abdel-Bari Atwan: European Leaders Encouraged Muslims to Join ISIS; British "Experts" Know Nothing about ISIS, March 22, 2016
Interviewed in the wake of the Brussels attacks, "Al-Rai Al-Youm" editor-in-chief Abdel-Bari Atwan said that "it's only natural that some people will sympathize with [ISIS]" following the coalition's airstrikes and that Western leaders "indirectly encouraged Muslims from Britain, France, Belgium, and Italy to join the ranks of these groups." "Those [British] 'experts' know very little about ISIS," said Atwan, who is former editor-in-chief of "Al-Quds Al-Arabi. "Why didn't they predict the London bombings of 2005 or the attacks in France?" he asked. The interview aired on Russia Today TV on March 23, 2016.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
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Abdel Bari Atwan: ISIS Savagery Comes from Islamic History; The West Likely to 'Contain' ISIS Like It Contained the IRA and Arafat, December 15, 2015
In a December 15 lecture about ISIS at the American University in Beirut, Abdel Bari Atwan, former editor-in-chief of "Al-Quds Al-Arabi" and the current editor-in-chief of "Al-Rai Al-Youm" rejected common claims that the savagery of ISIS is alien to Islam, presenting examples of similar conduct from Islamic history. Atwan said that the West faces two options: to contain ISIS or to destroy it. The former is more likely than the latter, he added. The West always starts by trying to destroy organizations that it considers to be terrorist and ends up negotiating with them, Atwan said, citing the Taliban, the PLO, and the IRA as prominent examples.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
Al-Quds Al-Arabi Editor Abdel Bari Atwan: The Loss of Syrian Chemical Weapons a Loss to the Entire Arab Nation, September 10, 2013
Following are excerpts from an interview with Abdel Bari Atwan, former editor-in-chief of the Al-Quds Al-Arabi daily, which aired on Al-Manar TV on September 10, 2013.
To view the clip on MEMRI TV, click here or below.
[1] Jns.org/british-leaders-ask-bbc-to-stop-featuring-contributor-with-anti-jewish-history, September 9, 2022; Thejc.com/news/news/politicians-and-stars-write-incendiary-open-letter-to-biased-bbc, September 8, 2022. UK Jewish leaders who signed the letter include the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Community Security Trust, the National Jewish Assembly, and the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
