Emmys defend nominating Gazan activist for award despite her apparent ties to PFLP

The US National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which is responsible for the Emmy Awards, is defending its decision to nominate a report by Bisan Owda, a Gazan activist and filmmaker, despite her history of apparent ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization.

Adam Sharp, NATAS president and CEO, said in a statement Tuesday that the “content submitted for award consideration was consistent with competition rules and NATAS policies.

“Accordingly, NATAS has found no grounds, to date, upon which to overturn the editorial judgment of the independent journalists who reviewed the material,” he said.

The statement came in response to an open letter published Monday by a group called Creative Community for Peace, calling on the awards to rescind Owda’s nomination. The letter drew more than 150 signatures from figures in the entertainment industry.

As of Friday, there was no comment from Owda about the letter or its aftermath.

“The Emmys (sic) decision to honor someone with clear ties to a US-designated terrorist group is inexcusable and should have never happened,” the signatories said.

Reports and photographs indicate a then-teenage Owda spoke at PFLP events in 2014 and 2018, according to The New York Times.

The group, listed by the US and others as a terrorist organization, has a history of conducting plane hijackings and other attacks against civilians.

In his response to the letter, Sharp said “NATAS is aware of reports…that appear to show a then-teenaged Owda speaking at various PFLP-associated events between six and nine years ago.

“NATAS has been unable to corroborate these reports, nor has it been able, to date, to surface any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organization.”

Owda’s eight-minute report “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” is nominated for the category of Outstanding Hard News Feature. The report, which has previously received a Peabody Award and an Edward R. Murrow award, was made in Gaza City in October 2023 and published in early November.

It was produced by AJ+, a branch of the Qatari-funded Al Jazeera network. The network issued a statement on Thursday supporting Owda “and all our journalists who consistently uphold the highest standards of journalistic ethics and professionalism.”

The report chronicles Bisan’s life during her time sheltering in Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital complex.

It was filmed a few weeks after Hamas started its ongoing war with Israel on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists burst across the border from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

In response to the attack, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza to destroy the terror group, return the hostages, and prevent the enclave from posing a security threat going forward.

The eight-minute video does not make any reference to Hamas, the October 7 attack, or the hostages being held in Gaza at the time.

Shifa Hospital, the site of the report, was later the site of two major Israeli military operations that saw weeks of combat between Israeli soldiers and Hamas gunmen. Despite overwhelming evidence, Hamas has denied operating from Shifa and other health facilities.