Forbes France cancels ‘power women’ gala scheduled to feature Hamas apologist

Citing security issues, the French edition of Forbes magazine cancels a gala event in honor of 40 notable women, including one who is under fire for justifying Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

“Conditions are no longer conducive to guaranteeing the positive circumstances for holding the event,” Forbes France tells Le Parisien yesterday.

The response mentions concern for the security of attendees but does not name Rima Hassan, a pro-Palestinian activist whose inclusion on the list of women selected to be honored at the gala is generating controversy tied to her defense of Hamas.

The controversy follows her assertion in a November 29 interview that it is “true” that Hamas’s onslaught — in which the group murdered some 1,200 people and took another 253 hostage — is “legitimate.” Israel’s right to defend itself is “false” and so is the viability of a two-state solution, according to the filmed statements by Hassan, a 31-year-old lawyer.

On X, Hassan writes that she is “furious” aboiut the cancelation: “Note that the pressures come predominantly from men who believe they’re omnipotent and possessing total license,” she adds, thanking the “patriarchy.” She provides a list of seven French Jews whom she calls “boomers who have not yet realized their time is up.”

The list includes Jacques Essebag, a 57-year-old television presenter who last month protested Hassan’s inclusion on the Forbes list; Julien Bahloul, a 37-year-old journalist and activist for LGBTQ parents; and Patrick Klugman, a 46-year-old left-wing politician and lawyer.