Israel general incited anger against Qatar, Al-Jazeera prior to Abu Akleh killing

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), run by former Israeli military intelligence officer Yigal Carmon, incited anger against Qatar and Al-Jazeera prior to the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

On 9 May, two days before the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, MEMRI published a story with screenshots from Al-Jazeera and other prominent figures, claiming they praised terror.

In the story, MEMRI alleged that Al-Jazeera journalist Tamer Al-Misshal had praised terror when he tweeted on 7 May, 2022: “In the era of [Arab] pandering [to Israel], we are proud of Palestine, of its people and of its resistance, which surrenders only to Allah.”

Al-Misshal is Palestinian, and it is natural for him to be proud of the resistance of his occupied people. Resistance of an occupier is a right guaranteed by international law and conventions.

MEMRI also claimed that Wajd Waqfi, a Jordanian journalist who reports for Al-Jazeera from Washington, had incited terror when she tweeted: “Never in history has an occupier [enjoyed] permanent security and stability.”

READ: EU ‘appalled’ by Israel’s aggression at Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral

Meanwhile, only one day before the killing of Abu Akleh, Carmon wrote in Haaretz that “Qatar supports terrorism” and “the [secret] Israeli cooperation with it is shameful.”

In his article, he reputed: “For decades, Qatar has provided economic and political support, whether directly or indirectly, to all extremist Islamic terrorist organisations,” giving examples of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda and Daesh.

Carmon accused: “The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Yussef Al-Qardawi, one of the top Islamic jurists known for his extremist anti-Semitic views and the justification for the extermination of Jews during the Holocaust, worked in Qatar for many years. Qatar has also granted asylum to the leaders of other jihadist organisations.”

The former Israeli general also alleged that Qatar’s education system: “Is steeped in preaching jihad and suicide bombings. Its media, which is government-run, often has antisemitic remarks and Holocaust denial.”