Khaled Abu Toameh

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Khaled Abu Toameh
Born 1963
Tulkarem, West Bank
Residence Israel
Ethnicity Palestinian Arab
Citizenship Israeli

Khaled Abu Toameh (Arabic: خالد أبو طعمة‎, born 1963) is an Arab Israeli journalist, lecturer and documentary filmmaker, who has been writing on Arab affairs for three decades and is the recipient of several awards.

Abu Toameh writes for the Jerusalem Post [1] and for the New-York-based Gatestone Institute where he is a distinguished senior fellow.[2] He is a producer and consultant for NBC News since 1989.[3] His articles have also appeared in U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, World Tribune, Sunday Times, Daily Express, the Palestinian daily Al-Fajr and other newspapers.

Contents

Biography[edit]

Khaled Abu Toameh was born in the West Bank city of Tulkarem to an Israeli Arab father and a Palestinian Arab mother.[4] He grew up in the Arab-Israeli town Baqa al-Gharbiyye.[5] He received a B.A. in English literature from the Hebrew University and lives in Jerusalem with his wife and children.[6]

Media career[edit]

Khaled Abu Toameh started working at the official Palestinian daily Al-Fajr where he eventually became one of the editors, but he left citing the propaganda and lack of journalistic freedom in the Palestinian media.[6][7] He subsequently worked as a senior reporter for The Jerusalem Report.[6]

Since 2002 Abu Toameh reports for the Jerusalem Post on Arab affairs.[1] He was the first journalist to report on the sex scandal that rocked the Palestinian Authority in early 2010 and which led to the dismissal of Rafiq Husseini, the Palestinian President's Mahmoud Abbas chief of staff.[8] The scandal was revealed by former Palestinian intelligence official Fahmi Shabaneh in an exclusive interview with Abu Toameh in The Jerusalem Post.[9]

Abu Toameh has also written for U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and more recently for the New-York-based Gatestone Institute where he is a senior fellow.[2][6].

Since 1989 he has been a producer and consultant for NBC News.[3] He has produced several documentaries on the Palestinians for the BBC, Channel 4, Australian, Danish and Swedish television, including ones that exposed the connection between Yasser Arafat and payments to the armed wing of Fatah, as well as the financial corruption within the Palestinian Authority.[6]

Abu Toameh has served as a lecturer with the University of Minnesota - School of Journalism and Mass Communication.[10] He has also lectured at the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),[11] as well as the London-based think tank Chatham House.[12]

Abu Toameh has spoken at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom by invitation.[13] He was a keynote speaker at the 2009 annual conference of the Canadian Association of Journalists in Vancouver.[14] He has spoken on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and prospects for peace in the Middle East at university campuses throughout the U.S. and Canada.[15][16] A series of his talks have been sponsored by StandWithUs,[17][18] and he spoke at their annual conference in Los Angeles in 2008.[19]

In August 2011 Abu Toameh was invited to speak at the Sydney Institute in Australia on the challenge of Palestinian state-building.[20] Two days later he also gave a talk on "Human rights challenges in the Palestinian territories" at a seminar organized by The Australian Human Rights Centre. [21][22]

Views and opinions[edit]

Abu Toameh is a staunch defender of freedom of speech and has criticized the Palestinian Authority for arresting and harassing Palestinian journalists in the West Bank. He said it has become impossible for an independent Arab journalists to work freely in the Palestinian-controlled territories of the West Bank.

In 2009, Toameh declared that "Israel is a wonderful place to live and we are happy to be there. Israel is a free and open country. If I were given the choice, I would rather live in Israel as a second class citizen than as a first class citizen in Cairo, Gaza, Amman or Ramallah."[23] In December 2011 Abu Toameh met in Jerusalem with Georgia State Elected Officials and briefed them on the current developments in the Middle East and the peace process.

In the Durban Review Conference, Toameh criticized Israeli Arab Knesset members for supporting extremism and calling Israel a "state of apartheid" rather than fighting for the rights of Arab citizens of Israel:

And then they come here to tell us that Israel is a state of apartheid? Excuse me. What kind of hypocrisy is this? What then are you doing in the Knesset? If you are living in an apartheid system, why were you allowed, as an Arab, to run in the election? What are you talking about? We do have problems as Arabs with the establishment here. But to come and say that Israel is an apartheid state is a big exaggeration. I am not here to defend Israel, but I think that Knesset members like this gentleman are doing huge damage to the cause of Israeli Arabs. I want to see the Knesset member sitting in the Knesset, in Jerusalem, and fighting for the rights of Arabs over there.[23]

In response, Ali Kazak, former PLO ambassador to Australia, called Toameh a "traitor."[7][24]

Abu Toameh is not only condemned but is often threatened. He says however that more threats are coming from outside the Middle East than from within the Palestinian Authority and that rather uniquely those that threaten him do not not question his reporting but rather want him to shut up. [25]

In an article published in November 2011, Khaled Abu Toameh criticized the current leadership of Israel's Arab citizens for damaging relations between Jews and Arabs inside the Jewish state. Abu Toameh has also written against the mistreatment of Palestinians by Arab governments, which he accused of imposing "apartheid" against Palestinians, especially in Lebanon.

Facebook account incident[edit]

Following publication of his 2013 article "The Palestinian Authority's Inconvenient Truth",[26] which is critical of the Palestinian Authority, the author's Facebook page was temporarily deactivated.[27] It is unclear whether Facebook's action was taken in light of official complaints from the Palestinian Authority and Jordan or because other users flagged the posts as offensive.[28] Facebook reactivated his account but removed his article about the Palestinian Authority's corruption. Subsequently Facebook issued an apology for the deletion of his article, calling it "an employee's error".[29][30]

In response, Abu Toameh wrote in an op-ed that many journalists in the Middle East are forced to use Facebook to publish work that their own media will not accept. He also said that "It is the duty of Facebook and Western societies to side with those seeking freedom, and not to be complicit in suppressing their voices". In the same article he decried the recent arrests of journalists and bloggers that were critical of the Palestinian Authority's leadership in their Facebook pages.[30][25]

Recognition and awards[edit]

Abu Toameh shared Israel Media Watch's 2010 award for media criticism with the satirical Israeli website Latma.[31]

On May 10, 2011 Khaled Abu Toameh won the Hudson Institute Award for Courage in Journalism.[32]

Canada's Toronto Sun columnist Salim Mansur praised Abu Toameh for his courage and knowledge of the politics of the Arab world.[33]

Abu Toameh is the 2013 recipient of the Emet award given by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA). [34]

He was chosen on The Algemeiner's 2013 list of The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life.[35]

Published works[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b LIDMAN, MELANIE (2013-01-15). "Facebook temporarily bans 'Post' reporter". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 March 2013. 
  2. ^ a b Distinguished Scholars and Senior Advisors gatestoneinstitute.org
  3. ^ a b Khaled Abu Toameh, Journalist
  4. ^ Astor, Maggie (February 2, 2008). "Journalist Takes Even Handed Approach to Arab-Israeli Conflict". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
  5. ^ Khaled Abu Toameh and the Israeli-Palestinian Dilemma
  6. ^ a b c d e Abu Toameh, Khaled (April 27, 2004). "Telling the Truth about the Palestinians". Middle East Forum. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
  7. ^ a b Journalist says only truth will set Palestine free, Rebecca Weisser, The Australian. May 15, 2010
  8. ^ Abu Toameh, Khaled (2010). "Abbas fires Husseini over sex scandal". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  9. ^ Abu Toameh, Khaled (January 29, 2010). "'Corruption will let Hamas take W. Bank'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 20, 2013. 
  10. ^ "Jerusalem Post Correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh to speak on campus". Murphy Weekly. University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication. 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  11. ^ Gavin Gross (2008). "Anti-Israeli Activity at the School of Oriental and African Studies: How Jewish Students Started to Fight Back". From Manfred Gerstenfeld ( ed.) Academics against Israel and the Jews. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  12. ^ "Meeting: An Israel Arab`s Perspective On Gaza, The New Palestinian Authority, Hamas And The Elections". Member Event, transcript included. Chatham House. April 2006. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  13. ^ "HJS Event Israel-Palestinian Relations". Transcript of remarks made at the House of Commons. Henry Jackson Society. December 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  14. ^ "Khaled Abu Toameh, Keynote". Annual Conference and Awards Gala 2009. Canadian Association of Journalists. 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  15. ^ Amalia Biro (March 2010). "Arab-Israeli conflict incites heated debate at Laurier". Laurier University News. Wilfrid Laurier University. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  16. ^ Morgan Chalfant (April 2010). "Palestinian Journalist Speaks at BC". The Observer. Boston College. Retrieved 2010-04-28. 
  17. ^ Rothstein, Roz (September 2008). StandWithUs "StandWithUs: A Grassroots Advocacy Organization Also On Campus". Institute for Global Jewish Affairs. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
  18. ^ "Standwithus Announces Campus Tour Dates For Khalid Abu Toameh, Itamar Marcus, Neil Lazarus and Mitchell Bard". Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. October 28, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
  19. ^ Greenberg, Brad A. (February 14, 2008). "L.A.‘s defenders of Israel". JewishJournal.com. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
  20. ^ "Khaled Abu Toameh". The Sydney Institute. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  21. ^ "AHRCentre Seminar - Khaled Abu Tomah". University of New South Wales Faculty of Law, Kensington (Sydney Australia. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  22. ^ "AHRCentre invites you to a seminar with Khaled Abu Toameh". www.ahrcentre.org. Australian Human Rights Centre, Sydney, Australia. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  23. ^ a b Islam Today, by Khaled Abu Toameh, May 18, 2009
  24. ^ Glick, Caroline (June 15, 2010). "Our World: Hamas rises in the West". Jerusalem Post. 
  25. ^ a b Traiman, Alex. "Censored by Facebook, journalist forges on as lonely dissenting Arab voice on PA". jns.org. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  26. ^ The Palestinian Authority's Inconvenient Truth, by Khaled Abu Toameh, Jan 3, 2013
  27. ^ Facebook 'censors' Palestinian writer posting anti-corruption articles
  28. ^ Facebook closes Israeli Arab reporter’s page
  29. ^ "UPDATED: Facebook Closes Khaled Abu Toameh's Account". camera.org. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  30. ^ a b Abu Toameh, Khaled. "Facebook's "Accidental Mistake" and Free Speech in the Arab World". Gatestone Institute, International Policy Council. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  31. ^ Hartman, Ben (January 3, 2011). "‘Post’ reporter, Latma site win award for media criticism". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved December 8, 2010. 
  32. ^ Post's Khaled Abu Toameh gets Hudson award - JPost - Headlines
  33. ^ Arab Spring a mask for ruthless men
  34. ^ "CAMERA to honor Post's Khaled Abu Toameh with Emet Award". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 20 April 2013. 
  35. ^ "The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life (INTRODUCTION)". The Algemeiner. APRIL 25, 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013. 

External links[edit]

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