An NBC journalist was arrested on Thursday in Israel for allegedly inciting terrorism and expressing affiliation with Hamas.
"Marwat Al-Azza, a 45-year-old journalist, employed by the NBC television network and living in east Jerusalem, was arrested after four recent posts on her personal Facebook page regarding the October 7 terror attack by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in which at least 1,200 people were murdered and 240 taken hostage,” reports the Jerusalem Post. “The police claim that Al-Azza 'arrived ready for arrest,' without a mobile phone, and even wrote phone numbers on her leg."
Al-Azza, a Palestinian freelance journalist, reportedly mocked the kidnapping of an elderly Israeli woman in Gaza.
Israel News has the details of the posts that sparked the arrest.
On October 7, Al-Azza put up posts on her personal Facebook account allegedly supporting Hamas terrorism. She wrote on the kidnapping of an elderly woman from a Gaza border community, “It’s killing me, it’s a black comedy, the old woman looks happy, a bit of action before she dies.”
In another post, she wrote: “Sirens all the time, the Jews are hiding and the Arabs are out drinking coffee on their balconies.” In yet another post, she wrote: "I feel like I’m watching a movie where the director is Palestinian and the protagonists are from Gaza.”
Her attorney defended her by pointing out she cooperated with authorities.
"This is a normative woman, engaged in journalism, and her role is very important to everyone," Al-Azza's defense attorney claimed. "She was asked in her investigation about her work. I believe that in the things attributed to her, she cooperated fully. She did not try to hide, saying 'I had a hacker.’ Even when she did not have a phone, which is the main tool, she said, 'Indeed, these are my posts,' and this eliminates a thousand disruptive actions. There is her statement—that is why I believe that the investigation has exhausted itself. I ask that she be released under whatever conditions the court deems appropriate. She is from a very respectable family."
Despite her attorney’s efforts, Al-Azza’s was not released.
"These are very serious offenses during a time of declared war when the respondent lives and makes a living in the same country that is under attack and yet chooses to incite and glorify the horrible acts committed against civilians," a representative from the Israel Police said at a hearing in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court.
It’s hardly surprising that NBC would employ someone like that. Many people in the media, be it American media or international media, have sided with Hamas and the Palestinians over Israel. It’s so bad that last week even leftist comedian Bill Maher blasted the media for being pro-Hamas in its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
“It couldn’t be more pro-Hamas than it is now,” Maher said. "They’re saying they want the newsrooms to adopt words such as ‘apartheid,’ I hear it all the time anyway. It’s wrong, and I hear it. ‘Genocide,’ again, wrong, Israel [is] not trying to commit genocide, the other side [is] blatantly saying, we would love to commit genocide on you.”
NBC sent a comment to PJ Media: “The investigation of Ms. Azza is unrelated to NBC News. It is based on her personal Facebook posts that predate her time with us as a freelancer. We were not aware of those posts before we engaged Ms. Azza four weeks ago. She will not be contributing to our coverage going forward.”
Editor's Note: This article was updated with comment from NBC.
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