The New York Times rehired and defended a Palestinian videographer and journalist who twice praised Adolf Hitler and is now covering the Israel-Hamas War.
Soliman Hijjy, who has provided on-the-ground coverage from the Gaza Strip for the Times, praised Hitler in Facebook posts from 2012 and 2018, according to The New York Post. Media watchdog group HonestReporting found that Hijjy wrote on Facebook in 2012, “How great you are, Hitler” and in 2018, he shared a photo of himself with a caption in Arabic that said, “I’m in tune like Hitler during the holocaust,” according to a translation, Fox News reported. In another social media post, Hijjy said that Hamas rockets fired toward Israel were a part of “the resistance.”
The freelance videographer’s work was first published by the Times between 2018 and 2021, and now his coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has appeared on the site nearly every day since October 12, sparking outrage from Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan.
“The [New York Times] has just rehired a NAZI. Let that sink in,” Erdan said. “Soliman Hijjy praises Hitler, and the NYT rehired him. We all saw how the NYT immediately parroted Hamas’ lies regarding the al-Ahli hospital (which Hijjy contributed to) and still refuses to retract these fabrications. Spreading Hamas propaganda and rehiring a Holocaust-praising terror supporter, actively stokes antisemitism.”
The @nytimes has just rehired a NAZI
Let that sink in.
Soliman Hijjy praises Hitler, and the NYT rehired him.
We all saw how the NYT immediately parroted Hamas’ lies regarding the al-Ahli hospital (which Hijjy contributed to) and still refuses to retract these fabrications.… pic.twitter.com/7WaCDm2YdX
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 20, 2023
The New York Times defended its rehiring of Hijjy, claiming that the anti-Semitic videographer has “maintained high journalistic standards.”
“We reviewed problematic social media posts by Mr. Hijjy when they first came to light in 2022 and took a variety of actions to ensure he understood our concerns and could adhere to our standards if he wished to do freelance work for us in the future,” a spokesperson for the Times told Fox News. “Mr. Hijjy followed those steps and has maintained high journalistic standards. He has delivered important and impartial work at great personal risk in Gaza during this conflict.”
The legacy media outlet has also faced criticism for peddling lies from Palestinian authorities about an explosion near a hospital in the Gaza Strip. The New York Times changed its headline multiple times after the explosion near the Gaza hospital — initially running with the Palestinian officials’ version of the event before updating the headline as more information came out that indicated the blast came from a failed terrorist rocket. The Times provided no editor’s note explaining the revised headline.
Hijjy reported on the hospital blast, which included the claim by Palestinian authorities that 500 people were killed, but that number was soon refuted by U.S. and European intelligence. American intelligence estimated that between 100-300 people were killed in the explosion caused by the Palestinian terrorists’ rocket, while a European official said 50 people were killed, The Times of Israel reported.
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A U.S. intelligence document also showed that there was “only light structural damage at the hospital” as the rocket landed in a nearby parking lot.