Emmy Nomination to Terror-Tied Gazan Journalist Under Fire From Debra Messing and Other Celebrities

‘Bisan Owda’s affiliation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine … raises serious ethical concerns that cannot and should not be ignored’

Over 100 actors and entertainment industry insiders, including Debra Messing and Selma Blair, are calling on the organization behind the Emmy Awards to rescind its award nomination of documentarian Bisan Atef Owda, citing the Gazan journalist’s anti-Semitic rhetoric and ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terror organization.

The Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating rising anti-Semitism in the arts, issued a letter signed by more than 150 actors and Hollywood leaders pressing the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences to pull Owda’s Emmy nomination in light of her “documented ties” to the PFLP. Owda, a Gaza-based journalist behind the documentary It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive, has “actively participated in PFLP rallies and disseminated antisemitic content.” Those ties, the group wrote in its Monday letter, are “inexcusable.”

“The Emmys decision to honor someone with clear ties to a U.S.-designated terrorist group is inexcusable and should have never happened. It would be legitimizing a terrorist organization,” CCFP wrote in the letter, which was signed by Blair, Messing, fellow actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, former Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing, Saban Capital Group CEO Haim Saban, and Fox Entertainment president Fernando Szew.

“If the Emmys don’t change course and rescind this nomination, they will be glorifying someone who is a member of an organization that has carried [out] numerous aircraft hijackings, participated in the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, carried out waves of bombings on markets and restaurants and murdered innocent women and children,” the group’s letter says.

Owda—who claims that Israel “occupies every corner of the world”—was selected as an Emmy nominee earlier this month in the 2024 News & Documentary category for her film, which documents the Palestinian activist’s experience during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The film is nominated alongside its publisher AJ+, an offshoot of the Qatari-owned media conglomerate Al Jazeera, which disseminates anti-Israel propaganda across the globe.

Owda’s nomination, the CCFP wrote in the letter, “is deeply troubling, given the creator’s history of promoting dangerous falsehoods, spreading antisemitism, and condoning violence.” Owda’s ties to the PFLP, the group says, “raises serious ethical concerns that cannot and should not be ignored.”

“Honoring someone linked to an organization that has caused so much pain and suffering is not just irresponsible; it is a direct affront to the values we hold dear in the entertainment industry,” the letter states.

Owda, who has accused Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing, was recently found to have participated in a 2015 rally celebrating the PFLP’s 48th anniversary. In pictures published on social media, Owda can be seen wearing the terror group’s militant uniform and addressing a crowd advocating Israel’s destruction. Owda worked alongside the group in multiple other instances, indicating that her ties to the terror outfit are longstanding.

The nomination may also violate the Emmy Awards’ own code of conduct, which says the nominating organization has a “zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment or illegal, dishonest, unethical or otherwise harmful conduct,” according to TheWrap.

Owda has also used her vast social media reach to promote misinformation about Israel and accuse the Jewish state of intentionally targeting civilians.

“The published news is propaganda that justifies terrorist Israel to kill civilians in Lebanon!” she wrote in July.

Israel “occupies every corner of the world,” she added, repeating an age-old anti-Semitic canard about Jewish power.

“The Emmys are a prestigious entertainment institution, known for recognizing excellence in entertainment, often highlighting the unifying power of the arts,” the CCFP wrote. “Choosing to elevate someone with clear ties to the PFLP not only legitimizes a terrorist organization, it undermines the integrity of the awards.”

Neither the Emmy nominating committee nor Owda responded to requests for comment.