Emmys defend Bisan Owda amid pro-Israel push to drop Gaza journalist

The National Academy for Television and Arts and Sciences (NATAS) defended on Tuesday its nomination of an Emmys award for Gaza-based Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda, after a failed push by pro-Israel personalities and entities to have her dropped.

The organisation's CEO, Adam Sharp, responded to a letter signed by some 150 Hollywood actors, writers, and producers known for their open support for Israel, calling on the Emmy body to rescind Owda's nomination over alleged "ties to a terrorist organisation".

Sharp said there was no evidence to confirm the allegations made against the 25-year-old, who had been nominated in the category of Outstanding Hard News Feature Story for 'It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive'.

"NATAS has been unable to corroborate these reports, nor has it been able, to date, to surface any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organisation," Sharp said in a written statement.

The president also noted that NATAS does not intervene in or reverse the judgement of the journalists who chose the submissions and does not determine the eligibility or ineligibility of news reporting based on the political views represented.

Sharp added that while some journalists' work may be considered controversial, "all have been in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story".

On Monday, an open letter signed by several American actors and producers by the Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a Jewish non-profit organisation which fights the cultural boycott of Israel, alleged that Owda had ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The CCFP claimed in the letter that Owda's nomination legitimised a "terrorist organisation" and "undermines" the integrity of the awards.

Signatories of the open letter included Selma Blair, Debra Messing and Michael Rotenberg, all three of which had made or endorsed controversial remarks about Islam in recent years.

NATAS said it could not find evidence to support the claim made against Owda by the CCFP.

Owda has been documenting her life and the life of Palestinians in Gaza since 7 October on social media, always starting her videos with "Hello, it's Bisan from Gaza and I'm still alive".

The journalist is nominated for her series, It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive, in collaboration with AJ+, under the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form category.

She is also competing against other broadcasts from Gaza by CNN and The Guardian and a report from Ukraine by The New York Times and from Haiti by PBS.

The series showed what her life was like in late October, fleeing Israeli bombardment, and living in a tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. She also included life for other Gazans, including an 11-year-old whose parents died after Israeli forces bombed his house.

Her short doc was also awarded the prestigious Peabody Award for reportage of the impact Israel's war on Gaza has had on Palestinians.