Unveiling Bias: Ex-Jordanian Minister Exposes Channel’s Agenda
Watan-A presenter on the “Al Arabiya” channel has been subjected to a scandal that reflects the channel’s policy, which many Arabs perceive as Zionist and not representing the free Arab peoples.
Saudi activist and academic Professor Ahmed bin Rashid bin Saeed published an article discussing a new scandal involving an Al Arabiya presenter who attempted to lure Samir al-Habashneh (former Jordanian Interior Minister) into condemning and vilifying Hamas, implying its danger to Jordanian security.
However, according to bin Saeed, al-Habashneh disappointed the hopes of the Al Arabiya presenter, thwarting all her attempts. She ended up, after the interview, passionately defending her position and the channel’s stance in a tense, unprofessional, and illogical scene.
Failed incitement against Hamas
The Saudi professor affirmed that the questions posed by the presenter to her guest “were arrows aimed at the heart of Palestinian resistance, stemming from a Zionist ideology.”
He added, “What’s strange is that she (the Al Arabiya presenter) condemns Hamas as incitement, yet all the headlines accompanying it on screen incite against resistance. This is the usual hypocrisy that can be summarized by the Arab saying: ‘She threw me with her stone and ran away.'”
فضيحة جديدة مدوّية: حاولت مذيعة #العربية استدراج سمير الحباشنة (وزير داخلية أردني سابق)، لإدانة حركة #حماس وتخوينها، والإيحاء بخطرها على الأمن الأردني، غيرَ أنّه خيّب كلّ آمالها، وأفشل كل محاولاتها، حدَّ أنها صارت بعد انتهاء المقابلة تصيح مدافعةً عن موقفها وموقف القناة، في مشهد… pic.twitter.com/NJ4ywDAZp8
— أحمد بن راشد بن سعيّد (@LoveLiberty_2) April 2, 2024
Among the questions posed by the channel to its guest, as reported by the Saudi academic:
The presenter began the interview with her main focus: “Has Hamas crossed the red lines by calling on Jordanians to show solidarity with Gaza?” The presenter interrupted the guest to insidiously justify Jordanians’ sympathy with Palestine: “Jordan’s composition, half of its population are of Palestinian origin!” She said, “Half,” because she doesn’t know Arabic, but the problem is deeper, implying that those sympathizing with Palestine must either be Palestinians or of Palestinian origin, while the sympathy of Arab and Islamic peoples with Palestine is either incomprehensible or unnecessary! The minister slapped her with a poignant response that hit her and those behind her!
When the presenter realized that the minister wouldn’t give her what she wanted, she interrupted him again with a more malicious question: “I address you as a high-ranking security official! And here she was met with an answer that didn’t cross her mind or the minds of those behind her, leaving her dumbfounded.”
She returned to ask once again: “As a former interior minister, what is the line between demonstrating and expressing oneself, and between sabotage and chaos, because some say that the calls have exceeded the limit of solidarity!” Note the phrase “some say,” meaning “I say”!
Devastating responses from a former Jordanian minister on Al Arabiya channel
Among other devastating questions and responses from the former Jordanian minister, as reported by the Saudi professor:
-The guest incited to condemn the word “infiltration” used in a speech by Ismail Haniyeh, but he silenced her with a response that left her speechless: “I understood from the Brotherhood in Hamas that it’s a metaphorical expression. Words like infiltration and liberation come in the context of one Arab battle.”
-The pitiful presenter repeated the question for the thousandth time because she didn’t get the desired answer: “As a security figure, is calling for infiltration or blood mixing crossing the boundaries?” And the minister’s response left the presenter and those behind her shaken!
-The presenter fell into the hands of the former minister, asking: “What about threatening Jordan’s national security?”
-Finally, she asked the question circulating these days: “Don’t protests evoke memories of Black September?” And this question was meant only to serve Zionist objectives and betray Muslims. There’s absolutely no comparison between the two situations. The minister recognized the malice in the question and answered what the presenter disliked, warning against exaggerating the matter, which hurt the presenter, so she futilely tried to defend herself.
The Saudi professor Ahmed bin Rashid bin Saeed concluded his tweet by saying that Al Arabiya channel tasted the bitterness of defeat and disappointment, as its presenter shouted after the end of the interview: “They claim that Arab countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan did not fulfill their role in supporting Gaza and fuel sentiments against it!”
