Jewish Entertainment Nonprofit Calls on NATAS to Rescind ‘Inexcusable’ Emmy Nom for Palestinian Journalist, Citing Ties to PFLP | Exclusive

Creative Community for Peace, a Jewish entertainment nonprofit, is calling for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to rescind an Emmy Awards nomination for Bisan Atef Owda, a Palestinian journalist, who the organization says is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

Owda was nominated by NATAS in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form category, alongside Qatari-owned media outlet AJ+, for their series “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive.”

The pro-Israel nonprofit organization discovered Owda’s long-standing ties to PFLP, which has been a designated terrorist organization in the U.S. since 1997. The journalist regularly spoke at PFLP rallies and hosted events to honor Palestinians injured or killed in violent confrontations with Israeli soldiers. In 2018, the PFLP explicitly referred to Owda as a member of the Progressive Youth Union of the organization.

Owda, AJ+ and NATAS did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. NATAS is a separate organization from the Television Academy, which awards the Primetime Emmys; NATAS is responsible for the News and Documentary Emmys, as well as the Daytime Emmys.

PFLP, which became known in the 1970s for its airplane hijackings, also participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the kidnapping of hundreds of others.

According to the Creative Community for Peace, Owda and AJ+’s nomination violates NATAS’ Code of Ethical Conduct, which states that “NATAS and its Chapters have zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or illegal, dishonest, unethical, or otherwise harmful conduct.”

As a member of a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, the pro-Israel nonprofit argues that her Emmy nomination “could reasonably be construed as contrary or detrimental to the best interests of the Academy”.

The nonprofit also pointed out Owda’s social media presence, which includes a recent X post that espouses an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Israel “is occupying every corner of the world.”

“The Emmys decision to honor someone with clear ties to a U.S.-designated terrorist group is inexcusable and should have never happened,” Creative Community for Peace executive director Ari Ingel said in a statement. “It would be legitimizing a terrorist organization.”

Ingel added, “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 our numerous aircraft hijackings, participated in the October 7th massacre in Israel, carried out waves of bombings on markets and restaurants, and murdered innocent women and children. The Emmys cannot allow their prestigious award show to be highjacked by terrorists, and instead should continue to promote peace and tolerance through the arts.”

“The entertainment community, including the National Television Academy, should use its voice to help build bridges for peace and understanding,” Creative Community for Peace chairman and cofounder David Renzer said.

“However, the Emmy nomination of Bisan Owda, someone with documented terrorism ties, is unfathomably irresponsible,” Rezner continued. “With it, the Academy is condoning violence and helping to normalize PFLP terrorism around the globe.”

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