Al Jazeera presenter claims Palestinians are ‘Semitic’ unlike Israelis
Ghada Oueiss sparred with critics and defended her comment, sharing a photo of a book that supported the hypothesis
An Al Jazeera presenter has suggested on Twitter on Thursday that Palestinians are “Semitic” – unlike Israelis.
“This Holy Land belongs to Palestinians Because Palestinians are Semitic unlike the Israeli Khazars who are occupiers !!” tweeted Ghada Oueiss, a Qatar-based news presenter.
The Khazar theory claims that European Jews are the descendants of Khazars, a Turkic people who lived in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, rather than from Jews who originated in the Middle East.
The theory has been used by antisemites and anti-Zionists to discount Jewish claims to the land of Israel. Scholars have discounted the theory.
This Holy Land belongs to Palestinians Because Palestinians are Semitic unlike the Israeli Khazars who are occupiers !! https://t.co/DFDd1EZCdU
— Ghada Oueiss غادة عويس (@ghadaoueiss) August 22, 2019
Oueiss sparred with critics and defended her comment, sharing a photo of a book that supported the hypothesis.
In May, the Qatari news channel suspended two journalists for making a video in which they said the Holocaust is “different from how the Jews tell it.”
Al Jazeera has been contacted for comment but did not immediately reply.
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