In an article about National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s announced intention to remove Palestinian “terror flags” from public spaces in Israel, Australia’s SBS News cited Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) firebrand envoy in London:
Commenting on an instance of the Palestinian flag being confiscated by Israeli police last year, Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, said the removal was ‘an expression of 74 years of denial and erasure.’ [Emphasis added]
By calling Zomlot an “ambassador,” SBS effectively bestowed statehood on the PA, even though it does not enjoy that status in the UK. Aside from prejudicing future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, it is simply factually incorrect.
Related Reading: New York Times Hit Piece Erases Palestinian Flag From Jerusalem… And the Violence That Comes With It
In our complaint to the publicly-funded broadcaster, we noted that the UK has not officially recognized a Palestinian state; that is why there is a Palestinian Representative Office in London as opposed to an embassy.
Husam Zomlot may proclaim himself an ambassador on the Representative Office’s official website, but according to diplomatic protocol and the UK Foreign Office, his official title is “Head of Mission” rather than “Ambassador.”
The Palestinians do have embassies in numerous countries that have moved to recognize Palestinian statehood, primarily in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. However, the United Kingdom has not recognized “Palestine” — nor has the government in Canberra.
Related Reading: CNN Takes Down ‘Palestine’ Reference Following HonestReporting Action
Furthermore, Husam Zomlot’s track record can hardly be described as diplomatic. The PLO heavyweight has been accused of denying the Holocaust; defending the PA’s “Pay-for-Slay” policy that gives financial rewards to terrorists and their families, as well as making light of rocket attacks launched by terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip that have killed Israeli civilians.
To their credit, shortly after HonestReporting contacted the SBS News and Current Affairs division, Zomlot’s title was updated to read, “head of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom.”
Kudos to @SBSNews for making a swift correction in response to our request.
The United Kingdom has not recognized a Palestinian state. Hence, Palestinian Authority representative @hzomlot does not have the status of an ambassador.
Facts matter. pic.twitter.com/RP3Cdgr8v9
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 11, 2023
SBS was but the latest media organization to unilaterally upgrade the Palestinian diplomatic representation to that of an embassy with an ambassador. Since Zomlot was first sent abroad by PA President Mahmoud Abbas in 2017, HonestReporting has spotted the same error in The Independent, Daily Telegraph, The Times of London, Daily Mail, NPR, and The Hill, among other outlets.
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