A Parisian entrepreneur in Dubai issued a public apology on Instagram on Wednesday after sharing a pro-Israel video that was produced by a controversial nonprofit in the US.
“I am sorry for the post I re-shared,” wrote Emma Sawko, who co-founded popular vegan restaurants Comptoir 102 and Wild and the Moon. “I am deeply shaken by the loss of innocent Palestinian lives.”
She was referring to a video titled My Life in Israel as an Arab Muslim, which featured Sophia Khalifa who introduced herself as a mother of two, an Arab Muslim and a Stanford graduate.
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In the clip, Khalifa shared how “Israel gave her everything”, from equal rights to protection. But beyond sharing a glimpse of her life in the country, she also spoke about Hamas and Palestinians — and how “some people are brainwashed”.
“A lot of these people come from a reality (where) they teach from a very young age to hate the Jews,” she said.
The video was produced by a rightwing nonprofit called PragerU, which has caused a stir online and in the academe with its controversial clips highlighting conservative views. Dubbed a ‘propaganda website’ in various reports and discussions, it has been criticised for “spreading lies” about climate change and downplaying slavery.
In her apology, Sawko clarified that she only wanted to highlight the need to work towards peace amidst the Gaza war.
“I was standing by the fact that we must find a way towards peace, and this is the only message I have been meaning to convey,” she wrote.
“As the situation gets direst by the day, as the anguish grows … I feel we are losing the ability to communicate and find the ways towards peace and dialogue,” she added.
Here’s the full apology:
The bloodiest-ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas’ October 7 attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.
Israel’s military has waged a retaliatory offensive against Hamas that has killed almost 32,000 people, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
UN agencies have warned that Gaza’s 2.4 million people are on the brink of famine, and UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel may be using “starvation as a method of war”. (With inputs from AFP)