The upcoming News and Documentary Emmy Awards have become embroiled in controversy following reports that a Palestinian journalist nominated for her work on the Gaza war has alleged ties to the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Bisan Owda, who has 4.7 million Instagram followers, is nominated in the "Outstanding Short News Report" category for her Al-Jazeera documentary "It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive," which documents her experiences in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists stormed Israel, killing some 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took over 200 hostage.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐰𝐝𝐚 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞́

Bisan Owda, the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated queen of Gaza propaganda, is a member of the PFLP terrorist organization.

Here she is in 2015 leading a rally celebrating the PFLP's 48th anniversary, looking very journalist-y pic.twitter.com/T7Izziqs5w

— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) July 27, 2024

However, recent investigations have revealed Owda's suspected connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an organization designated as a terrorist group by several countries, including the United States and the European Union. Pro-Israel Activist Eitan Fischberger first brought attention to these alleged ties about two weeks ago, presenting evidence of her involvement with the PFLP.

A 2018 post on the PFLP's website identified Owda as a member. In an earlier interview with a Palestinian media outlet, she appeared wearing military fatigues and a PFLP scarf. Speaking in Arabic, she stated, "The most important thing is the people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. Together, they will not relinquish even for a moment their land, their right to their land. They will not abandon their goal and their revolution at all."

The interview took place at a PFLP event, where children and men were seen wearing masks and holding knives and flags of Hezbollah. The following year, Owda hosted a similar event, which she opened with a moment of silence "in memory of the souls of our martyred saints" – referring to Palestinians who killed Israelis in terror attacks.

Since the war began, Owda has used her platform to criticize Israel on multiple occasions, claiming that Israel is "committing genocide and slaughtering Gazans every second." Regarding the events of Oct. 7, she wrote, "What could be expected after 75 years of occupation and after 17 years of siege? Would the families of the prisoners remain silent?"

Owda has also refuted claims that UNRWA workers participated in the Oct. 7 attack, despite numerous testimonies indicating otherwise and the UN's recent admission that nine UNRWA employees indeed took part in the attack. She characterized the killing of 12 children in Majdal Shams by Hezbollah nearly two weeks ago as "propaganda."

The Television Academy, responding to inquiries from the Daily Wire which broke the story, stated that the awards are distributed by independent judges who vote anonymously after the projects have undergone peer review.

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The American version of "Kvodo" – "Your Honor" – an original drama series that first aired in Israel in spring 2017, became the most-watched series on various streaming services in the US in early June, according to data from Nielsen.

According to the company, the American adaptation of the Israeli series, starring Emmy winner Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") as an esteemed judge who finds himself in over his head after his son is involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident, garnered 1.528 billion viewing minutes in the week of June 3-9. This represents a massive threefold increase in viewing time after its debut on Netflix the previous week, in addition to the original streaming service where it airs, Paramount+.

The series managed to surpass two other shows that crossed the billion-minute viewing threshold – "Bluey" (1.145 billion minutes) in second place and "Grey's Anatomy" (1.099 billion minutes). Surprisingly, "Bridgerton" ranks only eighth with 806 million viewing minutes, suggesting that its third season, which premiered on Netflix on May 16, may not be achieving the expected success. It's worth noting that the second half of the season was released on June 13, so its numbers are likely to spike accordingly.

Another notable Netflix series in the top ten is "Eric," starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It experienced a 38% increase in viewership from its opening week, accumulating 926 million viewing minutes. "Young Sheldon" rounded out the top ten with 786 million viewing minutes. The sole movie in the top rankings is "Hit Man" which had a theatrical release in Israel but went straight to Netflix in the US, where it garnered 984 million viewing minutes.

This success story isn't Israel's only claim to fame in the streaming world. Keshet International has announced that the Israeli series "A Body That Works" is currently featured in Netflix's global top 10 most-watched programs list. The show has broken into the top 10 in numerous countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, and Romania. Sold by Keshet International to Netflix, the series premiered on the platform less than a month ago in its original Hebrew version, starring Rotem Sela, Gal Malka, Yehuda Levi, and Lior Raz.

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Nature continues to take its course as Israel wages a war against the Hamas terror organization, with thousands of cranes having arrived at the Hula Valley in the north.

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The cranes are joining flamingos, pelicans, and thousands of other birds who too migrate through Israel on their way to Africa.

Video: Cranes arrive at Israel's Hulla Valley nature reserve / Credit: Inbar Shlomit Rubin, KKL-JNF

"In these sad and complicated days, perhaps nature can bring comfort," Inbar Shlomit Rubin, who manages the site for KKL-JNF, said. "As every year, the migratory birds arrive at the nature reserve in the fall. It is one of the most important humid habitats in Israel, which is a critical stop for birds migrating between Europe and the African continent and back, both in terms of the wealth of food it offers to a variety of species and in terms of a safe haven for the birds during the long journey."

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Thousands more cranes are expected to travel through the Hula Valley nature reserve in the coming weeks, which is closed to the public due to the war. Some cranes will remain in the nature reserve throughout winter.

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A rare seal was spotted on a beach in central Israel, with volunteers protecting it until it decides to return to sea.

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The Nature and Parks Authority said the Mediterranean Monk Seal is female and around 3-5 years old. She was named Julia, a name given by Muhammad, a child who was at the beach and helped the volunteers protect the mammal.

Video: Rare seal makes landfall on Israel's shore (Credit: Nature and Parks Authority)

Julia has so far spent three days ashore. Experts stressed that its presence did not indicate any danger to its habitat.

According to Guy Levian, the head of the Marine Unit at the Nature and Parks Authority, it was the first time a seal was sighted resting on the shore in Israel. In 2010, a seal was seen for the first time riding waves close to a Herzliya beach but did not come ashore.

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Israeli pop star Noa Kirel took third place at the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Liverpool on Saturday night.

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With her song "Unicorn," Kirel garnered 362 points, ranking after runner-up Finland's Käärijä and winner Sweden's Loreen. A returning champion, Loreen won the competition in 2012 with "Euphoria."

This year, she gained victory with her hit "Tattoo," becoming the second singer in Eurovision history to win the competition twice. The only other artist to do so was Ireland's Johnny Logan, who won in 1980 and 1987.

While the votes were being counted, Israel's Netta Barzilai, also performed on stage along with several other Eurovision icons.

Following the grand final, Kirel said, ""It exceeds the expectations, I am the happiest in the world."

Between the first semi-final on Tuesday, when Kirel performed, and the grand final on Saturday, Kirel garnered hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and "Unicorn" was viewed on social media, particularly YouTube, over two million times.

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Israel will host next week one of the largest and most important birding competitions in the world.

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Over 150 birders, in about 30 groups, from Israel and the world – Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, England, Germany, the United States, and for the first time Colombia – will compete to see who can identify more species of birds in a given area in southern Israel.

Funds raised at the event will be donated for the preservation efforts of the red-breasted goose, a rare species in danger of extinction.

The competition, which is hosted by Israel for the ninth time, is organized at the initiative of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and the international ornithological organization Birdlife – Champions of the Flyway.

"This year it is a particularly exciting project because we are raising funds and awareness for the illegal hunting of one of the most interesting geese in the world," Jonathan Meyrav, senior birder and producer of the competition on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Nature, said.

"This is a small and beautiful goose that nests in the arctic tundra In North Asia and every winter, it migrates south, to roost in central and southern Europe. This is a very rare species, which is in danger of extinction".

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February marks the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Director Leon Prudovsky, who was born in St. Petersburg, does not doubt that the war that has been raging ever since should end in the complete defeat of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

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"Russia needs to be divided into small states, just like the US and India," he suggested. "Its territory is enormous, and the millions of citizens who do not live in the central region pretty much live in garbage. Entire villages are without electricity; the state has simply abandoned them.

"In my opinion, control in Russia should not only be conducted from one place that only cares about itself. Changing this can save Russia, otherwise, it might become a fascist and totalitarian state."

Prudovsky, 44, who has been living in France in recent years, said that the Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine completely shocked him and prompted introspection. As someone who grew up in Russia and immigrated to Israel as a teenager, he said he only realized in retrospect how Russian education deceived him.

"Looking back, I analyzed my years in Russia, and it deeply unsettled me. There are many things that I grew up with, and today I understand that they are lies that were planted in my head, as a form of manipulation and propaganda."

Q: Like what? 

"It really bothers me that talented people gave up their freedom to live in Russia, the ability of the citizen to speak his or her mind. This warrants serious criticism. It's very hard."

Whether aware of it or not, Prudovsky's feelings regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine greatly affected his new film "My Neighbor Adolf," which premiered in January. 

It was screened at prestigious film festivals in Israel and Switzerland and was written in collaboration with screenwriter Dmitry Malinsky. It takes place in a remote town in 1960 South America, where Holocaust survivor Mr. Polsky, launches an investigation after he is convinced that the person who moved in next to him is none other than Adolf Hitler. 

Mr. Polsky is portrayed by Scottish actor David Hayman ("Taboo,"  "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas") and Mr. Herzog – who is suspected of being Hitler – by German actor Udo Kier ("Breaking the Waves," "Melancholia").

The film follows the complex – and sometimes surprising – relationship that the two neighbors develop slowly and centers on the subjects of memory, revenge, and moral responsibility as well as empathy, forgiveness, and willingness to reconcile in the face of shared tragedies.

Q: Your film is also relevant to modern times, with millions of Ukrainians have become refugees. What would you say about Israel's approach to the conflict? 

"It's complicated. Israel does not have a clear immigration policy alongside the Law of Return. I believe that we have not done enough on the issue of Ukrainian refugees, but there is also conflict. There is a feeling that Israel is between the East and the West, a type of European country located in the Middle East – and therefore we are more inclined to fear Putin and think that he has real political power. Such belief strengthens him."

Q: Fear is a central motive in human behavior, and in your film as well. 

"Absolutely. My film talks about something that will always remain – enmity between people. We exploit it for conflicts. After all, it would be difficult to shoot someone we know and love, but not someone we think is threatening us.

"Unfortunately, hatred of the other will always remain. You can say that this is exactly what happened with Polsky. He is motivated by hatred, demonization, and pain, and also by a desire to take revenge for what the Germans did to him and his family."

Q: In your film, Polsky begins to connect with his neighbor precisely as a result of trying to prove he was Hitler. What were you trying to say here?

"It's an accurate allegory about what happens when you get to know the enemy and find out that he's not necessarily what you imagined him to be. He is a human being with feelings and disappointments. 

"It's awfully hard to hate someone you know, and once people get to know each other, the hatred might disappear. Polsky wondered if he was wrong about his neighbor, and he realized that there is also the possibility that he is not a bad person at all."

Usually when thinking about a Holocaust movie, one imagines a long, heavy, horror-filed piece depicting what Jews went through during the war. In this sense, "My neighbor Adolf" breaks away from tradition, and has quite a few comical touches to it. 

One cannot help but immediately think of  Roberto Benigni's 1997 masterpiece "Life Is Beautiful" which tells the story of a father who employs his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. 

"I guess humor is part of my self-defense mechanism. Unlike handling things dramatically, when you laugh – it's more challenging and complex," Prudovsky said. "You have to feel the strings of the instrument you're playing, feel the viewer. When you tell someone something serious and important, if you do not smile or laugh, and don't decrease the pressure, it will be more difficult for him to connect.

"Laughing brings down all my defenses. I and the viewers enter into a kind of dance of laughter, and that's how an understanding of a specific moment is created between us. It's an amazing feeling, which in a way gives you wings. I always try to expand the viewers' minds to talk about something serious while laughing. It's something that connects."

Q: Aren't you afraid that some might think that bringing humor into the subject of the Holocaust might be improper? 

"For sure there will be those who say that but I didn't mean to offend anyone, and anything can offend someone looking to be offended."

Q: It's hard to miss your criticism of Israel in the film, for example, how dismissive the Israeli representatives who met with Polsky were. 

"I don't have a problem with stinging, but I don't think this film does that, it is more of a hug. The representative [portrayed by Kineret Peled] shows this Israeliness, but the film had to have comedic moments, something a little crazy because it talks about something very important – which is a part of all of us. The hostility, the friendship, the love, the hatred, and the post-trauma are things that always exist in us. I think it's good that it exists, this satire."

Prudovsky got the idea for the movie 12 years ago when he returned to Israel from a film festival in Brazil. He later shared his experience with Malinsky, who suggested Prudovsky write an alternative story, where Hitler survives the war and escapes to South America. 

Initially, Prudovsky was not thrilled with the idea but said it stayed with him. Among other things, he wondered how his grandmother –  a Holocaust survivor – would have reacted had the person who moved in next to her been Hitler.

"It just grabbed me, how she, with all her hatred for the Germans and everything related to them, would behave and experience the matter. We wanted to write about a man who demonized his neighbor very strongly, and then see what happens when he suddenly gets to know him. When he suddenly realizes that maybe actually, the demon is not that bad."

Q: On the set, there were six languages spoken, including English, Yiddish, and Hebrew. How did that go? 

"It was an amazing experience, with great people from all over the world. When I arrived on the first day at the set in Colombia, I started crying and was in tears. After so many years of writing and preparation, suddenly this thing, which I dreamed about for so long, came to be."

Q: And how did you get along with the main actors? They all come from different cultures and speak different languages. 

"They are both over 70 years old, but they are so different from one another. David is a great actor. The role of Polsky was very important to him, but he was nervous and wasn't sure if I knew what I was doing. It was very difficult for him.

"Udo, on the other hand, was not nervous at all. He had already done hundreds of roles in his life, and worked with some of the most respected directors in the world – including Gus Van Sant, Lars von Trier, and the Oscar winner Alexander Payne – but he was also difficult to work with because he is a Hollywood star. It creates all kinds of very challenging situations."

Q: Like what? 

"As a director, I expected both of them to come and fight by my side for the film, but it was difficult. With each of them, there were different moments. David told me that at first, he did not tolerate me at all! With Udo, there was a very interesting situation: we shot a scene that was very important to him, and then he went to the corner. Suddenly David came to me angrily and said Udo is upset with me because I didn't support him enough.

"I talked to Udo, and then he said to me, 'I'll do what you say, but you know that either you're completely crazy, and the film will be a crazy flop, or you're a genius that I can't understand.'"

Like the entire world, and the film industry in particular, the production of "My neighbor Adolf" was also greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Although filming in South America ended shortly before the outbreak of the epidemic, Prudovsky, who has been living in Paris for the past four years, suddenly found himself editing the film alone.

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"We finished filming shortly before the first lockdown, and I was actually stuck in France. My daughter had just been born. I used to come to Israel at least once a month, but then the lockdown started – and the connection between me and the editor was cut off. For several months, I edited the film at night, by myself, and it was very difficult. I'm one of those who believe that you always need another point of view and another pair of eyes. The whole editing process took a year and a half. The producer was also stuck in Israel, with a disconnection that caused many difficulties. In short, everything took a lot of time."

Q: Did it affect the final result? 

"No, the opposite actually. I think in the end, it actually benefitted. The film turned out to be more complex and challenging than I imagined, with the right amount of laughter and tragedy. I'm usually a person who is not satisfied with anything, but I came away very satisfied with this thing."

Q: The film received, among other things, a budget from the state. In your opinion, if it were produced today, would the new government support it?

"Definitely. I think the state should support Israeli culture, even if it doesn't appeal to the general public. In general, there is very little desire to silence people in Israel, in contrast to the situation I see in Russia, which is turning into a dictatorship. Creators are silenced there, and this is something that is unacceptable in my opinion. It is impossible to silence people, because the more you silence them, the more it will eventually explode. We must speak up."

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Canadian singer Celine Dion announced on Thursday that she we no longer arrive in Israel in May 2023 for her much-anticipated concert, citing health concerns. The concert was originally scheduled for 2020 but had to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the event in Israel will have to be put off along with the rest of the 2023 tour, which was supposed to take place mainly in Europe. Taking to Twitter to break the news, she wrote: "It hurts me to tell you that I won't be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February. - Céline" She then added a list of the rescheduled concerts for 2024, with Israel being left out. She explained that her decision to postpone was due to a "rare neurological" disorder. "I have had health problems for a long time and this is not It's not easy for me to deal with it. It saddens me enormously to have to tell you that I won't be ready to start my tour in Europe again in February," she added. 

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Dion, who won five Grammy Awards, was supposed to perform in Tel Aviv's Bloomfield Stadium in May. 

The Israeli producers who had been organizing the now-canceled event said that they were "very disappointed" that her first-ever concert in Israel was not going to be rescheduled. "This is particularly disappointing because of the many years we have been working on this," they said in a statement. 

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British-born actress Angela Lansbury died at age 96, her family said on Tuesday.

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Lansbury turned in riveting supporting performances, including her film debut as a teenager playing the conniving Cockney maid in "Gaslight" in 1944, as the doomed Sibyl in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" in 1945 and as Laurence Harvey's evil, manipulative mother in "The Manchurian Candidate" in 1962. All three roles earned her Academy Award nominations.

Nearly seven decades after her first film, she was awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement at age 88 in November 2013. Her other movie credits included "National Velvet" (1944), "The Dark At the Top of the Stairs" (1960), "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971) and "The Mirror Crack'd" (1980).

Lansbury won five Tony awards for Broadway performances as the original "Mame," Gypsy Rose Lee's mother Mama Rose in "Gypsy," the baker of human meat pies in "Sweeney Todd," Countess Aurelia in "Dear World" and the clairvoyant Madame Arcati in "Blithe Spirit."

She maintained a grueling acting schedule well into her 80s, appearing on Broadway in 2012 in "The Best Man" with fellow octogenarian James Earl Jones.

Lansbury reached her broadest audience in "Murder, She Wrote" as retired English teacher-turned mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, who week after week found herself at the scene of a homicide. The series, which ran from 1984 to 1996, brought her 11 of her 18 Emmy nominations. She never won an Emmy, however.

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The HBO drama series "The Survivor" was nominated this week for the prestigious 2022 International Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Television Movie category.

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Based on true events, the series tells the story of Harry Haft (played by American actor Ben Foster), who survived the Auschwitz concentration camp after being forced to box against fellow inmates, and focuses on his life after the war with his family in Brooklyn.

Israeli actress Dar Zuzovsky portays Haft's partner, Leah Krichinsky.

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