The following is a collection of MEMRI TV clips from the Reform Project in 2024.
Lebanese filmmaker Youssef El-Khoury said in an October 24, 2024, appearance on MTV (Lebanon) that he is upset it wasn't the Lebanese people who got rid of the "plague Hizbullah." He added that all the Lebanese people are relying on Israel to eliminate Hizbullah because they do not know how to do it. El-Khoury stated that the Lebanese must choose whether they wish to have a "resistance" identity or join the new age in the region, an Israeli age, or a "Pax Israeliana." He expressed enjoyment in having his August interview translated by MEMRI, which he described as "one of the most important research institutes in America."
In an interview on Maria Maaloof's channel on YouTube on October 26, 2024, French-Tunisian Imam Hassen Chalghoumi discussed how Hamas distorted the image of the Palestinians and the Palestinian cause, as well as the perception of Islam and Muslims. He described the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood as a wave of blood and destruction that deeply affected the Palestinian people and the residents of Gaza. Chalghoumi asserted that this event was not aimed at liberating the Al-Aqsa Mosque but was intended to destabilize Jordan, Egypt, the Gulf, and the broader Arab world. He drew parallels to the “Arab Spring,” characterizing it as a spring of destruction, and highlighted that the agenda behind this is that of Iran’s Rule of the Jurisprudent.
Egyptian TV host Ibrahim Eissa said, on his February 28, 2024 show on Al-Kahera Wal-Nas TV (Egypt), that Palestinians are to blame for their situation. He said that people still talk about the "victory" of Hamas and Israel’s "defeat," but this is denying reality. Eissa said that for 75 years the Arabs have been defeated, but they have been telling themselves that they are victorious.
In a December 10, 2024 appearance on Ten TV (Egypt), Osama Saraya, former editor-in-chief of the Al-Ahram newspaper, stated that Bashar Al-Assad was the last Arab leader to oppose Egypt’s approach of resolving the Middle East conflict through peace with Israel. Saraya described his regime’s collapse as the "last domino to fall." He argued that the world’s welcome of Assad’s downfall reflects support for Arab-Israeli peace in the Middle East, though many struggle to have their voices heard. He believes that in the coming phase, those who support peace will make their voices heard.
In an interview on Voice of Lebanon’s YouTube channel on November 29, 2024, Lebanese filmmaker Youssef El-Khoury stated that Israel is not an enemy and that the Palestinian cause is not a just cause. He emphasized that he does not care about the borders of Israel or Palestine, as long as Israel does not occupy or attack Lebanon. El-Khoury highlighted the difference between occupying land and occupying decision-making, noting that while Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon involved building extensive infrastructure, it did not control Lebanese decision-making as Syria did at the time. He also criticized the Lebanese state for failing to fulfill its commitments under UN Resolution 1701.
#11579 – Demonstrations In Iran-Controlled Ahwaz Region
On November 3, 2024, the Media Office of the Executive of the State of Ahwaz shared on its X account a video report showing Ahwazi workers in the Shush Municipality in the Iran-controlled Ahwazi region protesting against the Iranian municipality officials.
In a November 15, 2024, interview on Transparency News YouTube, Lebanese academic Charles Chartouni called for Lebanon to sign a peace accord with Israel. He urged Hizbullah to surrender to avoid further casualties, stating that the ongoing conflict is not an "Israeli aggression" but a war between Hizbullah and the Israeli state. Chartouni emphasized that it is in Lebanon's best interest for Hizbullah to be destroyed.
Jian Omar, a German politician currently serving as member of Berlin's local state parliament, said in a November 8, 2024 show on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) that the most deadly and destructive element in the Middle East has been the "bloodthirsty" mentality of Hamas, Hizbullah, and their leaders, and he criticized these groups for the October 7, 2023 attacks, as well as for their behavior since then. He said that they have the mindset of the past, that they cannot demand Western support while being culturally hostile to the West, and that the political elites and parties of the region should adopt rationalism and political realism and conduct themselves in a way that enables them to coexist with the world. He also said that all the European and Western aid given to UNRWA has been used to build tunnels and rockets instead of universities and hotels, and he said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) would have also died were it not for Western aid, even though much of this aid is "stolen" by Palestinian organizations and parties, including the PA itself.
On August 21, 2024, Australia-based Syrian Islamic scholar Sheikh Abdallah Al-Tamimi stated that Israel has long extended its hand in peace to Muslims and Arabs. He emphasized that Muslims and Arabs are incapable of conquering Israel and Jerusalem. According to Al-Tamimi, peace with Israel is an "obligatory religious duty," and such agreements are crucial for protecting Muslim security, even more so than Israel's. He warned against violating these agreements under any circumstances and cautioned against "fida'i acts" (terrorist acts) against Israel, calling such attacks—including the October 7 attacks and Hamas's suicide bombings—"deplorable" and "haram." Al-Tamimi also stated that anyone seeking to prevent peace with Israel is betraying the Sunni community. These statements were posted on Al-Ittijah Al-Jadid account on YouTube.
Iranian journalist Maryam Shabani asked Iran's newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian in his first presidential press conference how much attention he is paying to the necessary "major" reforms his administration must make in order to regain public trust. She said that Pezeshkian does not enjoy the support of the majority of Iran's public and that a big portion of the population feels politically resentful. Pezeshkian responded that respect for social norms is a requirement for development and that people who "trigger certain reactions by breaking norms" do not indicate progress. He said that if people insult his faith, his response will be "illogical." Before asking her question, Shaban described how she had to evade the morality police on her way to the venue of the press conference. Pezeshkian chuckled and asked if the morality police is still bothering people, and he said that he would look into the matter so they stop bothering her. He received a round of applause from the press corps for this statement. The press conference was aired on IRINN TV (Iran) September 16, 2024.
Lebanon-based Palestinian researcher Hesham Dibsi slammed Hamas in an August 30, 2024 video posted on Voice of Lebanon on YouTube. He said that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, but rather it is a Sunni-Islamic project, similar to the Iranian Shiite-Islamic enterprise. Dibsi said that Palestinians strive to build a civil and secular state. He criticized Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mashal for calling upon Palestinians to return to suicide operations and increase the escalation with Israel, saying that Mashal is sitting in Qatar, while Palestinians are dying from hunger and polio.
Iranian Islamic scholar Mohammad-Taghi Akbarnejad said in an interview posted on Azad TV on YouTube (Iran) August 10, 2024, that the Iranian regime is not fulfilling the goals and promises of the Islamic Revolution. He said that Iran has lost without firing a single bullet by losing its people. Akbarnejad said that Iran has taken an entire people hostage for the sake of religion. He added that the regime tells the people that they will remain hostages so long as America exists. Akbarnejad stated that the public in Iran feels that it has been taken hostage by Palestine, and therefore most Iranians were not saddened by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Shi'ite Lebanese journalist Nancy Lakiss slammed Hizbullah in an interview posted on Lebanon On YouTube channel on August 3, 2024. She said that Hizbullah should take care of the Arabs and the Lebanese people instead of seeking “to fight against the Moon, Saturn, Uranus, Neptun, and Pluto, as well as in Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq.” Regarding Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib’s remarks that he cannot restrain Hizbullah, she said that if this is the case, he should resign. Lakiss said that Shi'ites should apply the Rule of the Jurisprudent only to their own milieu rather than impose it on the entire society. She added that Hizbullah is sending young men to die in order to serve Iran’s interests and agendas in Lebanon. Lakiss said that Lebanese Christians seek professions, while Shi'ite children wish to become martyrs. In a portion of the interview not included in the clip, Nancy Lakiss said that her office was burned down because of her criticism of Hizbullah.
Egyptian-American political analyst Magdi Khalil said in a video posted to his YouTube channel on May 22, 2024 that for many years, Egypt has been "peddling" in the Palestinian cause, fanning the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, and acting in a fashion that extends the conflict between Hamas and Israel. He said that Egypt believes that it benefits from this economically and politically and that despite the 1979 Camp David Accords, it has never fully embraced peace with Israel, even though this would benefit it greatly.
He elaborated that Israel has never violated the peace agreement with Egypt, while Egypt has done so many times, with Israel letting it go. Khalil explained that the fact that Israel is considered an enemy in Egypt's military and religious doctrines, that Egypt cooperates with Hamas with regard to arms smuggling, and that there is widespread anti-Israel and antisemitic discourse in Egyptian media and culture all constitute a violation of the Camp David Accords.
Lebanese MP Samy Gemayel, the leader of Lebanese Kataeb Party spoke in a May 29, 2024 interview that aired on Tele Liban TV (Lebanon) in favor of a two-state solution for the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. He said that such a solution would bring peace to Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. Gemayel added that Lebanon is sick and tired of paying the price for the conflict in the region, as it has been doing since 1948. He expressed the need for leaders both on the Israeli and the Palestinian sides who will resurrect this logic.
Former Iraqi MP Joseph Sylawa spoke about the Christian community in Iraq in a March 1, 2024 interview that aired on Al-Rabiaa TV (Iraq). He said that it is possible that Iraq might have a Christian prime minister in the future. Sylawa added that it could even have a Yazidi or Jewish prime minister. He said that if the Iraqi state wishes to normalize ties with Israel, the Christian community would have no problem with this. Sylawa added: "People today should coexist in peace." He said that during Saddam Hussein’s time, Palestinians in Iraq were treated well and given employment and university placements, while Iraqis who opposed his regime were not.
Lebanese academic Makram Rabah, an assistant professor of history at the American University of Beirut, criticized Hizbullah in a March 13, 2024 interview with Spot Shot Online (Lebanon), which led to his detention and interrogation by Lebanon's General Security directorate. In the interview he said that it was Hizbullah that had provoked Israel following October 7. Rabah continued to say that the Lebanese people are not willing to foot Iran's bills and cover the damage caused by Hizbullah in its war with Israel. He said that Nasrallah should pay for it out of his own pocket. Rabah further said that he supports every citizen that is killed in south Lebanon, whether it is by Israel or by Hizbullah hiding behind him. According to reports about the detention, he was interrogated mainly for "exposing" information about Hizbullah that could help the "enemy." Rabah was later released.
Brussels-based Palestinian activist Amjad AbuKoush posted a video on his Facebook page on March 7, 2024, in which he voiced severe criticism of Hamas, Al-Jazeera, and Qatar. He said that Palestinians are paying the price for Hamas's policies throughout the past 17 years. AbuKoush said that Hams has declared that this is a "victorious" war for the liberation of Jerusalem, but its maximal demands in its negotiations are that Israel withdraws from Gaza and the Strip is rebuilt, while Israel was not in Gaza prior to the war and the Strip did not need rebuilding then. He added that Hamas gave the "filthiest and lowest occupation in history" a pretext because of their "stupidity."
AbuKoush continued to say that both Netanyahu and Hamas have no incentive to reach an agreement. He slammed Hamas for creating a "chasm" with Arab countries, such as Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, which cannot be expected to support Hamas now after they were treated poorly by Hamas. AbuKoush said that it seems as though Al-Jazeera does not want the bloodshed to stop. He added that Qatar is a small county that gains its role in the world by appropriating Palestinian decision-making and that the only way to sustain its role is with more Palestinian blood. AbuKoush said: "As Palestinians, we have the right to reject this, we have the right to say: Stop it, you bastards!"
Lebanese journalist and Al-Arabiya Network TV host Layal Alekhtiar said in a February 2, 2024 interview that aired on Al-Mashhad TV [UAE] that she has chosen the "culture of life," while the "culture of death" has destroyed half of Lebanon and other Arab countries. A Lebanese military court has issued an arrest warrant against Alekhtiar after she interviewed Israeli military Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee in the days following the October 7 attack on Israel. She said that Hizbullah sacrfices the people of south Lebanon in order to fight Israel, congratulates their family members on their death, and tells them that they too will be killed. Alekhtiar said that the people in Gaza and Palestine are being politically "exploited."
Paris-based Lebanese journalist and academic Maya Khadra accused Hamas and Hizbullah of lacking moral values in a February 17, 2024 show on MTV (Lebanon). She said that instead of fighting the occupier, Hamas attacked defenseless people in their homes, killed children, abducted chronically ill people, putting them in tunnels. Khadra added: "These are all crimes." She said that Hamas has turned the people of Gaza into "human shields" in order to wage their "social war." Khadra continued: "Gaza has not had a single political or military achievement from all this."
Palestinian political analyst Zaid Alayoubi slammed Hamas on a January 31, 2024 interview with Sky News Arabia (UAE), saying that everyone in Gaza is complaining about Hamas, saying: "True, Israel is killing us, but Hamas is also killing us." He added that Hamas has taken control of the humanitarian aid that has entered the Gaza Strip and it is distributing it according to their whims. Alayoubi said that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has recently called for a ceasefire and Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but he had called the October 7 attack a "war of liberation." He asked: "Where is the liberation you promised us?" Al-Ayoub further asked what the political results of the attack have been and how did Palestine benefit from it.
On May 6, 2024, the International Forum for Security and Peace in the Middle East – organized by the Executive Committee of the Arab State of Ahwaz – was held in Brussels, Belgium. At the forum, which was organized to form a coalition of the non-Persian ethnic groups in Iran against Iran's Islamic regime, the Foreign Affairs chief of the Free Balochistan Movement, Jamal Nasir Baloch, said that the Iranian Persians cannot "force their will and their identity" on the Baloch, the Kurds, the Turk-Azerbaijanis, and the Arabs, and he called for the non-Persian ethnic groups to form a "framework for cooperation, a transitional plan to achieve independence, and a NATO pact." The video was uploaded to Humgaam news on YouTube.
Lebanese journalist Tony Abi Najem slammed Hizbullah and its active military conflict with Israel in a December 20, 2023, show on Lebanon On (YouTube), saying it has no authority to open a front with Israel in south Lebanon. He said that Hizbullah are experts in destruction and that it is the Lebanese taxpayers who must pay to cover the damage done in south Lebanon, which is detrimental to Lebanon's economy. Abi Najem said that he has no duty to be in solidarity with Hizbullah, which gets the country into "one catastrophe after another." He continued to say that Hizbullah operatives who were killed in battle with Israel are not martyrs, "they are fighters who followed non-Lebanese orders […] what is it to us?"