Viral Claim About Palestinian Television Advocating for Killing Homosexuals is False
A video circulating online, purporting to show a call for the execution of homosexuals on Palestinian television, is misleading. The video is an English translation of a 2020 broadcast featuring Dr. Hala Samir, an educational and mental health consultant, speaking on her program Illuminated Houses on Watan TV of Türkiye – not a Palestinian channel like Al-Aqsa television.
The content of the translated video aligns with verification from Google Gemini Pro and corroborates reporting by fact-checking organizations EFE Verifica and Newtral, both members of international verification networks IFCN and EFCSN. Samir discusses Islamic views on the death penalty for sodomy and the prohibition of lesbianism. The spread of the video has intensified recently, coinciding with the approach of the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, and is being used to suggest a contradiction between support for Palestinian liberation and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. MEMRI, the association that originally published the Arabic broadcast, states its mission is to detect threats and combat extremism, collaborating with US government entities and allied authorities.
