The Lie:
Israel imprisoned an ordinary “Palestinian man who became a novelist.”
The Truth:
Bassam Khandaqji was serving three life sentences for assisting the PFLP in a suicide bombing that killed three Israeli civilians.
Background
- Major Western media have profiled Palestinians released from Israeli prisons by highlighting their achievements, while frequently failing to note that many were convicted for serious terror offenses, including lethal bombings.
- On November 24, 2025, NPR published a feature about Bassam Khandaqji, focusing on his literary recognition and recent release, presenting his story primarily through the lens of his development as a novelist, omitting the fact that he was imprisoned for his involvement in a deadly suicide bombing in Israel in 2004.
Truth: Explained
- Bassam Khandaqji assisted in the 2004 PFLP suicide bombing at Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market, helping lead the 16-year-old bomber into Israel using a journalist ID card obtained through his university studies. The bombing killed Tatiana Ackerman (32), Leah Levine (64), and Shmuel Levy (65), and wounded over 30 civilians.
https://www.gov.il/en/pages/suicide-bombing-at-carmel-market-1-nov-2004 - NPR’s own interview confirms Khandaqji acknowledged he “dispatched the bomber to Tel Aviv,” yet the headline framed him only as a novelist and omitted his terror conviction.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/24/nx-s1-5580249/a-palestinian-man-who-became-a-novelist-while-in-an-israeli-prison-is-now-free - In a similar situation, Agence France-Presse published photo captions describing Marwan Barghouti as a “veteran fighter” and “Palestinian Mandela,” without noting he was convicted in an Israeli civilian court of five murders, one attempted murder, and involvement in additional terror attacks. Media analysts requested corrections because the captions omitted the central fact explaining his imprisonment. https://www.camera.org/article/afp-captions-whitewash-convicted-murderer-marwan-barghouti-as-fighter/
- Another example involves Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif: Israel publicly released intelligence showing he was a Hamas military operative, listed in Hamas payroll and personnel files, who used an Al Jazeera press badge as operational cover. Several media profiles focused exclusively on his role as a journalist and did not include his documented affiliation with Hamas. https://paris.mfa.gov.il/en/pages/IDF-Eliminates-Hamas-Terrorist-Masquerading-as-Al-Jazeera-Journalist
Quotes
- “Bassam Khandaqji is not just a ‘Palestinian man who became a novelist.’ He is a convicted terrorist.” — HonestReporting
- “Khandaqji allegedly used a journalist identification card… to help the suicide bomber enter Israel from the West Bank.” — Times of Israel (April 29, 2024)
- “Three people were killed and over 30 wounded when Amar Al-Far, 16, from the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, detonated a bomb at the popular Carmel Market in Tel Aviv.” — Times of Israel (April 29, 2024)
Takeaway
- Whitewashing terrorism turns a killer into a character. Change the headline, and you change how the public understands the crime.
