Israeli Journalist Apologizes for Remarks on Bedouin Women

Journalist Ayla Hasson issued an apology on Sunday for comments she made about Bedouin women in the Negev. In a social media post, Hasson stated, "I wish to address the things I said in an interview with Radio Gal Israel regarding women in Bedouin society in the Negev. I wish to clarify that I had no intention of harming any woman, and to anyone who was hurt by my words, I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Earlier, the internal ethics committee of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation announced it would convene to discuss Hasson's remarks about Bedouin women in the Negev. The committee will examine the statements and their ethical implications, and is expected to publish its conclusions after the review.

The controversy erupted following Hasson's comments, which referenced election results and the "change bloc" of political parties. She described the situation of Bedouin women in the Negev, touching upon large family sizes, violence against women, and early marriage. Hasson then linked these issues to political support for the "change bloc," questioning if this bloc represented the Muslim Brotherhood and accusing it of deceiving the public.

In response to her statements, the Bedouin women's movement "Al-Nashmiyat" and the Center for the Rights of Bedouin Women at the "Ittach-Ma'aki" association launched a public campaign. The campaign calls on the Director-General of the Broadcasting Corporation, Golan Yochpaz, to condemn Hasson's remarks and publicly apologize to Bedouin women in the Negev. The campaign has garnered nearly 700 supporters.

Campaign organizers stated that Hasson portrays all Bedouin women as "faceless victims without aspirations, opinions, or their own political stance." They further argued that "it is unacceptable for a presenter at the public broadcasting corporation to demean women and use her position to invalidate the legitimate choice we made at the ballot box."