Second Palestinian journalist for non-profit Washington State outlet found to have ties to terror

Mahmoud Ajjour is a correspondent for the embattled Palestine Chronicle, a publication supported by People Media Project, a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the state of Washington. According to international relations and Middle East analyst Eitan Fischberger, Ajjour's social media profiles are filled with antisemitism and support for Palestinian terror.

Ajjour posted a picture of former hostage Noa Argamani, who was portrayed as a pig drinking the blood of Palestinians. Last month, Noa was rescued along with 3 other Israeli hostages in a daring mission by the Israel Defense Forces. During the operation, Ajjour's terrorist colleague at the Chronicle, Abdallah Aljamal was killed when the IDF raided his home and discovered that he was holding 3 of the hostages, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andri Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41.

On his Instagram account, Ajjour mourned the death of Bara'a al-Zard, son of Hamas preacher Wael al-Zard. Bara'a died in an explosion caused by a device he was trying to launch at Israeli forces near the Gaza security fence.

Ajjour has celebrated stabbing attacks on Israeli civilians and even posted instructional videos on how best to stab an Israeli.

The Palestine Chronicle’s editor Ramzy Baroud previously worked for terrorist mouthpieces such as the Middle East Eye and The Brunei Times and was the former Deputy Managing Editor of Al Jazeera Online. Shortly thereafter, it was discovered that Baroud’s daughter Zarefah Baroud works for American Muslims for Palestine, an anti-Israel group that has defended Palestinian terror and spearheaded antisemitic protests on US college campuses. Israeli victims of terror have sued the group for providing "substantial assistance to Hamas."

Following revelations that one of the outlet’s contributors was holding three Israelis hostages, the National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC) urged Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and FBI Director Christopher Wray to open an investigation into US-based Palestine Chronicle for "providing material support to terrorists."

According to the NJAC, "Mr. Baroud and Mr. Aljamal have personally collaborated on anti-Israel propaganda pieces, and, in addition to providing a platform for Mr. Aljamal’s propaganda on The Palestine Chronicle, Mr. Baroud may have paid or provided other support to Mr. Aljamal for his work over the years—even when Aljamal became an official spokesman for Hamas working in Gaza’s Ministry of Labor."

The letter noted that US law prohibits American entities from knowingly providing material support to Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), adding that if The Palestine Chronicle paid Aljamal in exchange for his work despite his ties to Hamas, "The Palestine Chronicle, People Media Project, and Mr. Baroud unequivocally would violate US counter-terrorism financing laws." The letter noted that Aljamal has appeared in Arab media as a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Ministry of Labor.

The NJAC called out The Palestine Chronicle for altering its website following the revelation that Aljamal was holding hostages in his home, altering its website to change his bio from a "correspondent" to a freelance "contributor." Aljamal had submitted articles up until the day he was killed in the IDF rescue mission.

Following the revelations about the Chronicle, Congressman Jason Smith (R-MO) sent a letter to the IRS demanding an investigation into the 501C3 status of the Chronicle’s parent organization.