The Middle East Monitor (MEMO) is a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

press monitoring organisation and

lobbying group In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

that emerged in mid 2009. MEMO is largely focused on the

Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is one of the world's most enduring conflicts, beginning in the mid-20th century. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside other ef ...

, but writes about other issues in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

as well. MEMO is

pro-Palestinian Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 1968 ...

in orientation and supports Islamist causes. MEMO is regarded as an outlet for the Muslim Brotherhood and its website strongly promotes pro-

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

related content. MEMO is financed by the

State of Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sha ...

. Daud Abdullah, former assistant secretary general of the

Muslim Council of Britain The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is a national umbrella body with over 500 mosques and educational and charitable associations affiliated to it. It includes national, regional, local, and specialist Muslim organisations and institutions from ...

, serves as the director of the organization.

Events

In June 2011, MEMO organized a speaking tour for

Raed Salah Raed (; Arabic: , ') is an Arabic male name, meaning ''leader or pioneer''. People * Raed Arafat (born 1964), Syrian-born physician of Palestinian descent and Romanian citizenship * Raed Elhamali, Libyan-American basketball player * Raed Fares, Syr ...

, leader of the northern branch of the

Islamic Movement in Israel The Islamic Movement in Israel (also known as the Islamic Movement in 48 Palestine) is an Islamist movement that advocates for Islam in Israel, particularly among Arabs and Circassians. The movement was established and led by Abdullah Nimar Dar ...

. Salah, who was banned from entering the UK by the home secretary, was held in custody pending deportation until April 2012 when an immigration tribunal ruled that the home secretary had been misled. In 2011, MEMO co-organized an event with

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

and

Palestine Solidarity Campaign The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) is an activist organisation in England and Wales. It was incorporated in the UK in 2004 as Palestine Solidarity Campaign Ltd. They officially support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement ...

titled "Complicity in oppression: Do the media aid Israel?" featuring Abdel Bari Atwan. On 22 August 2015, MEMO organized an event titled "Palestine & Latin America: Building solidarity for national rights", featuring alleged antisemitic cartoonist

Carlos Latuff Carlos Latuff (born 30 November 1968) is a Brazilian political cartoonist. His work deals with themes such as anti-Western sentiment, anti-capitalism, and opposition to U.S. military intervention. He is best known for his images depicting the ...

and British Palestinian activist

Azzam Tamimi Azzam Tamimi (sometimes spelled Azam Tamimi; born 1955, Hebron, West Bank) is a British- Palestinian Jordanian academic and political activist affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. He is currently a freelance presenter at Alhiwar TV Channel. ...

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...

was scheduled to appear as well, but pulled out. In November 2017, MEMO organized an event titled "Crisis in Saudi Arabia: War, Succession and the Future" discussion

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

's future monarchy succession and regional rivalries with Iran and war in Yemen.

Staff

The staff and contributors of MEMO include Daud Abdullah,

Ibrahim Hewitt Ibrahim Hewitt is chairman of the board of trustees of Interpal and a senior editor at Middle East Monitor. He is a Muslim activist from Leicester, U.K. who is often alleged to be an Islamist extremist in the British press. Hewitt is a media and ...

and Ben White

Criticism

According to Ehud Rosen, author of a 2010 report for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs where he is a senior researcher, MEMO generally supports Islamist positions within

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

politics and that although it shares platforms with Muslim Brotherhood-affiliates and Islamist supporters, "it seems to have reached the level of more respected institutions such as, for example,

Chatham House Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is an independent policy institute headquartered in London. Its stated mission is to provide commentary on world events and offer solutions to global challenges. It is ...

". In 2011, John Ware of

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

described MEMO as a pro-

publication. ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

'' reporter

Anshel Pfeffer Anshel Pfeffer (Hebrew: אנשיל פפר, born 22 June 1973) is a British-born Israeli journalist. He is a senior correspondent and columnist for '' Haaretz'', covering military, Jewish and international affairs, and Israel correspondent for ''Th ...

described MEMO in 2015 as a "conspiracy theory-peddling anti-Israel organisation" and in the same year, MEMO was described by

Dave Rich Dave Rich is Head of Policy at the Community Security Trust and is a leading expert on left-wing antisemitism, according to ''The Jewish Chronicle''.Matthew Gould Matthew Steven Gould (born 20 August 1971) is a British civil servant who is CEO of NHSX, the body which oversees digital policy and programmes in NHS England. He was Ambassador to Israel (2010–15) and Director General for Digital and Me ...

for the post of UK ambassador to Israel simply because he was Jewish". Writing in 2016, Yiftah Curiel, an employee of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote that some of the staff of MEMO as well as the similar Middle East Eye are also active in

Interpal Interpal is the working name for Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, a British charity founded in 1994 that describes itself as a non-political charity to alleviate problems faced by Palestinians, and focused solely on the provision of relie ...

, which has been designated in Israel as a terror-supporting group, as well as being on the United States Treasury's list of specially-designated terrorist organisations. The site itself is sympathetic to Hamas, and the Hamas website and social media accounts post and share material from the Middle East Monitor.Font of hatred: How Hamas relies on two UK websites
Jewish News, 31 August 2016

References

External links

Official website

Spanish edition
{{Use British English, date=January 2021 Communications and media organisations based in the United Kingdom Media coverage of the Arab–Israeli conflict Mass media in the Middle East 2009 establishments in the United Kingdom Internet properties established in 2009 News websites British news websites Multilingual websites