Israeli journalist Gideon Levy apologizes for interview with pro-Hamas American communist

Prominent Israeli journalist Gideon Levy apologized on Thursday for being interviewed by American communist Jackson Hinkle, who has repeatedly expressed support for several anti-Western terrorist organizations, including Hamas.

“Several weeks ago, I was approached by the ‘Legitimate Targets’ podcast team, asking me to be interviewed by Jackson Hinkle,” Levy posted on 𝕏, saying that when he accepted the interview, he “had never heard of Hinkle before.”

Levy went on to say that two days later, he saw photos of Hinkle in “Houthi-held Yemen…armed with a rifle.”

“This was my first acquaintance with my interviewer’s real character,” Levy continued, saying he subsequently learned that Hinkle “holds dark, antisemitic views,” and “fully identifies with Hamas and Hezbollah.”

In addition to openly praising these terrorist organizations, Hinkle has personally interviewed a Hamas leader in Qatar, and attended the funeral of Hezbollah's secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in September.

“In light of my belated understanding of Hinkle, I wish to express my regret and sorrow for agreeing to be interviewed on his podcast, which disseminates illegitimate propaganda based on lies,” Levy concluded. “I should not have done it.”

Levy, a journalist for Israel's Haaretz newspaper since 1982, has been highly critical of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has referred to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as constituting “apartheid.”

Among the controversial remarks made by Levy during his interview with Hinkle were comments concerning reports of Hamas terrorists raping Israelis.

Hinkle, who has repeatedly denied many of Israel’s assertions regarding Hamas’ atrocities on Oct, 7, asked Levy during the interview why he believed that Hamas raped Israeli women. He referenced a UN document stating that such reports could not be independently verified.

In response to Hinkle’s question, Levy said he believed the sexual violence took place but had no proof.

“They claim there were rapes, and I can only believe because I don't think there is room to start to put doubts, because there are no doubts that horrible things happened there,” he said. “Were there some rapes? I guess there were; I have no proof."

The UN document apparently referenced by Hinkle was produced by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel in June 2024.

It stated that the Commission “reviewed testimonies obtained by journalists and the Israeli police concerning rape but has not been able to independently verify such allegations, due to a lack of access to victims, witnesses and crime sites and the obstruction of its investigations by the Israeli authorities.”

A document published by the Commission in September, however, stated that “the Commission received credible information about some hostages being subjected to sexual and gender-based violence while in captivity, including sexualized torture and abuse against men and women when they were held in tunnels. One released female hostage reported that she had been raped in an apartment.”

Levy also agreed with Hinkle’s assessment that Israel’s “heightened level of propaganda” was causing a “rise in antisemitism” around the world, and argued that “for years, Israeli propaganda was based on a cynical manipulation – namely, to label any kind of criticism of Israel as antisemitism.”