Lebanese journalist accused of 'treason' for appearing on Israeli TV

Dubai: Maria Maalouf, a well-known Lebanese journalist and political analyst, has come under fire for appearing on Israeli TV.

The controversial Lebanese journalist was hosted by the Arabic-language service Kann News last Thursday.

During her interview, Maalouf said Hassan Nasrallah and his pro-Iran Hezbollah militia have taken the state hostage and returned it to the Stone Age. “The recent crisis with Saudi Arabia demonstrates that Hezbollah has alienated Lebanon from its Arab surroundings.”

“I’ve told Nasrallah that he is a murderer, that he has killed the children of Yemen, Syria, and Iraq... and our citizens in the port of Beirut”, she added.

Maalouf said that she has plans to visit Israel, adding that she has had positive interactions with American Jews who she has found to be “loving towards others... unlike the Palestinians who are only interested in taking Arab money”.

These comments sparked a huge controversy among the Lebanese.

Following the interview and in response to her comments, lawyer Ghassan Al Mawli, representing a number of former Lebanese prisoners who served sentences in Israeli jails, filed a case against Maalouf in a Lebanese military court accusing her of committing the crime of "communicating and collaborating with the Israeli enemy" in addition to treason, espionage, and incitement.

Maalouf began her career as a host of mainstream political programmes on Lebanese television. In 2017, she made headlines for calling on Israel to assassinate Nasrallah, and again in 2020 insisting “Palestine is not my cause”.