Palestinian Arab journalist Bisan Owda has been awarded an Emmy in the Outstanding Hard News Feature: Short Form category for her ongoing documentary series, “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive.”

The series, which is produced in collaboration with AJ+ — part of the Al Jazeera Media Network — Ms. Owda documents her life in Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas. 

However, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ decision to allow the Palestinian filmmaker to be nominated and win an award has drawn criticism due to her history of connections with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has been designated a terrorist organization by America.

The PFLP opposes the idea of a two-state solution. Instead, the European Council on Foreign Relations notes the group “calls for the creation of a democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine through armed struggle.”

In a statement addressing Ms. Owda’s Emmy, the nonprofit Creative Community for Peace said her award win “is not only offensive but also undermines the values that the Emmys, as a prestigious institution, are supposed to represent.”

“PFLP thrives on violence, fear, and the suppression of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press,” the group said in a statement. “To elevate a member of such a group with an award intended to celebrate excellence in journalism is alarming. It sends the wrong message to the world — rewarding those who perpetuate harm rather than truth, integrity, or justice.” 

The decision to award Ms. Owda will “trivialize the suffering of the thousands of victims of PFLP,” and send a “discouraging message to professional journalists who risk their lives every day to uncover the truth in dangerous environments.”

In linking Ms. Owda to the PFLP, the Creative Community for Peace shared four examples of her connections. 

In 2014, she celebrated the organization’s 47th anniversary and called for a “minute of silence in reverence and respect for the martyrs’ sacrifice.” The following year, she reportedly spoke at a rally that “overtly supported terrorism” while “dressed in full PFLP colors.”

Additionally, in 2018, the PFLP identified Ms. Owda as “part of the Progressive Youth Union, which the PFLP explicitly acknowledges is the ‘youth framework’ of the terror organization.” That same year she also attended an event to honor “Palestinians injured in confrontations with Israeli soldiers and the deceased PFLP member Sami Shawqi Madi.”

The Natas, which organizes the award show, previously defended Ms. Owda’s nomination despite the links to the PFLP because they were “between six and nine years ago,” when she was a teenager. 

Additionally, it said it was “unable to corroborate” other links to the PFLP, nor could it find “any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organization.”