The conduct of British host Julia Hartley-Brewer on TALKTV has sparked widespread outrage on social media after she appeared in an interview with the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, shouting at him. The Palestinian official was a guest on Brewer's program following the assassination of Hamas Deputy Leader Saleh Arouri in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and began discussing the democratic foundation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governance, which angered the host.
During the interview, Barghouti asked, "Do you think Israel is a democratic state?" to which she replied, "Yes, I know they are a democratic country and they have elections." Barghouti interrupted, stating, "Netanyahu has destroyed democracy... this man has three or four courts against him for corruption cases." He continued, "This man knows that if the war stops, he will go to jail."
Brewer interrupted him, agitated, saying, "We don't have enough time to talk about Benjamin Netanyahu's history... he is not a popular figure in Israel... and I’m not here to defend him." She added, "Mustafa, you spoke about October 7th and put it in a historical context, I understand that... please don’t repeat this again." She further stated, "You have already made your point five times... I don't have time for that."
Barghouti responded, "I don't know what you have time for." Hartley-Brewer then shouted, "Oh my God... let me finish my sentence, sir... maybe you’re not used to a woman speaking," adding, "I don’t know, but I would like to finish my sentence, sir. Anyway..."
Barghouti replied, "You are misleading the audience with what you just said," prompting Hartley-Brewer to shout at him again as he spoke, stating that he had 20 seconds to respond. Ultimately, she gave him 10 seconds to clarify what an acceptable response is to Hamas attacks on Israel, to which Barghouti stated: "End the occupation and allow peace to prevail for both peoples."
Hartley-Brewer remarked that the response was "good," adding, "I apologize for a woman talking to you." The widely circulated clip has drawn sharp criticisms of the British host on social media, with many activists condemning her lack of decorum in speaking with a guest, even if she was not neutral, while others noted that this interview marked a disgrace in both the host's and the channel's history.
