By, Jessica Elgot
1 min read
ByJessica Elgot, Jessica Elgot
Pro-Hizbollah journalist Nir Rosen has resigned from a controversial fellowship at LSE, just days after announcing his appointment.
Mr Rosen, a staunch anti-Zionist, announced on Friday that he had been appointed a Fellow at LSE's Centre for Global Governance.
He was widely criticised in February for comments he made about the sexual assault of CBS reporter Lara Logan.
But today an LSE spokesman said: "Nir Rosen today resigned his temporary visiting fellowship at LSE - which was an unpaid position. LSE had already made clear it condemned the offensive comments he made about Lara Logan and others."
New York-born Mr Rosen, who spent two years reporting from Iraq and now lives in Lebanon, has called for the dismantling of Israel. In a 2008 Guardian column he wrote: "You cannot be prime minister of Israel without enough Arab blood on your hands."
In an earlier article for Counterpunch in 2002, he wrote: "I find myself in the unique and painful position of calling for international sanctions against Israel and wondering if a punitive bombing of Tel Aviv, the city I love, until it complies with international law, might be a good (albeit quixotic) idea." He has also repeatedly claimed Hizbollah are not terrorists.
But it was comments in February about CBS reporter Lara Logan, after she was sexually assaulted in Egypt, which led to his resignation from NYU. He compared her to CNN reporter Anderson Cooper, who was attacked covering the protests. Mr Rosen wrote: "Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson." Later he tweeted: "Jesus Christ, at a moment when she is going to become a martyr and glorified we should at least remember her role as a major war monger."
He resigned as a fellow at NYU's Centre of Law and Security after apologising for the comments.
