Loose Women presenter Nadia Sawalha has platformed conspiracy theories about the media’s “Zionist” agenda and claims that terrorists are “freedom fighters”, the JC can reveal.
The remarks emerged in an incendiary interview by Sawalha – a panellist on the ITV talk show and previous Celebrity MasterChef winner – with a pro-Palestine activist, which the TV host shared with her 555,000 Instagram followers in November.
The activist, Lizzie Greenwood, a former candidate for George Galloway’s far-left Workers Party, told Sawalha that “Palestinian activists get called terrorists and traitors”, adding that "freedom fighters in Palestine get called terrorists”.
Sawalha appeared to agree with the comments and praised Greenwood for embarking on an “incredible” and “extraordinary” hunger strike for the war’s Palestinian victims.
The TV presenter went on to question why Greenwood’s “Gaza fast” had received no media coverage.
Greenwood responded: “There is a very, very clear Zionist and UK government agenda in the UK media, which at the moment is the same thing because the UK government is so unashamedly Zionist and compromised.”
Sawalha, whose father is Jordanian-born British actor Nadim Sawalha, seemed to concur, saying: “Is it not unbelievable that it [the hunger strike] is not talked about in the media? Maybe we could all have a little guess as to why that is.
“Even asking for a ceasefire has been weaponised,” Sawalha went on.
In another Instagram video, the outspoken ITV personality accused Israeli leaders of crying antisemitism when they are accused of crimes in Gaza: “If it all goes wrong you can just say everybody is being antisemitic.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said the comment “downplayed antisemitism”.
The UK-based charity called on ITV to reconsider if Sawalha was an “appropriate figure” to appear on their flagship programme.
The TV personality has also claimed that the death toll in Gaza exceeds 200,000 and noted in a clip shared on October 7 2024 that Palestinian prisoners in Israel had experienced “42 different tortures including r*pe and electric shocks”.
She refers to the Israel Defence Force (IDF) as the “IOF”, an acronym for “Israel Occupation Forces” that is used by anti-Israel activists.
In the rambling video with Sawalha, Greenwood went on to suggest that Benjamin Netanyahu timed military action in Gaza to coincide with Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, saying: “It is like [Netanyahu] has waited for this Prime Minister to come along, and this is the right situation in America where they will not stop them.” Seeming to agree, Sawalha added: “Until there is no one left.”
Both women have called the prime minister a war criminal and suggested that the UK taxpayer is complicit in a Gaza genocide. Later in the conversation, Sawalha claimed: “Israeli politicians defended raping Palestinian prisoners” and suggested that US politicians had threatened to “invade the Hague”.
CAA said: “At a time when antisemitism is at unprecedented levels, it is disappointing that some people still deny its prevalence or claim that antisemitism allegations are used to silence criticism of Israel. Celebrities need to think carefully about what they put on their social media, and ITV should consider who are the most appropriate figures to appear on their flagship programmes."
The JC sought comment from Sawalha, Greenwood and ITV.
