Den stora tråden om Trump och Nato

When the channel was launched in 2012, Asharq Al-Awsat and France 24 reported that it was the latest expansion of Iran, Syria and Hezbollah in the field of media.[3][4] In 2013, Joe Khalil, author of a book about television in the Arab world, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that the station is undoubtedly supportive of Assad.[8] The channel's alignment with Iran, Assad and Hezbollah was also expressed in a 2019 London School of Economics report[15] and a 2021 academic publication by Israeli scholar Barak Bouks.[37] A 2019 Danish study referred to it as Hezbollah-aligned.[38] In 2022, The Jewish Chronicle said the channel's director, Ghassan bin Jiddo, has spoken of his "friendship" with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[32]

According to the Telegraph, Al Mayadeen's head of news is married to a former adviser to Assad.[8] It refers to the rebels in Syria as "terrorists", and to the actions of the Syrian government against the rebels as "cleansing" when reporting the Syrian civil war.[9]

On 6 November 2015, the Saudi-controlled Arabsat satellite TV organization suspended and banned Al Mayadeen from broadcasting on its satellite system.[15]

The network has been accused of antisemitism in pieces by The Jewish Chronicle and Jewish Journal.[32][39] According to Media Matters for America in 2021, Al Mayadeen used antisemitic conspiracy theories about George Soros in its coverage of the Pandora Papers "to sow doubt about whistleblowers and leaks".[40]

The network stated that the Palestinian cause is the channel's centerpiece.[41]

In September 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Al Mayadeen spoke to Russian sources about setbacks in eastern Ukraine.[42] It has referred to the Government of Ukraine as a "Nazi regime" and promoted the discredited Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory.[43] British politician Jeremy Corbyn was criticised by Joan Ryan and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for appearing on the network during the war because of its perceived closeness to Iran and Hezbollah.[39]

Writing in Al Mayadeen in October 2022, Janna Al Kadri said that the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran was used by the West as an "opportunity to fuel Iran-phobia and Islamophobia". He described the hijab as "a symbol of the working class in its struggle for autonomy against the ongoing and impending assaults of imperialism".

Donald Trump says he would encourage Russia to attack Nato allies who pay too little

On Saturday, Trump claimed that during an unspecified Nato meeting he told a fellow head of state that the US under his leadership would not defend any countries who were “delinquent”.

“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’” Trump said, adding “I said, ‘You didn’t pay, you’re delinquent?’”

“No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.”

Then president [Trump--ed] told European commissioners in 2020 that ‘Nato is dead’ and the US would never defend Europe if it were attacked