Longtime White House reporter Helen Thomas received a prize in journalism from a representative of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Thomas, 91, who was forced into retirement two years ago after making controversial remarks about Jews and Israel, was recognized for her journalism career and commitment to the Palestinian cause. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the PLO, presented Thomas with the award on behalf of Abbas.
According to the Washington PLO office’s statement, Thomas was recognized for “all of her actions supporting Palestine in the West.”
Once considered the dean of the White House press corps, Thomas became embroiled in controversy when she said in a 2010 interview with the blog RabbiLive.com that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine. … Go home [to] Poland, Germany … and America and everywhere else.” Despite criticism, she stood by her comments and accused Jewish lobbyists and politicians of distorting her remarks. — jta