Asked about Gaza hospital, Israeli panellist points to Mirror Now anchor’s ‘Palestinian’ sari

An Israeli marketing professional, presented as an Israeli defence official on a Mirror Now show, chose to target the green, red and black of the channel’s executive editor Shreya Dhoundial’s outfit to allege a pro-Palestine bias when asked about the destruction of a hospital in Gaza.

The rampage at the al-Ahli Baptist hospital has left around 500 dead even as Israel has tried to blame a Hamas ally’s “misfire” for the incident after international outrage. US president Joe Biden and sections of the media have thrown their weight behind the Israeli version. Several commentators, however, have tried to point to questions suggesting an Israeli role.

“I can see the colours that you’re wearing this evening, and that’s why I am purposely wearing blue and white…blue and white will always prevail,” said Frederic Landau, in what he thought was a reference to the colours in the Palestinian and Israeli flags, when asked about the incident on the Urban Debate on Mirror Now. 

The Palestinian flag has another colour, white, besides the three Landau pointed out were part of Dhondial’s outfit. It has been restricted in public places in several countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Dhoundial insisted that it was her late “grandmother’s” saree and did not signify “any support for any side”. “Let’s not divide colours on the basis of religion. It sometimes happens in my country as well.”

She later tweeted a clip of the incident and said that she was “at a loss of words”.

“And also to tell you Frederick, the garment I am wearing is a saree, and it’s my grandmother’s. If she was alive, she would have been about 105 years old today. She didn’t know what Hamas was. And the saree doesn’t signify any support for any side,” she said on the show. 

“What is happening, what has happened in Gaza, the bombing of a hospital, 500 people dead, it’s simply criminal. What I am wearing is simply my grandmother’s saree. It signifies nothing else. Leave it for the moment. Thank you very much, Frederick.”

But an impatient Landau cut her in between with a curt reply. “Save it for a different occasion.”         

The anchor had had enough by then, and iterated that her clothing was her choice. “No Frederick, I will not let you choose what I wear. And I will not let you choose what I say. I will say what I have to say and I will speak the truth the way I see it.” 

“Truth, of course, has many versions. There is one version coming from Israel and there’s another version coming from Gaza.” 

Landau has different versions too, on television. On other Indian TV news debates surrounding Israel, he has been introduced as a former special forces officer, while Mirror Now introduced him as a commander. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was a combat leader in the Israeli intelligence special forces between 2009 and 2012, and is now the CEO of PLC Global Services. The firm describes itself as a marketing and business development consultancy.