Rabat - CNN journalist Jim Clancy, was reportedly “forced to resign” after a 34-year career in the channel for remarks “against Israel” made on his Twitter account.
Jim Clancy, one of CNN's most familiar faces, announced Friday his resignation just days after criticizing Israel in exchanges on Twitter related to the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Last week, Jim Clancy defended the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, claiming that the weekly had never criticized the Prophet Muhammad, but “They mocked how the COWARDS tried to distort his word. Pay attention,” he wrote on his twitter account, which has been deleted.
Many twitter users engaged with Clancy’s tweet.
Oren Kessler, a deputy director of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, challenged Clancy to explain the statement.
Clancy responded by one word followed by a question mark “Hasbara?” meaning “explanation” in Hebrew.
However, “the term is used by the Israeli government and its supporters to describe efforts to explain government policies and promote Israel in the face of negative press, and to counter what they see as legitimization of Israel around the world,” according to Wikipedia.
Clancy then posted a series of tweets including one that said, “These accounts are part of a campaign to do PR for #Israel @JewsMakingNews @elderofziyon Nothing illegal - but PR not HR: Human Rights.”
In a statement issued by CNN, a spokesperson said, “Jim Clancy is no longer with CNN. We thank him for more than three decades of distinguished service, and wish him nothing but the best.”