Said Arikat | |
---|---|
سعيد عريقات | |
Born | 1947 or 1948 (age 75–76) |
Occupation | Journalist |
Employer | Al-Quds |
Said Arikat (Arabic: سعيد عريقات,[1] born 1947 or 1948[2]) is a Palestinian journalist and the Washington bureau chief for Jerusalem based newspaper Al-Quds.[3] Arikat also teaches as an adjunct professor at the American University.[4] From 2005 to 2010, Arikat served as the spokesperson for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.[3][5]
A long time attendee of press briefings at the U.S. State Department,[3] Arikat has been noted for his sometimes contentious exchanges with State Department Spokespersons, including John Kirby,[6][7] Heather Nauert,[8] and Ned Price.[9][10] Some have criticized Arikat for pushing a Palestinian point of view, with Charles Bybelezer of the Jewish News Syndicate saying that Arikat "routinely bashes Israel ... at U.S. State Department briefings",[10] a point of view that Philip Weiss of Mondoweiss described as "smear[ing] by the Zionist press".[2] Yisrael Medad opined in The Jerusalem Post that Arikat asks questions laden with misstatements.[9]
On 3 December 2022, Arikat's Twitter account was suspended for violations, but he maintained he did not know what the violations were.[3] On 29 December 2022, the suspension was lifted.[11] Speaking to Al Jazeera, Arikat stated he believed the suspension is related to him being outspoken about Palestine, saying that he "can't think of any other reason".[12]
Arikat has appeared on Al Jazeera,[13] C-SPAN,[14] NBC News,[15] and PBS.[16][17] Arikat has also written for Dubai based newspaper Gulf News.[18][19]