Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

Middle East Eye

UK-based left, alleged Qatar ties

Owned byM.E.E. Limited, a private UK company majority-owned (75%+ shares and voting rights) by Jamal Awn Jamal Bessasso, a Dutch national of Palestinian origin
FundingNot publicly disclosed; MEE denies receiving state funding; widely alleged by multiple governments and analysts to be funded by Qatar; no subscription paywall and no public financial reporting
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Middle East Eye launched in April 2014 in London, co-founded by editor-in-chief David Hearst, a former foreign affairs writer for The Guardian, and Jamal Bessasso, who had previously served as a director of planning at Al Jazeera in Qatar and as a director of Samalink TV, which broadcast al-Quds TV — a station identified in multiple investigations as Hamas-affiliated or Hamas-controlled. Several Al Jazeera journalists joined the outlet at launch, and Jonathan Powell, a senior Al Jazeera executive, registered MEE's domain names. From its founding, MEE has denied receiving Qatari government funding, but it has never publicly disclosed its financial backers. During the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain listed a demand to shut down MEE among their 13 conditions placed on Qatar, treating it as an arm of Qatari foreign policy. Media bias trackers including Media Bias/Fact Check rate MEE as left-center with mostly factual reporting, noting consistent editorial sympathy toward Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated movements and Palestinian causes. The outlet has drawn sharp criticism from Saudi-aligned media and Israeli advocacy groups as a vehicle for Qatari and Islamist messaging, while supporters point to its original investigative reporting and access to senior regional figures. Its coverage of the Trump administration's second term has been consistently critical, challenging U.S. strategy on Gaza reconstruction, the administration's alignment with Israel, and Washington's use of economic leverage in the region.

Sources

  1. Middle East Eye – Wikipedia
  2. Middle East Eye – Bias and Credibility, Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. Qatar's Other Covert Media Arm – American Enterprise Institute
  4. Behind Middle East Eye's Viral Reach: Alleged Ties to Hamas and Qatar – HonestReporting
  5. Middle East Eye Media Bias – AllSides
  6. Trump's strategy for Middle East 'peace' is built on Israeli dominance – Middle East Eye
  7. About Middle East Eye – Middle East Eye

Profile compiled 2026-07-19; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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