WASHINGTON -

The Newseum, a museum in Washington DC that chronicles the news industry, announced on Monday that is has decided to retract its decision to commemorate two cameramen from Hamas ' TV channel al-Aqsa, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza . The intention to honor the two on a memorial wall for fallen journalists was reported last week, though pressure from Israel and the US brought museum management to reconsider the move.

Mahmoud al-Kumi and Hussam Salama were killed in an IAF aerial bombing of their vehicle during Operation Pillar of Defense this past November. Hamas claimed that their car was clearly labeled "TV", yet Israel replied they are members of a terrorist organization.

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The Israeli claim was that if the two were to be honored in the museum, then the Newseum should also honor photographers working for al-Qaeda and killed by American fire. The Al-Aqsa channel wildly provokes against Israel and preaches the Palestinian population to destroy it.





The two cameramen, al-Kumi (left) and Salama

Two major Jewish organizations, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, turned to Newseum management and asked it to withdraw the decision. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which holds its annual convention in the Newseum, announced it requires clarifications about the subject before deciding to move the event elsewhere.





The two on museum's website





Newseum management announced Monday that it will reconsider adding the two to its memorial, although the actual meaning of that would be taking back the decision to commemorate them. "Serious questions have been raised as to whether two of the individuals included on our initial list of journalists who died covering the news this past year were truly journalists or whether they were engaged in terrorist activities."

Museum management clarified: "We take the concerns raised about these two men seriously and have decided to re-evaluate their inclusion as journalists on our memorial wall pending further investigation."

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