Middle East Monitor
Pro-Palestinian, Islamist-sympathetic (UK-based)
Background
MEMO was founded in London on 1 July 2009 as a press-monitoring and lobbying body on Middle East issues, with an emphasis on Palestine. Its director is Daud Abdullah, who was previously a senior researcher at the Palestinian Return Centre and a deputy secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain. The site publishes news, opinion and analysis, including pieces by outside writers. Some commentators and watchdog groups have labeled it pro-Hamas and pro-Muslim Brotherhood. It has also been linked to Palestinian Return Centre figures such as Mohammad Sawalha, whom Israeli and U.S. sources identify as a Hamas figure. Daud Abdullah has been criticized by groups such as the Community Security Trust over past statements. Wikipedia reports that the State of Qatar finances MEMO. I could not verify this independently, and it is not clear how MEMO describes its own funding. Its coverage tends to carry a strong advocacy slant and favors Palestinian, Turkish and Qatari-aligned perspectives. Recent pieces, such as its August 2026 analysis of the next phase of U.S. Middle East policy, treat Trump-era policy skeptically. Readers should treat it as advocacy-oriented, not neutral, reporting.
Sources
- Middle East Monitor – Wikipedia
- Daud Abdullah – Wikipedia
- Palestinian Return Centre – Wikipedia
- Muhammad Sawalha – Wikipedia
- Middle East Monitor: The next phase of US policy in the Middle East
Profile compiled 2026-10-06; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.