Jim Clancy resigns: CNN International correspondent quits for 'suggesting Israeli propaganda had hand in Charlie Hebdo attacks'

Clancy has remained silent over the issue, and deleted his entire Twitter account on Thursday, while CNN confirmed his resignation

Jim Clancy quit his long-standing job on CNN after he appeared to suggest that the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks were provoked by what he perceives to be the magazine’s pro-Israel stance.

He left the channel following 34 years in the role of international correspondent on Friday.

His departure came as he voiced his theory as to why the French satirical publication chose to print caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed in a series of tweets earlier this month

Clancy suggested that Charlie Hebdo aimed to poke fun not at the Prophet, but those who “distort his word”.

When Clancy’s followers challenged his opinion, pointing out that Charlie Hebdo is staunchly anti-religious, he responded with the following:

Hasbara is a Hebrew word which means “explaining” and is a term frequently used in debates about the Israel and Palestine conflicts by the State of Israel to justify their actions internationally. Those who criticise the Israeli government often use the word to highlight things they believe to be indicative of pro-Israeli propaganda.

Clancy has publicly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, while Oren Kessler works for an influential Washington think tank called the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, known for its support of Israel.

Beyond that, little explanation has been given as to exactly what Clancy meant by his tweets, but that hasn’t stopped the US media from speculating over whether his pro-Palestine leanings led to his departure from the channel.

Clancy has remained silent over the issue, and deleted his entire Twitter account on Thursday, while CNN confirmed his resignation with the following statement: “We thank him for more than three decades of distinguished service, and wish him nothing but the best.”

However, in a circulated internal email sent to colleagues on Friday, and published by TV Newser, Clancy appeared to be in good spirits.

“Through it all, CNN has been a family to my own family,” he wrote. “That means something.”