Around GMA

Article Inside Page

TV host and journalist Gretchen Ho has addressed criticism over her past engagements with the Israeli Embassy after her previous interactions with Israeli officials resurfaced on social media.

The issue gained attention after human rights advocate Caloy Conde recalled Gretchen's Israel-sponsored trip in 2022 and her professional engagements with then-Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss in 2022 and 2023.

“Israel's charm offensive goes back years,” Caloy wrote in a Facebook post.

“I like Gretchen (she has interviewed me a few times na) and I'm friends with some of those who go on these Israel junkets,” he added.

“But, with due respect to them, I really question their judgment in facilitating/helping/enabling Israel's propaganda in the context of what it has been doing in Palestine,” Caloy continued.

He also noted that journalists who participated in such trips could provide a different perspective if their resulting stories critically examined Israel's actions.

The post prompted some netizens to question Gretchen's position on the Israel-Palestine conflict and whether she sympathizes with Palestinians in Gaza.

On August 10, Gretchen responded to the concerns in a lengthy Facebook statement, saying she wanted to directly address the issues surrounding her previous interactions with the Israeli Embassy.

“I've seen the concerns being raised about my past interactions with the Israeli Embassy, and I want to address them directly,” she began.

Gretchen confirmed that she traveled to Israel in July 2022 after receiving an invitation from Israel's Ministry of Tourism. At the time, she was developing her travel documentary program Woman In Action and was considering a possible story about the Holy Land.

She explained that while her itinerary and venues were arranged by her hosts, she was not restricted in terms of whom she could speak with, what questions she could ask, or what she could say about her experience.

“I went there with an open mind, yet also very much aware that since this was a trip sponsored by their government, what we were NOT shown was as important as what we were shown,” Gretchen said.

According to Gretchen, the trip gave her a deeper appreciation of the complexities surrounding Israel and Palestine. She eventually decided not to pursue an episode for Woman In Action at the time, believing the subject required a more sensitive approach.

She also clarified that the arrangement with Israel's Ministry of Tourism involved attending a travel expo and took place before the war in Gaza.

Gretchen further addressed her May 2023 professional engagement to host an Israeli Embassy event, explaining that she had accepted the job similarly to engagements she had done with other embassies.

She also acknowledged her cordial interactions with Fluss, including an encounter at the University of the Philippines that recently resurfaced online.

However, Gretchen pointed out that when she interviewed Fluss on her news program in 2025, she used the opportunity to raise questions about issues concerning Gaza and Israel.

“When war erupted in October of 2023, and I later had the chance to interview Ambassador Fluss on my news-interview program in 2025, I took the opportunity to confront him on several issues - the human rights violations in Gaza, the right of Palestinians to exist, and why Israel was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Iran was,” she said.

Gretchen maintained that her previous engagements with the Israeli Embassy did not dictate her editorial positions.

“My interactions with the Embassy never determined my editorial positions, nor did they prevent me from questioning an Israeli official critically,” she said.

At the same time, she acknowledged why her past interactions are now being scrutinized, particularly in light of the events that have unfolded since October 2023.

“I take questions about journalistic independence seriously,” Gretchen said.

“Looking back, I recognize more clearly the importance of maintaining not only editorial independence, but sufficient distance to avoid reasonable perceptions of conflict. There are choices I would approach with greater circumspection today,” she added.

Gretchen also made her position on the conflict clear, saying she does not support violence or the dehumanization of people on either side.

“To be clear: I do not support genocide or the dehumanization of any people. I believe in the dignity and right to life of Palestinians and Israelis alike,” she said.

She ended her statement by saying she is listening to the concerns being raised and will use what she has learned to guide the standards she sets for her work moving forward.

“Journalism requires us to encounter people, institutions and perspectives we may eventually have to scrutinize. It also requires us to continually examine our own boundaries and judgment,” Gretchen said.