The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which combats anti-Semitism, said the Newseum has made a “shameful decision” to honor the terrorists.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which combats anti-Semitism, said the Newseum has made a “shameful decision” to honor the terrorists. (FreeBeacon).BY: Adam Kredo.

The Newseum, a journalism museum located in Washington, D.C., defended on Friday its controversial inclusion of two purported journalists widely considered to be terrorists in a memorial for slain reporters.

The Newseum attracted criticism from pro-Israel advocates Thursday for announcing it would honor two members of Hamas as part of its Journalists Memorial. The memorial recognizes journalists killed in the line of duty such as Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and killed by al Qeada terrorists in 2002.

The Newseum defended its right to honor the terrorists, who they consider journalists, in a statement to the Free Beacon.

“Hussam Salama and Mahmoud Al-Kumi were cameramen in a car clearly marked ‘TV,’” Newseum spokesman Scott Williams told the Free Beacon via email. “The Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers all consider these men journalists killed in the line duty.”

Middle East experts disagree with this assessment, however.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which combats anti-Semitism, said the Newseum has made a “shameful decision” to honor the terrorists.

“Duct Tape on car with the letters TV does not make a journalist,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the center’s associate dean. “A shameful decision based on a falsehood that besmirches the true heroes of journalism who died while pursuing their mission of seeking and reporting the Truth.”

“What would the legitimate martyred journalists like Daniel Pearl say as their heroism and humanity is debased and degraded?” Cooper asked.

Salama and Al-Kumi were Hamas members who posed as journalists in order to commit terrorist acts against Israel, they say.

“Mahmoud Al-Kumi and Hussam Salama were Hamas operatives and cameramen for Hamas’ Al-Aqsa television network, which regularly features programming that encourages and praises attacks on Israeli civilians,” the Israel Defense Forces maintains. “The IDF targeted Al-Kumi and Salama on Nov. 20.” Additionally, Palestinian media reported that Salama and Al-Kumi were members of Hamas.Read the full story here.