The relatives of two American women who were released by Hamas deny BLM activist Shaun King’s claims that he helped negotiate their release.
Judith and Natalie Raanan, of Evanston, Illinois, were released by Hamas militants on Friday after 2 weeks in captivity. Mother and daughter were in Israel to “celebrate a relative’s 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season,” according to the Times of Israel.
Two weeks ago, King claimed that Natalie’s family contacted him and asked him to help “find [Natalie Raanan] and bring her to safety.”
“Natalie and her family are supporters of mine,” he claimed. “I believe we have confirmed that she was NOT killed in Israel, but we are just asking for proof of life right now.”
King claimed that he had the ability to “confidentially help broker her return.”
After the Raanans were released on Friday, King took credit for negotiating their return.
“As I said last week, Natalie and her family have been supporters of mine and protested police violence in America alongside us,” he said. “Dozens of us worked frantically behind the scenes to help make this possible. I spoke to Natalie’s family this afternoon and they are anxiously awaiting more updates.”
According to a translation of a local Israeli news article, Natalie and her family have no idea who Shaun King is.
“First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying!” the statement read. “Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent.”
“Natalie told us that this morning it was the first time in her life that she came across Shaun King’s name and his posts, after she finally got a phone call after two horrific weeks in captivity in Gaza, and was looking for what was written about her while she was away,” the family continued. “Shaun King is trying to catch a ride on the great exposure that her kidnapping received all over the world and in the U.S. in particular, and the most ridiculous thing is that Natalie and her mother Judith are very active in Rabbi Hecht’s Jewish community in Chicago and in the Chabad house, and if Shaun King knew them or their family he would know that.”
King is best known for claiming to be Black when there is documented proof that both of his biological parents are Caucasian. He has been accused of being a grifter and a narcissist who shamelessly exploits others to draw attention to himself, and profiting off the plight of others.
