It has been banned and censored repeatedly in several Arab countries for vocal criticism of what the paper alleges is their autocratic rule and excessive deference to Israel and the United States.

"[7] In a scheduled visit to the Brisbane Writers Festival in September 2007, Atwan's visa was reported as being blocked[8] by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

Commenting on former president Saddam Hussein's execution he said that he would "go to the gallows with his head held high, because he built a strong united Iraq without sectarianism".

He further stated in the case of war, Iran would retaliate against its Arab neighbors, American bases in the Gulf and "Allah willing, it will attack Israel, as well.

He added that the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva is responsible for "hatching Israeli extremists and fundamentalists" and that the celebrations in Gaza following the attack symbolized "the courage of the Palestinian nation".

[2] A vocal critic of what he describes as Israel's "racist" and "apartheid" treatment of Palestinians, Atwan has advocated a peaceful, non-violent settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

In his memoir, A Country of Words,[19] Atwan says, "We have to learn to live together in peace and co-operation in a multi-cultural society in one democratic secular state for two people.

[20] Atwan described the attacks on Israelis in Eilat as correcting "This attack put the spotlight back on the most important struggle – that for the honor of the Arab and Islamic nation... Resistance is a legitimate right as long as land is occupied and the people and holy places are humiliated...the course of the Arab revolutions and refocused them on the most dangerous disease, namely Israeli tyranny.

[23] On 17 April 2011, speaking on BBC News Channel's Dateline London, Atwan claimed that post-revolutionary Libya would become "a hotbed of extremists'.

Atwan reiterated that there is no truth in this baseless allegation and is currently suing Mustafa Abdul Jalil for defamation in the UK courts.

This is in complete contrast with his fuming appearances on Al Jazeera and in Al-Quds Al-Arabi, in which he whips up the emotions of multitudes of viewers and readers.

"[27] In response to Atwan's legitimization of the Mercaz HaRav shooting in March 2008, Lior Ben-Dor, a spokesman at the Israeli embassy in London, said: "The problem is that when addressing the British public, he tends to hide his true opinions and ideology – his support for terror and the murder of civilians.

"[2] On 9 July 2013, Atwan stated in his final editorial at Al-Quds Al-Arabi that he was resigning from his two posts as editor-in-chief and as chairman of the board.

[28] He stated that over a period of a quarter of a century, he had received death threats from the "Arab, Foreign, and Israeli security services".