Progressive commentator Mehdi Hasan is joining The Guardian as a columnist, the publication announced on Wednesday. “I have been poring over columns in the Guardian since I was a teenager. Now I get to write some of my own, in what is perhaps one of the busiest and biggest news years of my lifetime,” Hasan told Semafor. “It’s a huge honor and a privilege.” In his first column for The Guardian, the former MSNBC host called on President Joe Biden to “pick up the phone” and urge Israel to “end this genocide” in Gaza. Hasan’s new gig comes weeks after he abruptly announced that he was leaving MSNBC after his weekend and Peacock shows had been canceled, which sparked backlash from progressives that MSNBC was punishing Hasan for his unapologetically pro-Palestinian stance. While the network framed the cancellation of his show as part of a broader programming shake-up, Hasan had also come under fire over his outspoken criticism of Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.