Longtime White House reporter Helen Thomas has retired effective immediately, Hearst Corporation said Monday.

The media conglomerate had employed Thomas as a syndicated columnist for its newspaper chain. Her retirement comes amid a furor created last week by her controversial comments regarding Jewish people.

Thomas, 89, was considered the dean of the White House press corps, as she was the longest-serving White House journalist. She has been reporting on administrations since 1960, when she began covering then-President-elect John F. Kennedy and his family.

Thomas, had come under fire late last week when a YouTube video surfaced showing her saying that Israel should “get the hell out of Palestine,” and that the Jewish people should go home to “Poland, Germany … and America and everywhere else.”

In a posting on her website Friday, Thomas apologized for her remarks. “They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon,” she wrote.
Just prior to Hearst’s announcement, the board of the White House Correspondents Association released a statement condemning Thomas’ remarks. The group of White House reporters, which includes CNN’s Ed Henry, called Thomas’ remarks “indefensible.”

On Sunday, former White House Counsel Lanny Davis was among those calling for Hearst to take action against Thomas. She was also dropped by her agent, Nine Speakers Inc., on Sunday, and Craig Crawford, who co-authored “Listen Up, Mr. President” with Thomas, said in a blog post that he “will no longer be working with Helen on our book projects.”

Thomas, who is of Lebanese descent, made the comments to Rabbi David Nesenoff of Rabbilive.com, who told CNN his hand-held camera was in plain sight on May 27 when he asked her for “Any comments on Israel?”

“Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine,” she responded.

“Any better comments on Israel?” Nesenoff asked.

Thomas replied, “Remember, these people are occupied and it’s their land, it’s not German. It’s not Poland.”

Nesenoff asked where the Jews should go, and Thomas responded, “They should go home,” which the White House reporter identified as “Poland, Germany … and America and everywhere else.”