The Media Accountability Project  

"For whom is the English term “most commonly associated with attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups on public venues?” Certainly, that is one perspective, but how is the Canadian Press determining that is the most common one among the world’s English-speaking population? This is an absurd, unfair, and indefensible position — there is no evidence for such a supposition. Indeed, the term “intifada” encompasses a wide range of sentiments." Continue reading

"It’s impossible to comprehend what’s happening in Palestine/Israel without understanding that Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza live under a more than 54-year-old Israeli military occupation, Palestinians in Gaza live under a nearly 15-year long siege, and that all Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories live under an apartheid system that is designed to subjugate and dispossess them. This critical context should be included in all coverage." Continue reading

"There is a chasm between the phrases “Israel’s offensive” and “ongoing genocide.” I believe that many demonstrators would disagree that your description of their demands is even accurate, as opposing a military offensive is different than opposing plausible accusations of genocide." Continue reading

To: Andrea Baillie, Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Press Tim Cook, Assistant Managing Editor, Canadian Press Dan Taylor, Managing Editor, CTV News Dear Andrea Baillie, Tim Cook, and Dan Taylor, I am writing to express concern about the Canadian Press article, “Police order B.C. woman who praised Hamas not to protest for 5 months, says her group,” published on May 2 in CTV News Vancouver. I take foremost issue with the framing of your article. There is a lack of background information on the situation in Palestine before October 7. History did not start on October 7, yet the only piece of context you provide is that “the attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, setting off Israel’s offensive in Gaza that the Health Ministry there says has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.” It is not fair to start your time frame with October 7 as the protester’s comments are only comprehensible within a larger context. For readers to understand that context, it is essential to mention Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian land. The Institute for Middle East Understanding recommends the following: Always include the context of Israeli military occupation and apartheid, and when covering Gaza, the siege and blockade. It’s impossible to comprehend what’s happening in Palestine/Israel without understanding that Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza live under a more than 54-year-old Israeli military occupation, Palestinians in Gaza live under a nearly 15-year long siege, and that all Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories live under an apartheid system that is designed to subjugate and dispossess them. This critical context should be included in all coverage. On one hand, under international law, Israel is recognized as an occupying power over the Occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. It has obligations as an occupying power, such as protecting civilians, which negates its supposed right to self-defence. Gaza has been under air, sea, and land blockage since 2007. During the past year, Israel’s military had consistently nightly raided Palestinian villages. Before October 7, 80% of Gazans relied on international aid, two-thirds lived below the poverty line and 45 % were unemployed. Before October 7, Israel attacked Gaza in four cases: in 2008-2009, in 2012, in 2014, and 2021. Members of the international community, including the UN, and human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, recognize Israel as an apartheid state. On the other, Palestinians have a right to resist an occupying power through armed struggle under international law (Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions and General Assembly resolution A/RES/38/17 (22/11/1983)). Please include context about Gaza before October 7 since it is misleading for your readers to think that October 7 happened in a vacuum and that Israel has no responsibility even before October 7, but especially since then. I hope CTV News Vancouver and Canadian Press will add essential piece of context before October 7 and keep it in mind and mention it in future reporting about Gaza. Sincerely, Fatima Haidar, Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

"It is critical that CBC not use sweeping generalizations to describe Israel’s view of the Nakba and provide at least some acknowledgment of the diverse views within Israeli society." Continue reading

"I highly doubt that most Jewish people see the keffiyeh as the modern swastika since some of them wear it to send a clear message of their refusal to let genocide happen again. To claim that they see it as the modern swastika is not only anti-Palestinian racism, but it is a form of antisemitism." Continue reading

"Language is powerful and the words we use convey various meanings and emotions. The students participating in the encampment at McGill University have clearly and consistently used the word ‘genocide’ in their demands for the university to divest from corporations that are supporting or benefitting from Israel’s genocide on the people of Gaza." Continue reading

"The protests are indeed targeting the actions and ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. However, they are not targeting Jewish Canadians. It would be similar to saying that the protests against the apartheid regime of the South Africa governments were targeting the citizens of South Africa and not the National Party government." Continue reading

"Israel ordered over a million people in Gaza to relocate southward, compelling them to leave their homes. Therefore, their displacement was not a voluntary decision." Continue reading

"Experts including the United Nations fact-finding missions, Human Rights Watch, and the International Committee of the Red Cross concur that Israel's status as an occupying power persists. Under International Law, the designation of occupation does not rely on the presence of foreign ground troops within a territory, but rather on the assertion of 'effective control'." Continue reading