"We believe that your news article does a good job of detailing the consequences of this racist law for Palestinians. However, the headline is misleading and inaccurate for several reasons, and we are requesting an immediate change.
First, your use of the term 'Arab' in the headline is problematic, as it refers specifically to Palestinians. Israel’s preferred use of the politicized terms 'Arab-Israeli' or simply 'Arab' is intended to downplay or erase the 'Palestinian' identity of the vast majority of the members of this group. We, therefore, urge you to follow the widely used and respected Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) guidelines on covering issues related to Israel and Palestine, which encourage journalists to avoid the language of 'Arab-Israeli' or 'Arab' and instead use the more appropriate term 'Palestinian citizens of Israel,' or simply 'Palestinian.'"
February 16, 2023
To:
Brodie Fenlon, Editor-In-Chief & Executive Director, CBC News
CC: Josef Federman, Journalist, The Associated Press
Dear Mr. Fenlon,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express our concerns regarding an AP news article titled “Israeli parliament approves law that could strip some Arab Attackers of citizenship,” which was published by CBC on February 15, 2023.
We believe that your news article does a good job of detailing the consequences of this racist law for Palestinians. However, the headline is misleading and inaccurate for several reasons, and we are requesting an immediate change.
First, your use of the term “Arab” in the headline is problematic, as it refers specifically to Palestinians. Israel’s preferred use of the politicized terms “Arab-Israeli” or simply “Arab” is intended to downplay or erase the “Palestinian” identity of the vast majority of the members of this group.[i] We, therefore, urge you to follow the widely used and respected Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) guidelines on covering issues related to Israel and Palestine, which encourage journalists to avoid the language of “Arab-Israeli” or “Arab” and instead use the more appropriate term “Palestinian citizens of Israel,” or simply “Palestinian.”[ii]
Second, the use of the term “attackers” in the headline is misleading. According to the Israeli parliament’s press release, the new law applies to Palestinians who are convicted of an offense that “constitutes a breach of trust to the State of Israel.”[iii] As reported by the Times of Israel, the law applies to Palestinians who have been “incarcerated following a conviction for terror, aiding terror, harming Israeli sovereignty, inciting war, or aiding an enemy during wartime.”[iv] Many of these requirements are vague and could potentially encapsulate many Palestinian citizens of Israel convicted of a variety of offences, and not necessarily for violent attacks on Israel. Therefore, referring to them as “attackers” minimizes the potentially harmful implications of this new law.
Third, this law is only directed at Palestinian citizens of Israel and not Jewish Israelis, therefore creating a “conditional citizenship” for Palestinians alone. In fact, UN experts have argued that Israel’s policy of removing Palestinian permanent residents of occupied Jerusalem “amounts to a grave breach” of the Geneva Convention and thus constitutes a “war crime.”[v] While these concerns are noted in the article, the term “racist” or “discriminatory” should be included directly in your headline to more accurately represent the nature of this law.
We request that you change the headline to: “Israeli parliament approves racist law that could strip citizenship from Palestinians convicted of certain offences.”
Thank you for making these changes. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Reem Majid
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[i] Use with Care: A Reporter’s Glossary of Loaded Language in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” International Press Institute, Oct. 23, 2013, p. 26, https://ipi.media/use-with-care-reporters-glossary-of-loaded-language-in-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/
[ii] Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA), “Tips and resources for covering issues related to Israel and Palestine,” May 24, 2021, https://ijnet.org/en/story/tips-and-resources-covering-issues-related-israel-and-palestine
[iii] Israeli Knesset, “Approved in final readings: Bill to revoke citizenship of a person convicted of terrorism who receives funds for his actions from the Palestinian Authority,” Feb. 15, 2023, https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/News/PressReleases/Pages/press15223c.aspx
[iv] Keller-Lynn, Carrie, “Knesset passes law to strip terrorists who receive PA stipends of Israeli citizenship,” Feb. 15, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-passes-law-to-strip-terrorists-who-receive-pa-stipends-of-israeli-citizenship/
[v] Uddin, Rayhan, “Israel approves law to deport Palestinian citizens and residents,” Feb. 15, 2023, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-approves-law-deport-palestine-citizens-residents