Palestinian death minimized in Huwara pogrom in CBC The National

"However, there is an unjustified asymmetry in how Israeli and Palestinian casualties were reported while presenting the segment on both The National and CBC News Network. While the Israeli who was killed on Monday was mentioned, there is no similar mention that a Palestinian was killed during the Israeli settler attack on Huwara and surrounding villages. The killing of Sameh al-Aqtash1 is the immediate context for yesterday’s retaliatory attack on an Israeli motorist, as is accurately reflected in the segment itself. His death should have been mentioned in the preliminary remarks."


February 28, 2023

To:

Ian Hanomansing, Anchor, CBC The National

Heather Hiscox, Anchor, CBC News Network

Saša Petricic, Asia Correspondent, CBC News


Dear Mr. Hanomansing, Ms. Hiscox, and Mr. Petricic,

I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) with feedback regarding a segment on violence in the occupied West Bank which is available online. It aired on CBC’s The National on February 27, 2023, and on CBC News Network around 9:30am Eastern Time on February 28, 2023.

Overall, the segment itself is very strong and provides much of the necessary information and context to help viewers make sense of events over the past several days. This includes Palestinian eyewitness accounts of how the army was protecting the settlers during the pogrom on Huwara, the context of Israel’s recent settlement expansion, and incendiary statements from extremist Israeli officials.

However, there is an unjustified asymmetry in how Israeli and Palestinian casualties were reported while presenting the segment on both The National and CBC News Network. While the Israeli who was killed on Monday was mentioned, there is no similar mention that a Palestinian was killed during the Israeli settler attack on Huwara and surrounding villages. The killing of Sameh al-Aqtash[i] is the immediate context for yesterday’s retaliatory attack on an Israeli motorist, as is accurately reflected in the segment itself. His death should have been mentioned in the preliminary remarks.

I insist that when presenting subsequent coverage, you mention the killing of Sameh al-Aqtash by Israeli fire in your introductory remarks.

Further, the segment itself fails to mention Israel’s recent actions in the Palestinian city of Nablus on February 22, only four days before the events in nearby Huwara. The killing of two Israelis on February 26 is widely understood to be a response to Israel’s earlier raid on Nablus, which killed at least 10 Palestinians (including three elderly people and a child) and injured over 100. By failing to include this necessary context, the segment implies that it was a Palestinian attack which triggered the recent escalation of violence, obscuring Israel’s role.

I insist that ongoing coverage includes a reference to Israel’s deadly raid on Nablus as context for the latest Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Thank you in advance for promptly making these changes. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.

Sincerely,

Michael Bueckert, PhD

Vice President, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

 

[i] Fayha Shalash, “After helping earthquake victims, this Palestinian was killed by an Israeli rampage,” Middle East Eye, February 27, 2023, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestinian-earthquake-victims-killed-rampage