"It is frankly appalling that you write several paragraphs about the settler rampage in Hawara and the subsequent settler attack on Monday but make no mention of the fact that a Palestinian was shot and killed in Hawara. To be clear, around 100 Palestinians were injured and one was killed. It is not fair to mention that two Israelis were killed and not mention the significant casualties of Palestinians.
It is even more troubling that you mention that two Israeli brothers were killed but you fail to report on the murder of Sameh al-Aqtash, just four days after he returned from Turkey where he had been supporting earthquake victims. If we take seriously that Palestinian life matters equally to those of Israelis, a full and fair broadcast must mention the casualties of Palestinians in this story. Otherwise, the story is incomplete and unfair."
To:
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Josef Federman, News Director Jerusalem, Associated Press
Nicole Meir, Media Relations Manager, Associated Press
Lauren Easton, VP of Corporate Communications, Associated Press
Dear Mr. Vincent and Associated Press staff,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express my concerns regarding your new article titled “At least 6 Palestinian killed during Israeli West Bank raid,” published by Toronto Star (Associated Press) on March 7, 2023.
While this is a developing story, your news article uses deeply problematic language to report on the recent violence taking place in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Your article also makes inaccurate claims that present your article as one-sided and biased toward the Israeli narrative.
First, I take great issue with the following paragraph:
“More than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, about half of them militants, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 14 Israelis, all but one of them civilians, during the same time.”
This paragraph is inaccurate, misleading and biased for the following reasons:
- It is clear from today’s military raid on Jenin, which led to six Palestinian deaths and dozens injured, that the death toll has increased to at least 66. It is your responsibility to accurately report how many Palestinians have been killed since the start of this year.
- The claim that “about half of them [are] militants” is misleading as it implies that they were killed in active battle and that their death is automatically justified. While many are affiliated in some way with militant groups, they are often unarmed and are killed just for being at the scene or throwing stones at soldiers, according to an analysis by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.[i]
- Assuming your statistics are accurate, it would be far more relevant to state that about half of the Palestinians killed are civilians, including at least 13 children killed by Israeli forces since the start of 2023. Given that you include how many Israeli civilians were killed in the same paragraph, it is only appropriate that you do the same regarding the Palestinian casualties. Taking the approach that you did on adult casualties is extremely biased, racist and dehumanizing, not to mention your failure to cite the deaths of Palestinian children.
I insist that you correct the sentence to state that: “At least 66 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, about half of them civilians including 13 children.”
Second, it is frankly appalling that you write several paragraphs about the settler rampage in Hawara and the subsequent settler attack on Monday but make no mention of the fact that a Palestinian was shot and killed in Hawara. To be clear, around 100 Palestinians were injured and one was killed. It is not fair to mention that two Israelis were killed and not mention the significant casualties of Palestinians.
It is even more troubling that you mention that two Israeli brothers were killed but you fail to report on the murder of Sameh al-Aqtash, just four days after he returned from Turkey where he had been supporting earthquake victims.[ii] If we take seriously that Palestinian life matters equally to those of Israelis, a full and fair broadcast must mention the casualties of Palestinians in this story. Otherwise, the story is incomplete and unfair.
I insist that you correct the sentence to state that: “Mobs of Israeli settlers had set buildings and cars on fire and shot and killed one Palestinian in revenge for the shooting.”
Third, you claim that since 1967, “more than 500,000 Jewish settlers have moved into dozens of settlements” which is factually incorrect as it excludes settlers living in east Jerusalem. According to Foundation for Middle East Peace, “by 2014 there were some 700,000 Israeli Jews living in settlements in the occupied territories.” This is a factual error that must be corrected.[iii]
I insist that you correct 500,000 to 700,000 Jewish settlers.
Thank you for making these changes. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Reem Majid
Policy Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[i] B’Tselem, “The Occupied Territories in 2022: largest number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the West Bank since 2004,” Haaretz, January 8, 2023, https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20230108_the_occupied_territories_in_2022_largest_number_of_palestinians_killed_by_israel_in_the_west_bank_since_2004
[ii] 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
[iii] Foundation for Middle East Peace, “Settlements,” (2014), https://fmep.org/issues/settlements/.