"Further, you still 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 which is occupied territory as recognized by the international community. 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."
March 9, 2023
To:
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Nasser Nasser, Journalist, Associated Press
Isabel Debre, Journalist, Associated Press
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 “3 Palestinian militants killed in Israeli raid in West Bank,” published by Toronto Star (Associated Press) on March 9, 2023.
I am pleased to see that you have updated the death toll from 60 to at least 74 Palestinians killed since the start of this year. I hope that the Associated Press and the Toronto Star are quick to update the death toll and casualties as events develop on the ground.
In addition, I appreciate that you have amended your paragraph about the settler rampage in Hawara to include that one Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire. It is necessary that media coverage of this incident is accurate and fair.
I also note that you have adjusted your language about Palestinians killed to refer to people “affiliated” in some way with militant groups. Thank you for adding this precision to your coverage.
However, it is still frankly disappointing that you fail to report on the fact that at least 14 Palestinian children were killed as a result of the Israeli army’s raids in the West Bank since the start of the year.
Further, you still 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 which is occupied territory as recognized by the international community. 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.[i]
I insist that you correct 500,000 to 700,000 Jewish settlers. If you do not make this change, I will be forced to take this issue to the National Newsmedia Council.
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] Foundation for Middle East Peace, “Settlements,” (2014), https://fmep.org/issues/settlements/.