"Jama’s critics (and subsequently, your article) are wildly misrepresenting the meaning of the Palestinian chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is a simple and legitimate call for freedom for all Palestinians under Israeli rule. Yousef Munayyer writes in Jewish Currents that the chant refers to “a state in which Palestinians can live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominated by others nor dominating them.” As he writes, “the claim that [it] carries a genocidal intent relies not on the historical record, but rather on racism and Islamophobia.”
March 12, 2023
To:
Rob Ferguson, Journalist, Toronto Star
Dear Mr. Ferguson,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to request prompt corrections to your article, “Antisemitism charges upend Ontario byelection race in NDP stronghold,” which was published on March 12, 2023.
Regrettably, the article is premised on claims about Ontario NDP candidate Sarah Jama sourced from pro-Israel advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada, which are entirely related to her history of advocacy for Palestinian human rights. The only specific charge made against her in the article is related to the alleged views of a student organization, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, which she apparently had “ties” to during her time at McMaster. This is an incredibly weak attempt to blame a candidate for things she is not even alleged to have said, and therefore amounts to nothing more than a smear campaign. It never should have been published. I need to emphasize, however, this attack is not only levelled against Jama, but amounts to a smear campaign against the Palestinian solidarity movement as a whole. As such, there are several additional issues in this article which must be addressed.
First, Jama’s critics (and subsequently, your article) are wildly misrepresenting the meaning of the Palestinian chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is a simple and legitimate call for freedom for all Palestinians under Israeli rule. Yousef Munayyer writes in Jewish Currents that the chant refers to “a state in which Palestinians can live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominated by others nor dominating them.” As he writes, “the claim that [it] carries a genocidal intent relies not on the historical record, but rather on racism and Islamophobia.”[1] It is unacceptable that the Star would perpetuate B’nai Brith’s disinformation against Palestinian activists, and especially that the Star would not provide any representation or perspective from Palestinians themselves or their allies.
I insist that you update your article to include a Palestinian perspective regarding the meaning of this legitimate chant, instead of relying on interpretations sourced entirely by perspectives which are hostile to Palestinian narratives and activism.
Second, I want to underscore the point that none of the public claims against Sarah Jama have been able to identify a single thing which can be reasonably determined as antisemitic. The only actual claims against Jama are that she supports activism and organizations in support of Palestinian human rights, including the movement to boycott Israel until it respects international law. This assumption that those who support Palestinian activism are inherently antisemitic amounts to anti-Palestinian racism, according to a definition developed by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA).[2]
I strongly object to the assumption in your article that Palestinian activism is inherently antisemitic. I insist that:
- The term “antisemitism charges” in the headline is replaced with “pro-Palestinian,” or at a minimum, “anti-Israel.”
- The article should be amended to include perspectives from Palestinians and their allies, who have been completely ignored in this coverage except to be the target of false claims. These voices must be included in all coverage about Israel and Palestine going forward.
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
CC:
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
[1] Yousef Munayyer, “What Does “From the River to the Sea” Really Mean?” June 11, 2021, Jewish Currents, https://jewishcurrents.org/what-does-from-the-river-to-the-sea-really-mean
[2] Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), “Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming, Framing and Manifestations,” April 2022, https://www.canarablaw.org/our-work