"In the article, you state that “Hawara lies on a busy road in the northern part of the West Bank that is used by Israeli residents of nearby Jewish settlements. Many settlers carry guns.” The statement lacks context and fails to properly present the illegal nature of settlements. It also fails to capture the dynamic between incoming Jewish settlers and indigenous Palestinian residents of the occupied West Bank."
March 21, 2023
To:
Samy Magdy, Journalist, Associated Press
Josef Federman, News Director, Associated Press
Dan Taylor, Managing Editor, CTV News
Dear Mr. Magdy, Mr. Federman, and Mr. Taylor,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to point out important context that must be included in your news article “Israel, Palestinians aim to curb violence as Ramadan nears,” published on March 19, 2023.
In the article, you state that “Hawara lies on a busy road in the northern part of the West Bank that is used by Israeli residents of nearby Jewish settlements. Many settlers carry guns.” The statement lacks context and fails to properly present the illegal nature of settlements. It also fails to capture the dynamic between incoming Jewish settlers and indigenous Palestinian residents of the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s policy of settling civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories not only displaces the local Palestinian population but is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.”[1] The confiscation of land and collateral impacts from Israel’s illegal settlements are also prohibited by the Hague Regulations and is considered a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Moreover, you ignore necessary context when you simply state that “many settlers carry guns” but fail to mention that settlers actively participate in violence against Palestinians and exploit “land and natural resources that belong to Palestinians.”[2] The forced displacement of Palestinians and the destruction of their livelihood and homes is bound to produce animosity and hostility. To ignore or choose not to mention the reasons why Palestinians are hostile to settlers provides a one-sided perspective that lacks important context to the relationship between the Israeli government, Israeli society, and the Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories.
I ask that you update your article to provide this type of context, rather than leaving the reader guessing as to the motivations and concerns of the respective peoples you are discussing.
I also ask that such contextual concerns are addressed in future reporting.
Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Tayla Shair
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] Amnesty International, “Status of Settlements Under International Law,” (2019), accessed March 20, 2023, https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE1594902019ENGLISH.pdf
[2] Amnesty International, “Settlements, Discrimination and Human Rights Violations,” (2019), accessed March 20, 2023, https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE1594902019ENGLISH.pdf