"I am very pleased to see that you have included a variety of perspectives including Muslim and Jewish Canadians condemning the Israeli violence against Palestinian worshippers. I am especially happy to see that you quoted Aaron Lakoff from the human rights organization Independent Jewish Voices Canada. It is important for the Canadian public to be aware of Israel’s violations against Palestinians and the human rights organizations that advocate for Palestinian human rights."
April 11, 2023
To:
Elianna Lev, Journalist, Yahoo News
Daniel Klaidman, Editor-in-Chief, Yahoo News
Dear Ms. Lev, Mr. Campbell, and Mr. Klaidman,
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 appreciation for the article “'Canada can no longer stand on the sidelines’: Politicians, Jewish, Muslim groups condemn attack at Al-Aqsa mosque” written by Elianna Lev and published in Yahoo News on April 6, 2023.
I am very pleased to see that you have included a variety of perspectives including Muslim and Jewish Canadians condemning the Israeli violence against Palestinian worshippers. I am especially happy to see that you quoted Aaron Lakoff from the human rights organization Independent Jewish Voices Canada. It is important for the Canadian public to be aware of Israel’s violations against Palestinians and the human rights organizations that advocate for Palestinian human rights.
However, your article fails to specify that the Al-Aqsa Mosque (and the entire Old City of Jerusalem) is located in East Jerusalem - occupied Palestinian territory. You write,
“An attack by Israeli soldiers on Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem this week is being condemned by many Canadians, including politicians and activists.”
The status of East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory is firmly established under international law and has been repeatedly confirmed by various UN bodies. East Jerusalem has been militarily occupied by Israel since 1967, and the Canadian government does not recognize Israel’s unilateral attempts to annex the territory.
As such, I ask that you update your sentence to replace “Jerusalem” with “occupied East Jerusalem.”
Thank you for making this change. 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