"During the conversation, Mr. Eisenberg falsely claimed that Khader Adnan, the subject of the retweet by Sarah Jama in question, was a “Palestinian terrorist.” This is demonstrably false and was not challenged by Mr. Brady."
May 5, 2023
To:
Greg Brady, Host, Toronto Today
Howard Eisenberg, President Hamilton Jewish Federation
Dear Mr. Brady and Mr. Eisenberg,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to demand an on-air correction following your segment on Sarah Jama’s retweet that aired on May 5, 2023.
During the conversation, Mr. Eisenberg falsely claimed that Khader Adnan, the subject of the retweet by Sarah Jama in question, was a “Palestinian terrorist.” This is demonstrably false and was not challenged by Mr. Brady.
Further, the day before, Mr. Brady went on air and spoke for over 6 minutes about Sarah Jama’s alleged controversial retweet, never describing the tweet or its context in any detail whatsoever. This only makes these false claims more inflammatory. These are clear violations of widely shared, basic journalistic standards in Canada. This glaring factual error, paired with such misleading coverage of the event, require an on-air correction.
As +972 magazine reports, Adnan “was never indicted for suspected armed activity.”[1] Instead, the charges against him were about membership in a proscribed organization and “incitement,” which his lawyer claims were “not based on any evidence or even a confession, but rather on incriminations by people who do not know him.”[2] He never went to trial and was never convicted.
The segment failed to mention that Khader Adnan’s death has been widely condemned by UN experts and international, Israeli, and Palestinian human rights groups, who hold Israeli authorities responsible. Due to this omission, listeners were left to assume that the statement that Jama had retweeted was controversial and fringe, whereas it was consistent with the position of the international human rights community:
- According to UN experts: “The death of Khader Adnan is a tragic testament to Israel’s cruel and inhumane detention policy and practices, as well as the international community’s failure to hold Israel accountable in the face of callous illegalities perpetrated against Palestinians […] The systematic practice of administrative detention, is tantamount to a war crime of wilfully depriving protected persons of the rights of fair and regular trial.”[3]
- According to Amnesty International: “The death of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan is a reminder of the deadly cost that Palestinians pay for challenging Israel’s apartheid and a military justice system rigged against them […] Khader Adnan died in Israel’s Ramle prison on 2 May, after spending 87 days on hunger strike in protest at the Israeli authorities’ systematic arbitrary detention of Palestinians and cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners. Palestinian detainees frequently use hunger strikes to challenge such policies, risking their health and lives in order to demand the rights that Israel denies them.”[4]
- According to 14 international, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations: “Khader undertook his hunger strike — one of the few non-violent tools that remain for Palestinians — to oppose Israel’s long-term occupation and apartheid regime.”[5]
- According to B’Tselem: “Khader ‘Adnan died in an Israeli prison while on hunger strike, a form of non-violent protest against his arrest and the injustices of the occupation … The fact that a person whose life was in danger remained in prison despite repeated requests to transfer him to a hospital reflects the absolute disregard Israel held for his life.”[6]
- According to the Israel and Palestine Director of Human Rights Watch: “Make no mistake: Israel killed Khader Adnan. He valiantly struggled against injustice—multiple months-long hunger strikes against administrative detention—until his last breath. He never enjoyed a minute of freedom but dies w his head raised high. His resilience wont be forgotten.”[7]
Given all of the above, it is necessary that Mr. Brady make an on-air correction to clarify that Khader Adnan was not a terrorist and that Sarah Jama’s retweet was not fringe nor anti-Semitic.
If you do not make an on-air correction, I will be forced to advance this complaint to the CBSC, of which AM640 is a member.
If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact me at 438-380-5410.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Director of Media Advocacy
[1] Oren Ziv, “‘Tell everyone I have a right to live like any human being’”, +972 Magazine, May 2, 2023, https://www.972mag.com/khader-adnan-hunger-strike-death/
[2] Ibid.
[3] United Nations, “Israel: UN experts demand accountability for death of Khader Adnan and mass arbitrary detention of Palestinians,” May 3, 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/05/israel-un-experts-demand-accountability-death-khader-adnan-and-mass
[4] Amnesty International, “Israel/OPT: Death of Khader Adnan highlights Israel’s cruel treatment of Palestinian prisoners,” May 3, 2023, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/05/israel-opt-death-of-khader-adnan-highlights-israels-cruel-treatment-of-palestinian-prisoners/
[5] “Human Rights Violations Resulted in Khader Adnan’s Death,” statement signed by Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Amnesty International Israel, Bimkom – Planners for Human Rights, Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, Ir Amim, Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, MEDACT – Health Workers for Health Justice, Parents against Child Detention, Plateforme Palestine, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and The Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI), May 4, 2023, https://www.phr.org.il/en/khaderadnan/
[6] B’Tselem, Tweet, May 2, 2023, https://twitter.com/btselem/status/1653365421217570818?s=20
[7] Omar Shakir, Tweet, May 2, 2023, https://twitter.com/OmarSShakir/status/1653255187568513026?s=20