"After the Gaza clip I expected to see footage of Jenin showing why Gazans were sympathising with its residents, but instead you featured an Israeli army official."
July 5, 2023
To:
Rebecca Joseph
Digital Managing Editor for Global News Online
Dawn Cuthbertson
Acting National Director Content & Editorial Standards for Global News Online
Dear Ms Joseph and Ms Cuthbertson,
I am writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org ) regarding your news segment: “Palestinians protest in Gaza against Israeli army raid in Jenin” posted on the Global News website on July 3, 2023.
I appreciated the video footage from Gaza showing a peaceful protest in support of Jenin Refugee Camp, in which protester Nasreen Abu Amra emphasizes that 'resistance is the only outlet for the Palestinian people' and refers to the 'silence of the international' community.
After the Gaza clip I expected to see footage of Jenin showing why Gazans were sympathising with its residents, but instead you featured an Israeli army official.
Thank you for, at least in the title, not repeating the term 'operation' used by Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht and writing 'army raid' instead. Considering that according to Haaretz, 2000 Israeli troops were on the ground, 'military invasion' would convey a more accurate picture.
Hecht goes on to say this was a 'precise' attack focused on the 'infrastructure of terrorism'. This contradicts reports and /or footage of Israeli forces killing civilians including at least four children, directly targeting medics and journalists, preventing medical access and destroying civilian infrastructure resulting in the loss of water and power for the entire camp. These actions constitute war crimes according to today's UN press release .
Hecht's reference to Islamic Jihad also needs context: PIJ is a Palestinian national liberation and resistance movement fighting against Israel's open-ended, 56-year long military occupation.
Lastly, Hecht's statement that the army is moving from 'target after target' promotes the Israeli narrative that Jenin camp is full of terrorists and the invasion was justified. Fair and balanced coverage would have included statements from Palestinian human rights groups or residents of Jenin refugee camp.
In future reporting, I hope to see coverage that does not favour one perspective over another.
Sincerely,
Renée A. Nunan-Rappard
CJPME Saskatoon,
Lanigan, Saskatchewan.