"Israeli forces deliberately destroyed water and electricity networks, homes, residential buildings, hospitals and even mosques. Palestinian residents of the refugee camp describe their homes being turned into military posts and barracks, and the theft and the destruction of their personal possessions. The severity of the destruction and brutality caused by the Israeli raid is completely absent from your radio segment."
July 6, 2023
To:
Neil Herland, Host, The World This Hour
Brandie Weikle, Senior Producer, CBC Radio
Dear Mr. Herland and Ms. Weikle,
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 concerns regarding a radio segment from The World This Hour that was streamed on CBC Radio One 96.1 FM and aired on July 6, 2023.
First, in the radio segment, you claim that “12 men” were killed during Israel’s military invasion of the Jenin refugee camp. However, you fail to specify that of the 12 Palestinians that were killed, 4 were children between the ages of 16 and 18 who died from gunshot wounds to the head and other injuries caused by the Israeli airstrikes. At least 120 Palestinians were also wounded, including 20 who are in a critical condition.
I insist that any future radio segments on the recent Israeli military raid of Jenin refugee include this important context.
Second, you provide a very biased account of the aftermath of the military raid on the Jenin refugee camp. While you state that Israeli drone strikes and forces damaged homes, that is insufficient and does not capture the extent of the damage inflicted on the refugee camp and its residents. According to Middle East Monitor, Jenin’s City Governor, Kamal Abu Al-Rub, stated that “Almost 80% of houses in the Jenin refugee camp were either destroyed, damaged or burnt." In addition, the Israeli forces deliberately destroyed water and electricity networks, homes, residential buildings, hospitals and even mosques. Palestinian residents of the refugee camp describe their homes being turned into military posts and barracks, and the theft and the destruction of their personal possessions. The severity of the destruction and brutality caused by the Israeli raid is completely absent from your radio segment.
Failing to provide this important context gives weight to the official Israeli military narrative. Describing the invasion of the Jenin refugee camp as a “military operation” that disabled “terrorist infrastructure” is highly misrepresentative of the damage witnessed on the ground. UN Experts have expressed that the actions of Israeli forces “amount to egregious violations of international law and standards on the use of force and may constitute a war crime.” More importantly, by giving a platform to such claims without providing sufficient context or Palestinian voices to counteract, Israeli sources remain unquestioned, despite evidence that they are extremely suspect and a complete whitewash of actual events.
I urge CBC Radio One and The World This Hour to take the appropriate steps and ensure their future coverage on Israel-Palestine is balanced and critical, especially when referring to Israeli military sources. Canadian listeners deserve to be exposed to accurate and fair coverage.
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