"Including coverage on the Palestine Festival was important as it also informed those who are not of Palestinian heritage of the event and gives them an opportunity to pass by and learn more about Palestinian culture."
July 24, 2023
To:
Lillian Roy, Journalist, CTV News Montreal
Jessica Barile, Intern/Journalist, CTV News Montreal
Dear Ms. Roy, Ms. Barile,
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 gratitude regarding your mention of the Palestine Festival in your article “From a poutine festival to electronic music: What to do this weekend around Montreal”.
Montréal is a city rich in culture and diversity. Including coverage on the Palestine Festival was important as it also informed those who are not of Palestinian heritage of the event and gives them an opportunity to pass by and learn more about Palestinian culture.
I was particularly pleased to see your summary of the event which mentioned Palestinians “unwavering steadfastness in the face of occupation.” Such a description is very useful. Palestinian resistance to occupation is often portrayed negatively in Canadian media. Further, some media outlets have chosen much broader, problematic terms such as “disputed” instead of “occupied” when describing the West Bank. This is problematic as it obscures the near-total consensus that the West Bank is under Israeli military occupation.
Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Mohamed Khalaf
Director of Strategic Operations,
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East