"The segment mentions in depth the current events regarding the judicial reform bill and its ramifications. What I feel is inaccurate is the mention and classification of Israel as a democracy without taking into account the millions of Palestinians who are living in what is now widely recognized as an apartheid system; Israel’s democracy only applies to Israeli citizens."
July 25, 2023
To:
Merella Fernandez, News Anchor, CTV News
Rosa Hwang, Executive Producer, CTV News
Dear Ms. Fernandez, Ms. Hwang,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) with some concerns regarding CTV’ July 24 “Top 3 Tonight” news segment which covered the mass protests in Israel.
The segment mentions in depth the current events regarding the judicial reform bill and its ramifications. What I feel is inaccurate is the mention and classification of Israel as a democracy without taking into account the millions of Palestinians who are living in what is now widely recognized as an apartheid system; Israel’s democracy only applies to Israeli citizens. Even among those citizens, the 1.6 million Palestinian Citizens of Israel face systemic discrimination and are treated as second class citizens. Palestinians who do not have Israeli citizenship and are living under occupation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza (5.2 million) are not allowed to vote in national elections for the government which rules over them. Therefore, Israeli “democracy” is selectively extended to those who live in Israel proper, and not any of the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories.
Second, you mention that the judicial reforms will very likely hurt the Israeli-Palestinian peace process or a resolution on a two-state solution. More context is needed here. It should be mentioned that despite international condemnation and opposition (including from Canada), Israel is continuing with its settlement enterprise on illegally occupied Palestinian land, expanding existing settlements and building new settlements, thus diminishing any possibility for the creation of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state. In addition to this, Netanyahu recently remarked that he wishes to “crush” Palestinian aspirations of statehood. It is quite obvious that no state which upholds the principles of democracy and claims to be democratic would rule over a captive population, destroy its property, raid and attacks its urban centers and farms, and allow its own citizens (armed settlers) to attack Palestinian civilians with no fear of recourse or punishment.
I insist that the proper context be mentioned in future reports on this subject both, for the sake of accuracy and in order to better inform your audience.
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