"Palestinian refugees are, by definition, refugees from somewhere. Your readers deserve to know the source and cause of Palestinian refugee questions in Lebanon: the country to the south of Lebanon is central to all Palestinian refugee developments within Lebanon".
September 8, 2023
To:
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Josef Federman, News Director, Associated Press
Abby Sewell, Reporter and News Director, Associated Press
Dear Donovan Vincent, Josef Federman, and Abby Sewell,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.org) to express concern about your September 8 article, “Clashes resume between factions in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp.”
This article is incomplete and therefore misleading.
Palestinian refugees are, by definition, refugees from somewhere. Your readers deserve to know the source and cause of Palestinian refugee questions in Lebanon: the country to the south of Lebanon is central to all Palestinian refugee developments within Lebanon. The CBC Massey Lecture series, one of the most respected Canadian sources on world politics, underlines this point for Canadians. One especially relevant historical passage reads:
The above paragraph link shows how our CBC Massey Lectures underline the key context.
Please add to your story, for the sake of accuracy, the necessary details. A paragraph worded as follows could correct your omission:
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) records that there are nearly half a million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, the descendants of those who fled or were driven out from what is now Israel in 1948. Israel has long refused to implement United Nations resolutions aimed at addressing this crisis.
If you wish, feel free to reach me by phone at 438-380-5410.
Sincerely,
Dan Freeman-Maloy
PhD, University of Exeter
Director of Strategic Operations
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East/
Canadiens pour la Justice et la Paix au Moyen-Orient