Article lacks context on origin of Palestinian refugees

"Of course, the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp is precisely a refugee camp, and effort should have been undertaken in citing this example to identify and report this family’s point of origin, most likely in the Galilee."


September 14, 2023

To:

Brodie Fenlon, Editor in Chief, CBC News

Dear Brodie Fenlon,

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.orgto ask for the addition of a salient detail to your September 14 article, “Libyan city’s death toll from devastating storm climbs to more than 5,000 people.”

To refer, as you do, to “the family of Saleh Sariyeh, a Palestinian originally from the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon who had lived in Derna for decades,” has the effect of identifying the refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh as this family’s point of origin.

Of course, the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp is precisely a refugee camp, and effort should have been undertaken in citing this example to identify and report this family’s point of origin, most likely in the Galilee.

If those details are difficult for reporters to find, a sentence of context is necessary:

Ein el-Hilweh houses more than a hundred thousand Palestinian refugees, including those who were expelled by or fled the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and their direct descendants.

Should you wish, you can reach me 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