Article fails specify that Al-Aqsa mosque is an "occupied" site in East Jerusalem

"Accuracy demands that you clearly distinguish between East and West Jerusalem and refer to “occupied” or "annexed” sites (e.g., Al-Aqsa) when discussing East Jerusalem."


September 22, 2023

To:

Jon Whitten, News Director, CityNews

Josef Federman, Editor, Associated Press

Dear Jon Whitten and Josef Federman,

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.org) to express concern about your September 21 article, “Israeli police shoot a Palestinian after he allegedly stabbed a guard at a Jerusalem train station.” 

Your article covers crucial developments, and the details are important to get right.

While the United Nations and Canadian political authorities continually stress the illegality of Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem (“Canada does not recognize Israel's unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem,” the Government of Canada declares), your article contains a misleading absence of information on the fact of occupation, annexation, and illegality.

Your article’s references to “Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site” and “conflicting claims” need to be changed to reflect the opinion of the United Nations and the main legal experts. 

Accuracy demands that you clearly distinguish between East and West Jerusalem and refer to “occupied” or “annexed” sites (e.g., Al-Aqsa) when discussing East Jerusalem.

Feel free to reach me at 438-380-5410 should you wish to discuss this matter further.

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