"Your coverage of the Run for Palestine contains inaccurate material. You say: “Ever since Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, violence has regularly erupted between Israelis and Palestinians who each lay claim to various parts of the disputed region.” This is not correct or credible language."
October 2, 2023
To:
Fletcher Kent, Managing Editor, Global TV Edmonton
Brent Pushkarenko, News Director, Global News Edmonton
Dear Fletcher Kent and Brent Pushkarenko,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.org) to request a correction of your September 30 Global News Hour.
Your coverage of the Run for Palestine contains inaccurate material. You say: “Ever since Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, violence has regularly erupted between Israelis and Palestinians who each lay claim to various parts of the disputed region.” This is not correct or credible language.
The following change of terms is professionally necessary:
- The word “captured” needs to be changed to the word “occupied.”
This is not a matter of controversy – it is a straightforward matter of fact.
The word “captured” has no meaning in international law, or in credible journalism. The correct word is “occupied.” The Canadian government refers to the land in question as “the occupied territories.” The United Nations calls them the Occupied Palestinian Territories (or the Occupied Palestinian Territory). The “captured territories” is not a known phrase: it is globally established and not in dispute that these territories were occupied.
We insist on the following alternative phrasing: “Ever since Israel OCCUPIED the West Bank in 1967, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, violence has regularly erupted as Palestinians have endured decades of occupation.”
A change to that effect can alone make sense of your Run for Palestine news coverage.
Feel free to contact me at 438-380-5410 if you would like to discuss this 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