Critical details regarding the Israeli occupation of Gaza omitted to satisfy partisan pressure group

"You must, if you aim to be a credible news organization, immediately restore the original language, and not airbrush true facts to satisfy partisan pressure groups."


October 18, 2023

To:

Lorne Motley, Editor, Calgary Herald & Calgary Sun

Monica Zurowski, Deputy Editor, Calgary Herald & Calgary Sun

Scott Strasser, Reporter, Calgary Herald & Calgary Sun

Dear Lorne Motley, Monica Zurowski, and Scott Strasser,

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, cjpme.org) to stress the inaccuracy of your editorial decision regarding, “Pro-Palestine protesters converge in downtown Calgary.

You have caved to a fringe lobby group at the expense of established facts.

Serious media organizations note that the Gaza Strip has, as your story initially reported, “been under Israeli occupation for decades.” Here, for example, is CTV:

“Although Israel dismantled its settlements in Gaza in 2005, the UN still considers Gaza to be under Israeli military occupation, given that Israel has imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on the territory.”

And here is the Globe and Mail:

“Israel also controls Gaza’s airspace and waters, meaning the strip still qualifies as ‘occupied’ under international law.”

Legally, the factual details of “occupation” are governed by the Fourth Geneva Convention, which repeatedly names the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as the body empowered to deal with situations of occupation. The ICRC, like all credible opinion, regularly declares that Gaza has been continually occupied by Israel since 1967.

You must, if you aim to be a credible news organization, immediately restore the original language, and not airbrush true facts to satisfy partisan pressure groups.

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

Sincerely,

Dan Freeman-Maloy

Director of Strategic Operations

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East