"It is rare to see the media give voice to people with such experience to cover the power imbalance between unarmed Palestinians and heavily armed Israeli soldiers in an accurate way."
November 28, 2023
To:
Bill Metcalfe, Reporter, Nelson Star
Tyler Harper, Editor and Reporter, Nelson Star
Dear Bill Metcalfe and Tyler Harper,
I am writing to thank you for the article: “Nelson residents urge council demand Canada call for permanent Gaza cease fire,” published on November 27 in Nelson Star.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article, which accurately depicts the situation in Palestine and the local actions and responses to it. This article stood out from the articles I have been reading since October 7 for various reasons.
First, I appreciated the testimony from Mary Ann Morris and her work with the international group Community Peacemaker Teams in the Palestinian occupied territories in the fall of 2022.
It is rare to see the media give voice to people with such experience to cover the power imbalance between unarmed Palestinians and heavily armed Israeli soldiers in an accurate way.
Also, Morris' mention of the double standard between the support of Ukraine against Russia's invasion and Palestinians was a necessary and much-appreciated touch to complete this picture.
Second, it was refreshing to see that you included Bessie Wapp's accurate description of the “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” chant. In line with Wapp's testimony, a lot of media have fallen into the trap of only giving voice to people, saying it is a call for genocide and not condemning Israel's actual use of genocidal words and ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Third, giving space to Zaynab Mohammed, a Palestinian woman, made your article as balanced as possible. Palestinian voices and perspectives are frequently not included or discredited in the media, so it was much needed and appreciated.
Finally, thanks for not shying away from quoting Sian Hughes using the correct terms to describe the situation in Palestine. It is, but not limited to, about oppression, disenfranchisement, and displacement.
Thank you, Bill Metcalfe and Nelson Star, for this accurate and balanced media coverage of the situation in Palestine and local actions and responses to it. Please continue to do so.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East