"These words also obfuscate the scale of Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza. Israel has killed civilians in Gaza with military tactics and equipment besides missiles and bombs. Palestinians in Gaza are being targeted and killed by airstrikes, gunshots, and tanks, as well as fatal conditions that have caused death from lack of medicine, starvation, dehydration, and malnutrition."
March 11, 2024
To:
Nancy Waugh, Sr. Manager, CBC News
Dear Nancy Waugh,
I am writing to express a minor change in the article: “Winnipeg families fill sky with kites in solidarity with Gaza,”published on March 11 on CBC News.
I appreciated CBC covering a local action in solidarity with Palestine and giving voice to Bassam Hozaima, a Palestinian-Canadian, Sara Warkentin, a member of Family Actions for Palestine, an organizer of the event, and Neil Exell, a member of Family Actions for Palestine.
It is an improvement from an article you published about a kite-flying event organized by Family Actions 4 Palestine on January 15 in CBC News Manitoba, where no voice was given to Palestinians and children who attended the event.
However, I want to highlight one specific issue in your article.
You write: “The current war started Oct. 7 when Hamas led an attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking nearly 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.”
It is inaccurate to say that “the current war” started on Oct. 7 following Hamas’s attack.
Such words not only undermine Israel’s responsibility for the situation it has inflicted on Gazans, which has been ruled as a plausible genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), but it also absolves completely the reality of Gazans before October 7, such as living under a state of Israeli-imposed apartheid, as reported by Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch.
These words also obfuscate the scale of Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza. Israel has killed civilians in Gaza with military tactics and equipment besides missiles and bombs. Palestinians in Gaza are being targeted and killed by airstrikes, gunshots, and tanks, as well as fatal conditions that have caused death from lack of medicine, starvation, dehydration, and malnutrition.
Please edit the words “the current war” to words that better reflect Israel’s actions and the situation in Gaza. You might want to consider words such as Israel’s bombardment campaign or Israel’s military campaign.
I hope CBC News will make this change and consider my suggestion when reporting on Palestine in the future.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East