"While the article does state that The Commission reports that “Israel obstructs its work and prevented investigators from accessing both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the extent of Israel’s noncompliance is not adequately conveyed, thus giving readers the false impression that the burden of proof has been met equally by Israel and Palestine."
June 14, 2024
To:
Sandra E. Martin, Standards Editor, The Globe and Mail
David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail
Angela Pacienza, Executive Editor, The Globe and Mail
Christine Brousseau, Assistant Managing Editor, News, The Globe and Mail
Dear editors at The Globe and Mail,
I’d like to express concern regarding one of the most recent Reuters articles published on The Globe’s site: “Both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in early stages of Gaza conflict, UN inquiry says.”
I found a particularly disappointing lack of context, leading the article to exhibit slight levels of pro-Israel bias. Given this article’s designation as “news,” the omission of context must be mitigated to cater to journalistic standards of balance and accuracy.
One of the core components of this investigation– like any formal investigation– is its evidence methodology. The Commission clearly reported on the challenges in gathering of information and access. The Commission sent the Government of Israel “six requests for information and access and one request for information to the State of Palestine.”[1] The Commission subsequently reports that Palestine provided extensive comments and no response was received from Israel. Further, Israeli officials barred medical professionals and others “from being in contact with the Commission after it approached medical professionals in Israel in December 2023.”[2] Due to these obstructions imposed by Israel, The Commission did not have access to unedited testimonies gathered by Israeli police and journalists regarding the Oct. 7 attacks.
While the article does state that The Commission reports that “Israel obstructs its work and prevented investigators from accessing both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the extent of Israel’s noncompliance is not adequately conveyed, thus giving readers the false impression that the burden of proof has been met equally by Israel and Palestine.
Interestingly, the article includes some of the report’s findings on sexual, gender-based violations committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, but omits findings of sexual, gender-based violations committed by Israel Security Forces after Oct. 7. Is there a reason for this omission? Sections of the report regarding acts of SGBV committed by Hamas/armed Palestinian groups and Israel Security Forces, respectively, are equally comprehensive. The exclusion of one set of findings and the omission of the other seems deliberate. In any case, it should be edited immediately as the acts of sexual violence perpetrated by Israel are especially serious. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory finds that sexual abuse and gender-based violence committed by Israeli military personnel since Oct. 7 have either been ordered or cordoned by superior personnel.
Further, the description of sexual violence committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 is rather misleading, as you write that a “pattern of sexual violence” by Palestinian armed groups was identified. Indeed, The Commission found that acts of SGBV were not isolated but, importantly, it did not find credible evidence that militants “received orders to commit sexual violence.”[3] Reporting that a “pattern” had been identified without mentioning The Commission’s conclusion that these acts were not committed systemically is misleading, inaccurate, and must be edited immediately.
To adhere to basic journalistic standards of accuracy, please make these edits promptly.
Sincerely,
Rose Mardikian,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East