"At first glance these sentences seem to reflect accurate journalistic reporting, but the CBC never transparently mentions that Israel is responsible for inflicting the conditions that have caused the poliovirus to surge: the inability for Gazan authorities to collect garbage; Palestinians being forcibly expelled from their homes as Israel carpet bombs the strip and forces those displaced to gather in overcrowded refugee camps; Israel's conscious political decision to blockade the strip, meaning Gazans don’t have access to hygiene, sanitary, or medical products."
July 23, 2024
To:
Yasmine Hassan, Producer, CBC News
Nancy Waugh, Managing Editor, CBC News
Brodie Fenlon, News Editor-in-Chief, CBC News
Dear Ms. Hassan, Ms. Waugh, and Mr. Fenlon,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express my concern regarding your article titled “Type 2 poliovirus detected in wastewater in the Gaza Strip,” published on July 23, 2024, by the CBC. I take issue with the manner in which you report on the crumbling health infrastructure of Gaza, which has led to a rise in poliovirus. While you correctly report on Gaza’s wastewater issues being caused by the severe congestion of people in small areas and the scarcity of available water in the strip, I find it shocking that you omit Israel’s direct and intentional damage to Gaza’s infrastructure as the cause of this health crisis, which is occurring during a now ten-month-long siege on the strip by the Israeli military.
To begin, I take issue with the sentences, "officials in Gaza said the presence of the virus was caused by the severe congestion of people in small areas and the scarcity of available water in the strip," and "poor sanitation during the ongoing war and declining vaccination coverage could have contributed to the re-emergence of the virus."
At first glance these sentences seem to reflect accurate journalistic reporting, but the CBC never transparently mentions that Israel is responsible for inflicting the conditions that have caused the poliovirus to surge: the inability for Gazan authorities to collect garbage; Palestinians being forcibly expelled from their homes as Israel carpet bombs the strip and forces those displaced to gather in overcrowded refugee camps; Israel's conscious political decision to blockade the strip, meaning Gazans don’t have access to hygiene, sanitary, or medical products.
Given Israel's genocidal actions in the strip, “24 hospitals in Gaza are now out of service, while 493 health workers have been killed. Each medical center or humanitarian delivery system has been or is being destroyed, to be replaced by less effective, improvised options.” These blatant war crimes have a direct impact on Gazan civilians trying to get medical aid and have resulted in the loss of lives that could have been easily saved, as well as sustained long-term injuries due to the denial of assistance and treatment.
I believe the CBC should correct their reporting by stating that Israel is deliberately responsible for aid not getting into Gaza and for the rise in the poliovirus to surge. The CBC should also state that Palestinians in Gaza are cut off from basic goods because Israel imposes a blockade, bombs hospitals, arrests healthcare workers, blocks fuel, aid, and medical supplies.
Omitting this information is gravely irresponsible. Describing these actions without clearly stating that Israel is the perpetrator whitewashes Israel’s assaults and maintains its impunity. Your framing essentially justifies Israel's ground offensive and fails to raise any skepticism or critical analysis of the Israeli military's statements regarding the blockage of aid into the strip and now the rise in polio.
Please consider these points and make the necessary revisions to ensure a fair and balanced representation of this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East