"It is remarkable that nowhere in the article does it mention the profound asymmetry in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the past year. An October 13, 2024 Al-Jazeera report found that since October 7, Hezbollah and its allies attacked Israel 2,370 times, whereas Israel attacked Lebanon in the same period 11,238 times."
November 27, 2024
To:
Akiva van Koningsveld, Journalist, Jewish News Syndicate
Rob Roberts, Editor-in-Chief, National Post
Dear Mr. Koningsveld and Mr. Roberts,
I'm writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to request a correction of errors in your recent article titled “Israeli Security Cabinet approves truce with Lebanon: report” published on November 26, 2024.
The article states: “On Sunday, Hezbollah fired more than 240 projectiles at Israel, marking one of the most intense days of hostilities since the Lebanese terror group joined the war in support of Palestinian Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023.”
It is remarkable that nowhere in the article does it mention the profound asymmetry in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the past year. An October 13, 2024 Al-Jazeera report found that since October 7, Hezbollah and its allies attacked Israel 2,370 times, whereas Israel attacked Lebanon in the same period 11,238 times. This is a massive discrepancy that one would imagine merits mention in Mr. Koningsveld’s article. This data also makes clear that Mr. Koningsveld’s statement is false. It is not the most “intense day of hostilities” because of Hezbollah’s actions, but one of many intense days of hostilities because of Israel’s bombings that have dwarfed Hezbollah’s in force and scale.
Similarly, a recent September 27, 2024 BBC investigation based on data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), showed another dramatic surge in Israeli attacks in late September.
As you can see in the BBC’s chart, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have consistently been more frequent than attacks on Israel.
Hezbollah’s capabilities pale in comparison to Israel's. A reader of Mr. Koningsveld’s article may very well be led to believe the exact opposite of this reality, as there is no acknowledgement of reference to these facts.
The absence of this context reinforces a narrative that solely focuses on Hezbollah’s actions while overlooking the long-standing history of Israeli military occupation in Lebanon. To offer your readers a fuller understanding of the escalations between the two parties, I urge the National Post to provide information that shows the trends of the scale of attacks by both Israel and Hezbollah. This would allow your audience to better assess the disproportionality and the damage inflicted by both sides.
Finally, you mention that “more than 60,000 residents of Israel’s north remain internally displaced due to the ongoing cross-border attacks from Lebanon. The attacks have killed at least 76 people in Israel, including 31 IDF soldiers and six foreign nationals. More than 700 have been wounded.”
While you mention the Israeli death toll, you fail to mention the Lebanese death toll resulting from Israel’s expansion of its ongoing genocide from occupied Gaza into Lebanon. This omission demonstrates a clear double standard. In the interest of fair reporting, I urge you to add the Lebanese death toll wherein at least 3,823 have been killed and 15,859 have been wounded in Israeli attacks since the war on occupied Gaza began, according to Al Jazeera.
Thank you for your attention to these important matters and for your commitment to fair and accurate reporting. I look forward to your prompt response and the necessary adjustments being made.
Warm regards,
Lynn Naji
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East