"While I appreciate the inclusion of an op-ed about the situation in Syria, the column is not based on personal interpretation or analysis of facts and instead it is based on misinformation. There were at least two examples of misinformation I found that need to be corrected."
December 10, 2024
Dear Mr. Regg Cohn and Mr. Vincent,
I am writing on behalf of CJPME (www.cjpme.org) to request a correction of errors in your article: “Syria's collapse wasn't what Hamas had in mind. Israel, Iran and Turkey have other ideas” published on December 9, 2024.
While I appreciate the inclusion of an op-ed about the situation in Syria, the column is not based on personal interpretation or analysis of facts and instead it is based on misinformation. There were at least two examples of misinformation I found that need to be corrected..
The article states the following:
“…more than 44,000 Gazans are dead, according to Hamas authorities ,with one/third of them combatans according to Israel…”
The death toll of over 44,000 Gazans since October 7, 2023 is staggering. However, to state that one-third of them are Hamas combatants conflicts with the detailed IDF reports provided to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). Those reports suggest approximately 8,500 fatalities are militants which is one-fifth and not one-third of the reported death toll.
The second glaring error is to claim that the Golan Heighs is ‘Israel-annexed’. That is a blatant misrepresentation of the international community’s position. The United Nations along with the majority of the international community consider the Golan Heights to be under milliary occupation. Only the United States has supported and recognized Israel’s military occupation as an annexation.
I urge you to correct the errors in order to demonstrate and uphold your commitment to fact based and accurate information for your readers.
Sincerely,
Debbie Hubbard