Rather, Israel inflicted a well-documented mass displacement and dispossession of more than 700,000 Palestinians starting in 1948, and has continued with illegal settlements, evictions, land confiscation, home demolitions and deadly settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, along with many other ongoing injustices suffered by Palestinians due to Israel’s illegal, military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians are indisputably legitimate victims of the policies and actions of Israel.
To the National Post editorial newsroom,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express deep concerns regarding the article titled “For Hamas, there can be no 'day after' for Gaza without ... Hamas!” published on October 21, 2025.
First, the author must provide evidence in order to state, as fact - not opinion, that “Hamas functionaries thuggishly controlled most of Gaza’s daily rhythms — law and order, health and education, the distribution of aid and food. And they did so guns cocked amid the threat of summary execution.” On what basis can the author justify this statement?
Second, without also stating the contributing role that Israel has played, it is factually inaccurate to state that “Beating and executions are now commonplace across Gaza, as Hamas score-settles with Palestinian clans it believes have collaborated with Israel or are building extended-family fiefdoms independent of Hamas rule.”
In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself admitted his government was arming some Gazan clans, gangs and militias that they believed were opposed to Hamas. Indeed, Israel’s actions have, in part, contributed significantly to the current “chaos” that the author attributes solely to Hamas, and this fact must be included as essential context, for accuracy.
Lastly, the author’s use of the phrase “Palestinian (self-inflicted) victimhood” is offensive and hateful. Rather, Israel inflicted a well-documented mass displacement and dispossession of more than 700,000 Palestinians starting in 1948, and has continued with illegal settlements, evictions, land confiscation, home demolitions and deadly settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, along with many other ongoing injustices suffered by Palestinians due to Israel’s illegal, military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. Palestinians are indisputably legitimate victims of the policies and actions of Israel.
Opinion writers must adhere to journalistic ethics of accuracy and fairness, under Canadian Association of Journalists guidelines. To adequately uphold accurate and fair reporting in line with these guidelines, I am asking the author to:
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Provide evidence that Hamas was providing law, order, health, education, and aid and food distribution with “guns cocked amid the threat of summary execution” or remove this statement;
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Remove the hateful reference to Palestinian (self-inflicted) victimhood;
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Include essential information about Israel arming Gazan clans, gangs and militias as a contributory factor to current instability in Gaza.
Failure to do so will leave me with no other choice but to file a complaint with the National News media council.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins