It may be a sad fact that Palestinians will ultimately have no choice but to bend to American and Israeli diktats in order to stop the genocide against them, but that does not make it right – or in accordance with basic journalistic norms – to report those diktats as though they were banal facts of life. That is an editorial position that has no place in news reporting.
Dear Steven Scheer, Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters editors, and the Globe & Mail editorial team:
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to provide feedback on the Reuters piece published by the Globe and Mail yesterday titled, “Kushner in Israel as stalemate over trapped Hamas fighters tests Gaza ceasefire.”
While much of the first half of the article is straightforward reporting, towards the middle the piece states, “Making longer-term progress on the ceasefire plan will require agreement on a transitional governing body for Gaza without Hamas involvement, the formation of the stabilization force and the setting of the terms of its involvement, Hamas disarmament and reconstruction.”
While it is true that the United States and Israel have taken the position that those are necessary preconditions for a long-term ceasefire, on what basis can you justify transforming their position into a mere statement of fact? One can just as easily take the view – as many do – that Palestinians have just as much right to decide who governs them as do Americans or Israelis, and that no one is entitled to impose a ruling faction on them. It may be a sad fact that Palestinians will ultimately have no choice but to bend to American and Israeli diktats in order to stop the genocide against them, but that does not make it right – or in accordance with basic journalistic norms – to report those diktats as though they were banal facts of life. That is an editorial position that has no place in news reporting.
Moreover, towards the end, the piece states, “Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of breaching the October truce deal, with Israel saying Hamas was stalling over returning hostage remains and Hamas saying Israel continued to obstruct aid deliveries.” To simply report that each side has accused the other without making any apparent effort to investigate further is to abdicate journalism in favour of stenography.
Were you to look into the facts, you might learn that in the past month, as The Independent reports Israel has blocked 10,000 aid trucks (trucks that the Norwegian Refugee Council, explains include “lifesaving shelter materials,” as winter approaches in a territory whose housing stock Israel has obliterated). It is a simple fact – not a mere assertion by Hamas – that Israel continues to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of the basic necessities of life.
I would urge you to be more careful in your future reporting and to refrain from parroting Israel’s positions without distinguishing fact from opinion, or making a serious effort to determine and report on objective reality.
Sincerely,
Adam Allouba
Media Advocate
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
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