The Media Accountability Project  

Misleading coverage of Israel's construction of wall in south Lebanon

This essential context is missing from your segment, and its absence produces a narrative that obscures Israel’s ongoing violations of Lebanese territory (especially when juxtaposed with the previous segment showing the resilient people of Gaza rebuilding after the so-called ceasefire) - ultimately whitewashing the illegality of this wall construction.

To the CityNews newsroom,

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) regarding your recent news segment, which aired at 5:20 a.m.

The portion of the segment discussing the Israeli army’s construction of a wall in south Lebanon near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, juxtaposed with footage showing the resilient people of Gaza rebuilding after the so-called ceasefire, is highly misleading. 

While the segment correctly notes that Israel’s wall construction crossed the Blue Line, rendering over 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible, the framing nonetheless gives disproportionate weight to Israel’s denial.

Under international law and according to UNIFIL verification, Israel’s construction of this wall constitutes a clear violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity. It expands beyond the limits of the Blue Line, the boundary separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This expansion is also not occurring in a vacuum: since the ceasefire was declared last November, Israeli occupation forces have carried out daily bombardments across southern Lebanon and continue to occupy at least five Lebanese areas.

This essential context is missing from your segment, and its absence produces a narrative that obscures Israel’s ongoing violations of Lebanese territory (especially when juxtaposed with the previous segment showing the resilient people of Gaza rebuilding after the so-called ceasefire) - ultimately whitewashing the illegality of this wall construction.

Kindly keep this context in consideration when presenting information in future segments on Israel’s construction of the wall in southern Lebanon.

Lynn Naji

Media Analyst

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

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