Why does this article use “Hamas-led” when describing Gaza Health Ministry statistics of Palestinians killed by Israel during the “ceasefire”? In Canada, the press would not use “Liberal-led” to describe any federal level ministry. I have also never seen the press use “Likud-led” in describing any of Israel’s ministries.
To the Sudbury.com and the Associated Press newsrooms,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express concern about the article titled “Divisions emerge among western European nations over Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza” published yesterday.
Why does this article use “Hamas-led” when describing Gaza Health Ministry statistics of Palestinians killed by Israel during the “ceasefire”? In Canada, the press would not use “Liberal-led” to describe any federal level ministry. I have also never seen the press use “Likud-led” in describing any of Israel’s ministries.
The use of “Hamas-led” in reference to the Gaza Health Ministry is not only unnecessary, it is also a form of anti-Palestinian bias, intended to introduce ambiguity and cast doubt on the credibility of the Health Ministry’s statistics, which, the article points out, are “seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and international experts”. According to the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), this type of framing qualifies as Anti-Palestinian Racism.
I kindly urge Sudbury.com and AP to correct the article accordingly, in order to align with the Canadian Association of Journalists ethics guidelines and standards of fairness and accuracy.
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins