"This segment would be much more accurate if it stated: 'Around the world, Palestinians, along with their allies and supporters, are marking the 78th anniversary of the mass expulsion from lands that took place during 'Israel’s establishment' in 1948.'"
To Newstalk 1010 producers,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express appreciation (and give some constructive feedback) regarding a segment on the Nakba aired yesterday at 18:20 on Newstalk 1010 (CFRB).
Overall, this segment efficiently provides facts and context to help the listener understand the injustices that Palestinians have faced and resisted before, during and after the establishment of Israel. For example, the segment acknowledges that Palestinians “fled and were driven from their homes” and have demanded “the right to return… throughout decades of peace negotiations”.
However, stating that “In the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians are marking the 78th anniversary of the mass expulsion from lands that make up modern day Israel”, not only obfuscates the complexity of what has taken place between the establishment of Israel and present day - given that Israel has expanded well beyond the 1949 Armistice borders that most of the international community recognize as the “border of Israel” and given that Israel has since also “captured” territories that are recognized under international law as occupied Palestinian territory - but also masks the ongoing nature of the Nakba by failing to acknowledge that expulsions have continued to present day. From the chosen wording, one might also conclude that the anniversary of the Nakba is primarily taking place “in the West Bank and Gaza” and that the anniversary is only being marked by Palestinians.
This segment would be much more accurate if it stated: “Around the world, Palestinians, along with their allies and supporters, are marking the 78th anniversary of the mass expulsion from lands that took place during “Israel’s establishment” in 1948.”
I encourage the newsroom in future to continue to provide accurate coverage, in accordance with the Canadian Association of Journalists’ ethics guidelines.
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins