When a claim from a party to the conflict has not been checked, it should be reported as that party's claim, and readers should be told if it could not be verified. That is AP's own journalistic standard.
To the Associated Press Newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express our concern regarding The Associated Press article titled: "Israel detains more than 70 suspects after deadly violence in West Bank," published on July 25, 2026.
The article presents the illegality of Israeli settlements as an opinion, stating that "the international community overwhelmingly considers the Israeli settlement construction illegal and an obstacle to peace."
Characterizing an established legal consensus as “overwhelming” is misleading and falls short of basic journalistic standards of accuracy. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention forbids an occupying power from moving its own civilians into the territory it occupies. UN Security Council Resolution 2334 states that the settlements have no legal validity and are a flagrant violation of international law.² The International Court of Justice reaffirmed in its July 2024 advisory opinion that (i) Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful, and (ii) Israel is under an obligation to end its unlawful occupation “as rapidly as possible.” Canada's own position, as stated by Global Affairs Canada, is that the settlements violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.
This phrasing as well is not only particular to this article; it is a recurring pattern. It frequently recurs in AP's West Bank coverage.
Framing Israel’s unlawful settlements as “overwhelmingly” considered illegal by the international community therefore manufactures doubt on an established legal consensus in international law.
We ask that this wording be removed to report on the illegality of the settlements as a finding of law in the interest of accuracy.
Second, the Israeli military's account is relayed as established fact throughout the article. The article rests on statements from the Israeli military: most notably, it mentions that “more than 300 locations were searched and what it described as affiliates of the Hamas militant group, arms traffickers, 'terrorists' and others were detained.”
Not only is the Israeli military the sole source, but the article also offers readers no independent corroboration and no indication that AP was unable to verify the claims.
When a claim from a party to the conflict has not been checked, it should be reported as that party's claim, and readers should be told if it could not be verified. That is AP's own journalistic standard.
In light of our concerns, we ask for the removal of the unnecessary qualifier “overwhelming”, that claims made by the Israeli military be presented as claims until independently verified, and that Palestinian accounts of the events described be sought and given comparable standing to official Israeli accounts.
Sincerely,
Meghan Raza
Media Advocate
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East