Can the National Post please confirm that corrections will be made in order for this comment to align with the standard of accuracy as per Canadian Association of Journalists ethics guidelines?
To the National Post,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express concerns about the comment titled “Terry Newman: Israel-haters lose their minds as Montreal passes watered-down motion” published yesterday by the National Post.
The comment has serious inaccuracies and must be corrected to align with the Canadian Association of Journalists ethics guidelines.
First, the piece mischaracterizes Independent Jewish Voices as “a small group that only concerns itself with the Palestinian cause”. Their website illustrates that IJV is a “grassroots organization grounded in Jewish tradition that opposes all forms of racism and advocates for justice and peace for all in Palestine-Israel… IJV has active chapters in cities and on university campuses across the country”. IJV focuses its efforts in three thematic areas: Palestine Solidarity; Anti-racism and Indigenous solidarity; and Justice-Oriented Jewish Communities. As such, describing IJV as a small group only concerning itself with the Palestinian cause is clearly incorrect.
Later, the writer refers to “the fact that Israel is not an apartheid state and has not been found guilty of genocide”. This statement is also incorrect.
Many prominent international and domestic organizations have concluded or stated that Israel's actions and policies in Gaza amount to acts of genocide against Palestinians, including: as shown in comprehensive research reports or resolutions/ statements issued by the United Nations (via a special rapporteur, a special committee and commission of inquiry), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, leading Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and the Lemkin Institute of Genocide Prevention and Human Security, among others.
Furthermore, a list of notable organizations and figures who have recently adopted, or expressed openness towards, the terminology of Israeli apartheid is found here, and includes the International Court of Justice, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, numerous UN Special Rapporteurs, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices. UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, many Palestinian civil society organizations and many Israeli human rights organizations and groups.
Can the National Post please confirm that corrections will be made in order for this comment to align with the standard of accuracy as per Canadian Association of Journalists ethics guidelines?
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins