We do appreciate that the article specified that Elbit Systems is an Israeli weapons manufacturer; however we ask the Globe and Mail to add some of this context in future reporting so readers understand the key role it plays in enabling Israel’s campaigns of destruction.
To the Globe and Mail,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East regarding the article titled: “Calgary Opera removes singer from Tosca after he displayed Palestinian flag at curtain call.”
We appreciated that the article gave space to the bass singer Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega in response to the Calgary Opera removing him for displaying the Palestinian flag.
We also appreciate that the article does not refer to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza as “Hamas-run.” This is a media pattern we have been taking issue with for the past three years. Regardless of one’s opinion of Hamas, it is the de facto governing authority in the occupied Gaza Strip. Naturally, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza operates under its jurisdiction as any civil institution would under a local government.
We also appreciate that the article mentions that the Giller Prize for fiction faced numerous protests over former sponsors particularly the Bank of Nova Scotia, which held a significant investment in Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems through a subsidiary.
However, the article would have provided valuable context to readers had it mentioned that Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer and a major supplier to the Israeli military, producing drones, surveillance technologies, and weapons systems. More specifically, Elbit’s drones and surveillance technologies enable Israel’s precision strikes on residential areas, and its military vehicles and weapons systems are used to commit Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity across the region.
In fact the company has long been the target of international boycott campaigns due to its direct role in profiting from and sustaining Israel’s apartheid regime and ongoing genocide.
We do appreciate that the article specified that Elbit Systems is an Israeli weapons manufacturer; however we ask the Globe and Mail to add some of this context in future reporting so readers understand the key role it plays in enabling Israel’s campaigns of destruction.
Media Analyst. Canadians for Justice in the Middle East