The Media Accountability Project  

I appreciate your coverage of Netanyahu’s decision to delay his coalition’s judicial reforms in response to recent protests and strikes in the country. I also appreciate that you called attention to Israel’s far-right National Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who stated publicly that the reforms will pass. However, there is critical context that you’ve failed to include in your news segment. The reason that the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir agreed to this legislative pause, rather than resign from the coalition, was in return for a commitment from Netanyahu to establish a “national guard” under Ben-Gvir’s control, which many are calling a “militia.” Continue reading

Indonesia’s refusal to host Israel’s soccer team is a part of longstanding support for Palestinian self-determination and anti-colonialism, based on a constitutional mandate that calls for independence as an inalienable right of all nations. Indonesia’s decision not to host Israel’s Under 20 soccer team is based on legitimate concerns regarding Israel’s military occupation and apartheid regime. Continue reading

You will need to delete the sentence where Mr. Nisan writes, “When Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government evicted thousands of Israelis from their homes in Gush Katif in 2005, based on a decision to withdraw from all of the Gaza Strip, the Supreme Court refused to protect the dispossessed Israelis’ human rights, property rights and even their right to protest.” This sentence apes arguments advanced by many of Israel’s right-wing leaders today, and has been repeatedly disproven Continue reading

It’s time for Canada to question Israel’s democratic character.  It’s time to forcefully condemn Israel’s illegal settlements in Palestinian territory.  It’s time to denounce Israel’s apartheid policies.  It’s time to withhold trade benefits and arms from Israel until it respects international legal norms. Continue reading

I am pleased to see that you have written an article detailing student advocacy towards academic divestment from companies complicit in human rights violations. I am especially happy to see that you mention Israel, which continues to enforce an apartheid system that oppresses and dominates Palestinians. Continue reading

It is alarming that in a story that concerns Israel’s relations with Palestinians, the pro-Palestine protests in London on Downing Street would be omitted and only two Israeli guests would be interviewed and not a Palestinian guest. This serves to omit key information about a Palestinian demonstration, and it omits a Palestinian perspective in a story that directly involves Palestinian issues. Continue reading

Your article highlighted several critical voices regarding the motion to redefine antisemitism based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). I am especially happy to see that you mention the impact adopting IHRA’s definition could have on solidarity and advocacy for Palestinian self-determination. Continue reading

I insist that you update your article to note that Netanyahu agreed to establish a ‘national guard’ under Ben-Gvir as part of the compromise. Further, your reporting should also note the extremist, ultranationalist background of Itamar Ben-Givr, and the threat that his militia force poses to Palestinian citizens of Israel. Continue reading

Your article omits a widely reported, key fact in Netanyahu’s decision to pause its legislative agenda. The reason that the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir agreed to this legislative pause was in return for a commitment from Netanyahu to establish a “national guard” under Ben-Gvir’s control. Without this context, your readers are missing key information that explains how this postponement came to be. Continue reading

It is true that "most countries" deem Israel’s settlements in the occupied West Bank to be illegal, and it is true that Israel disagrees. However, this is not a matter of a country’s opinion. While almost every country believes that Israeli settlements are illegal, it is more relevant to point out that this is a settled consensus and legal fact as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Continue reading