The Media Accountability Project  

"The article casts some doubt on the accuracy of reported Gazan casualties and in doing so, contributes to anti-Palestinian racism by dismissing well-established evidence of mass civilian harm as unreliable because the health-ministry was backed terror-group. We feel these points should be clarified in print and would welcome your comments."

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.

AP and CTV omit the important point that the Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Home demolitions and land theft are illegal and considered collective punishment. Any article about the West Bank conflict must contain this context.

The piece repeats Israeli claims that Hezbollah has turned Beaufort Castle in Lebanon “into a military stronghold.” No evidence whatsoever is provided for this key assertion. As a result, to simply parrot it is an act not of journalism, but of stenography.

"I am requesting that the Toronto Star and the Associated Press add the specific Palestinian death toll to this article, in order to align with the standards of accuracy, fairness and balance set out in the Canadian Association of Journalists ethics guidelines."

The lack of accountability passage likewise leaves Lebanese political prisoners and the forcibly disappeared in legal limbo as the agreement does not require Israel to disclose their fate nor allow Red Cross visits.

The framework also grants Israel the right to attack with the approval of the Lebanese government if Israel assesses there are “hostile intentions” or a risk of imminent threat approaching them. The agreement as well stipulates that Israel will not be pursued for crimes it has committed in the past or may commit in the future.

The Israeli military’s claims that they regret harming civilians ring hollow when Israeli officials outright openly make dehumanizing statements against Palestinians.

In the interest of accurate and fair reporting, we therefore ask the headline be changed to specifically mention that Israel is violating the ceasefire agreement, not “testing” it.

Israel’s ongoing artillery shelling, the burning of agricultural land and homes, and heavy drone activity must be included when reporting on the so-called ceasefire. As it stands, the article misleads readers into believing that calm has resumed, when in fact Israeli attacks on villages in southern Lebanon continue as we speak.