The Media Accountability Project  

Nevertheless, the article fails to fully describe the significance of the Knesset’s vote to revoke the 2005 law on the four settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel promised the US in February that it would halt settlement expansion for six months in exchange for the US blocking a scathing UN Security Council resolution. This is such a betrayal that the Biden administration sought to summon Israel’s ambassador in Washington. 

"This sentence implies that the 'possibility of friction' results from an 'unusually large influx of worshippers and visitors,' which is an inaccurate claim. It is indeed true that tensions and violence are heightened during the holy month of Ramadan, however, this is due to Israel’s arbitrary restrictions on Palestinians in the city. In fact, the arbitrary imposition of restrictions at Damascus Gate, a key gathering site for Palestinians, was one of the triggers which contributed to the Palestinian uprising and acts of extreme Israeli violence in May of 2021."

"I take issue with the language used to discuss the legal status of Israel’s colonial settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). In the article you state “Since then, more than 700,000 Israelis have moved into dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — which most of the world considers an obstacle to peace.” In an article by Ilan Ben Zion published by Associated Press, he states that “Most of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.” Just as Ilan Ben Zion mentions these two points, I believe it is important and necessary that you do."

"First, I take issue with the language used to discuss the legal status of Israel’s colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). The article says, “The international community, including Israel’s closest ally, the United States, considers settlements illegal.” Regrettably, this phrasing presents the issue as if it is a matter of mere opinion. In fact, Israel’s settlement enterprise is a direct violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” There is no ambiguity about this question."

"Unfortunately, this single reference to amateur footage describes a violent crowd of Palestinians, which frames the gunshots as a form of self-defence. However, all of the surrounding context and other alarming footage is ignored. In fact, there is footage of live rounds being fired into the crowd of civilians (a bullet coming from the direction of the car can be seen striking a civilian near the end of the clip) and the subsequent scene of casualties in a local hospital."

Surely the CBC does not believe that the lives of Israelis are worth more than the lives of Palestinians. Your reporting must provide context necessary to reflect the power dynamics at play between the Israeli army and militant groups in the occupied West Bank. As such, I insist that you update the article to provide the information on civilians, children, and the Huwara fatality that I provide above.

I appreciate that you published an article about new virtual reality classrooms in the occupied Gaza strip. It is important for publications like Toronto Telegraph to provide Palestinian stories to Canadian audiences. Although you do describe Gaza as an “impoverished coastal enclave” at one point in the article, you provide absolutely no context as to why the region is “impoverished” or under duress. You have a journalistic responsibility to provide such context to the reader. 

"Although the news segment in question is very brief, it is incredibly biased that you fail to mention that the West Bank is militarily occupied by Israel since 1967. In your news segment, you claim that “the militants opened fire on troops near the city of Nablus.” This statement reflects the fact that Israeli soldiers are stationed in the Palestinian city of Nablus as an occupying force. You should also be aware that the UN General Assembly has recently asked the International Criminal Court to determine whether Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories is illegal, given that it has become a de facto annexation. By omitting such important information, you are failing to meet basic journalistic standards."

"There is a significant error in this segment which requires an on-air correction. When describing the Israeli settler attack on the Palestinian town of Huwara (Hawara), you reported that “a mob attacked Palestinian homes and businesses,” but did not mention that 37-year-old Sameh al-Aqtash had been killed by Israeli fire during that attack."

A citation of ACLA’s definition of anti-Palestinian racism and the various forms it may adopt would be pertinent in calling attention to racist attitudes that Palestinians must frequently confront.