The Media Accountability Project  

"As it stands, the article presents a one-sided Israeli military narrative while excluding or minimizing Palestinian and humanitarian perspectives. I ask that The Globe and Mail and the Associated Press revise this article to include these perspectives, present Israel’s accusations as claims and not fact and properly contextualize the situation as genocide according to the growing body of evidence by human rights groups."

To the Globe and Mail Newsroom,

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (www.cjpme.org) regarding the recent op-ed by Deborah Cowen, Naomi Klein, Kyo Maclear, and Madeleine Thien titled: "Canada needs to follow through on its promise to help people in Gaza."

Thank you for providing a forceful indictment of Canada’s inaction in evacuating Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip. I especially appreciated how the op-ed situated Canada’s failures within the broader history of exclusionary immigration policies and racialized border controls, invoking past injustices such as the Chinese Head Tax, Japanese-Canadian internment, and Canada’s refusal to admit Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust.

I also want to thank you for using the term genocide. It has taken nearly two years for much of the world to acknowledge that Israel is carrying out a genocidal campaign against Palestinians—a campaign rooted in abhorrent apartheid policies and practices dating back to Israel’s very creation.

If I may offer some constructive feedback, however: The op-ed’s title, “Canada needs to follow through on its promise to help people in Gaza,” reflects a pattern we often see in media coverage, where the word Palestinian is omitted. Too often, the media avoids naming Palestinians directly, effectively erasing Palestinian identity—a practice that contributes to anti-Palestinian racism. I do not know if this omission was intentional, but I kindly urge you to consider revising the headline to read “Palestinians in Gaza” instead of “people in Gaza.”

Unfortunately, much of Western media has abandoned core journalistic principles when covering Palestine, echoing Israeli talking points and burying Palestinian voices. By repeating Israeli propaganda and sanitizing the language of occupation, mainstream outlets have become complicit in genocide—normalizing Israel’s ongoing bombardment, ethnic cleansing, mass imprisonment, and detention of Palestinians. 

I urge The Globe and Mail to take a moral stance and change the headline so as not to erase Palestinian identity.

I await your response and send my kind regards in the meantime.

Warmly,

Lynn Naji
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

"Unfortunately, much of Western media has abandoned core journalistic principles when covering Palestine, echoing Israeli talking points and burying Palestinian voices. By repeating Israeli propaganda and sanitizing the language of occupation, mainstream outlets have become complicit in genocide—normalizing Israel’s ongoing bombardment, ethnic cleansing, mass imprisonment, and detention of Palestinians."

"Absenting Palestinian perspectives from issues that directly affect them reinforces the idea that they are untrustworthy, or worse, dispensable."

"If there is outrage to be expressed, it would be that Israel would cynically deploy the trauma of a young woman to try to shield itself from international criticism on the world stage."

"Mainstream media routinely parrot Israel’s propaganda without raising skepticism. In doing so, media outlets are not just misleading readers. They are manufacturing consent and normalizing Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The op-ed misleadingly claims that some demonstrations outside synagogues occurred during Israeli “real estate events” held inside. What it fails to mention is that these so-called “real estate events” are about the selling of occupied Palestinian land, which is illegal under international law. To omit this crucial context and to frame these protests as one against a place of worship is a cynical and dangerous attempt to smear legitimate opposition to illegal Israeli occupation and land theft of Palestinian land.

"The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered the Israeli government to ensure the “unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance” to Palestinians in Gaza, well over one year ago. Israel’s use of starvation as a method of warfare amounts to collective punishment, which is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention."

The Globe and Mail is complicit in dehumanizing Palestinians through one-sided, pro-Israel coverage. This rare piece by Hasan Jaber breaks that pattern by amplifying a Palestinian voice from within the besieged Gaza Strip, laying bare the psychological torment and deprivation of basic life necessities due to Israel’s siege.