The Media Accountability Project  

Thank you for underscoring the leverage public voices have over their political leaders to hold Israel accountable for its ‘immoral war’ on Palestinians in Gaza.

"Thank you Hill Times for publishing this opinion article, I hope you will continue to give space to the plight of Palestinian women, especially at a time when they are facing genocide."

On February 27, 2024, CJPME sent an LTE to the Hill Times in response to Aisha Sherazi’s February 26 opinion piece: “Our shared vision feels like it is crumbling.”

The LTE was published on March 4, 2024, in the Hill Times, and echoes Sherazi’s concern that, in its failure to uphold international human rights in Palestine-Israel, Canada attributes greater value to white lives over BIPOC lives.  You can read the complete unedited version here.

It is always highly encouraging to see CJPME’s LTEs getting published in the Hill Times as it contributes to influence policymakers in Canada about issues surrounding Palestine.

On February 28, Hill Times ran a letter written by CJPME analyst Rose Mardikian. Initially, Rose sent this as a letter criticizing this article that the use of the word “terrorism” to describe Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 insinuated a moral judgment, which is not appropriate for a news article. While the editor remained steadfast and insisted that no changes would be made to the article, she requested an abridged version to publish as a letter to the editor. In “Avoid language that casts ‘moral judgments’ in news stories,” Rose Mardikian argues that referring to Hamas as a terrorist organization or labeling all their actions on October 7 as acts of “terror” or “terrorism” is not accurate and casts a moral judgment. While Israel’s actions both before and after Oct. 7 undoubtedly qualify as terrorism, to label one group as terrorists and not the other is a blatant double standard that favors Israel.

For Hill Times editors to continue publishing our work demonstrates CJPME’s growing legitimacy and influence in public discourse.

In fact, the call came from around 300 Muslim institutions and mosques. Given that SmartScrapers estimates that there are roughly 620 mosques in Canada, this means that – already – almost half of Canada’s Muslim community is in agreement with this call, which the word “several” downplays.

"This confirms the fears some had about Canada’s complicity in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians and its double standard in the way it gives greater value to white lives over BIPOC lives."

"Given that Hamas targeted military personnel and infrastructure on Oct. 7, only a portion of their attacks can be broadly classified as 'terrorism'."

"This intimate and ongoing exchange of aggressive/militarized policing tactics ensures the dispossession of Palestinians in Palestine, as well as the continued repression of Black, Indigenous, Arab, and other marginalized communities in Canada and the US.'

"While no one deserves to be fearful, it’s essential to acknowledge that public fears are commonly embedded in racism and further provoked by unfair media coverage, as you mention in your article."