The Media Accountability Project  

In general, to report a story involving the murder of a teenager and only provide, unchallenged, the killer’s justification is to neglect your journalistic responsibilities. In this specific case, it is also an affront to all Palestinian victims of Israel's apartheid regime.

"The use of the word “captured” when referring to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is misleading, suggesting that Israel has a strong claim to or ownership of these territories. In fact, international law never uses the term “captured” when referring to land appropriation, and the international community has never diplomatically acquiesced to Israel's ongoing military presence in the West Bank."

"Failing to describe these actions by the Israeli military as “military raids” also obscures and takes away from the significance of Palestinian suffering due to these near-nightly operations."

The use of the word “captured” when referring to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is misleading as your readers may assume that Israel has legitimate claim to the land or ownership of these Palestinian territories.

"I urge you to update this article, either removing the description of Hamas as an 'Islamist militant group', and/or to add that Hamas 'governs the Gaza Strip, providing social services and running media outlets'."

"Your description of a “clash” obscures the Israeli military’s role in provoking the confrontation between stone throwers and heavily armed soldiers. The Israeli military uses sophisticated weapons and equipment whereas the Palestinians, as mentioned in your own coverage, were throwing stones. Your coverage obscures and downplays the asymmetrical nature of the violence."

Your use of the word “captured” when describing Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank, “Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast was” is also problematic as it does not use the correct terminology, mainly due to the fact that the term “capture” never applies to land appropriation under international law, among other reasons.

"It was refreshing to read an article that cited diverse Palestinian sources, even including the Al-Quds Brigades. We rarely encounter the perspectives of Palestinians living under Israel’s military occupation in Canadian media."

"To downplay the unjust and oppressive reality that Palestinians endure on a daily basis in such a negligible way is a disservice to Palestinian human rights and a distortion of history."

"It is telling that the authors make no attempt at framing the PA as a body that prioritizes Palestinians’ freedom. Instead, they touch on the “weakness of the PA in the face of hundreds of Palestinian militants.” Such a tired and veiled characterization of Palestinian resistance to occupation is borrowed directly from the Israeli narrative and lends credence to the current perceived scope of the PA’s activities."