The Media Accountability Project  

"Alongside all Christians of conscience, I look forward to the time when Canadians will join with Palestinian Christians in the quest for an inclusive future in the land of the Holy One. Jesus is still weeping over Jerusalem."

"Accuracy demands that you clearly distinguish between East and West Jerusalem and refer to “occupied” or "annexed” sites (e.g., Al-Aqsa) when discussing East Jerusalem."

"Chikli and his far-right government present serious harms to many different groups of people, and Palestinians cannot be left out of this conversation. As a people under Israeli occupation and apartheid, the Palestinians must be included in all reporting on this subject."

On April 21, 2023, a CP24 segment on Ramadan celebrations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City falsely claimed that the event took place in “Israel,” rather than occupied East Jerusalem, stating that “In Israel, thousands of Palestinians gathered in the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City for Eid al-Fitr prayers.” CJPME wrote a letter to CP24 requesting an on-air correction.

That evening, CP24 broadcasted an on-air correction stating:

A clarification now to an earlier story in which we said the [Al-Aqsa] mosque is in Israel. In fact, the mosque is in East Jerusalem, and the Canadian government does not recognize Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem.

CJPME is pleased that CP24 acted promptly to rectify its false claim. However, CJPME notes that the statement did not specifically describe East Jerusalem’s status as occupied Palestinian territory, and urges CP24 to include this aspect in future reporting.

✅ Success! Last Friday, @CP24 made an on-air correction to clarify that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in East Jerusalem, after an initial report falsely stated that it was "in Israel." Read more: https://t.co/y1j8E4jFhx #cdnmedia pic.twitter.com/qWRDxKXp23

— Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) April 24, 2023

"Your news segment incorrectly refers to the prayers as taking place in 'Israel' when they are in occupied East Jerusalem, which is considered occupied Palestinian territory according to international law. This is not an opinion but a matter of settled consensus at the international level as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. The official Canadian position, likewise, does not recognize Israeli control over East Jerusalem (including the old city and the Al Aqsa mosque.)"

"However, you mention that the Al-Aqsa mosque sits on a “contested hilltop” revered as the third-holiest site in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism. This characterization fails to note that Al-Aqsa mosque is located in East Jerusalem which is an occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) under international law. This is not an opinion but a matter of a settled consensus at the international level, as confirmed by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention." 

By omitting the fact that Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in East Jerusalem, which is occupied Palestinian territory, you exclude important context regarding the dynamic between Palestinians and Israeli forces, especially the oppression of Palestinians and discriminatory Israeli policies that interfere with the right to religious practices. Moreover, the omission of “occupied” in relation to East Jerusalem is inconsistent with your description of the West Bank as “Israeli-occupied,” implying that the former is not occupied.

On April 15, 2023, a CityNews segment on the Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem’s Old City (“Christians in Israel celebrate ‘holy fire’”) falsely claimed that the event took place in “Israel,” rather than occupied East Jerusalem, and erased the Palestinian identity of the Christian worshippers. CJPME wrote a letter to CityNews requesting an on-air correction.

On April 18, 2023, CityNews broadcasted an on-air correction stating:

Correction now to a story we ran on Saturday night. In reporting on the Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem's Old City, we referred to the event as taking place in Israel. Although Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital city, the United Nations considers East Jerusalem, where the ceremony takes place, to be occupied Palestinian territory. The Canadian government also says it does not recognize Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. Events in the old Christian Quarter attract worshippers from around the world, including Palestinian Christians.

CJPME is pleased that CityNews acted promptly to rectify this false claim and add necessary additional context on the Palestinian identity of the local Christian community. We expect that CityNews will continue to correctly refer to East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory in future reporting.

✅ Huge success! We are very pleased to see that @CityNewsTO has made an on-air correction to clarify that the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem's Old City is located in occupied Palestinian territory, after falsely claiming it was in "Israel." https://t.co/47R4itVgYC #cdnmedia pic.twitter.com/n4bPLUI0ID

— Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) April 19, 2023

The term “separation barrier” is used by Israel to defend its construction. However, many Palestinians view this “barrier” as a restriction to their freedom of movement due to its annexation of Palestinian land. Therefore, Palestinians suggest the terms “annexation wall,” “segregation wall” or even “apartheid wall.” As such, I urge you to adopt one of these terms to describe this abhorrent structure violating the utmost basic human rights of Palestinians.

"Your news segment incorrectly refers to the celebrations in 'Israel' when they are in occupied East Jerusalem, which is considered occupied Palestinian territory according to international law [...] Further, while referring to worshippers as Christians is correct, you are erasing their identity as Palestinian Christian worshippers living under Israeli occupation. It is crucial to describe Christian worshippers as ‘Palestinian’ in order to provide important context for the listeners."