The Media Accountability Project  

Haaretz, an Israeli publication, quotes the human rights group Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) in describing the national guard as “a private, armed militia that would be directly under Ben-Gvir's control,” and warns that “this is a police force that will first and foremost act in mixed cities, first and foremost against the Arab population [read: Palestinian citizens of Israel].”

It is critical that this element of the story is included in your reporting so that the coverage highlights the immediate consequences for Palestinians as a result of the legislative pause.

"I was especially pleased to hear that the guest Michael Koplow of the Israel Policy Forum addressed how Palestinian citizens are impacted by policies pursued by the current right-wing Israeli government. I am appreciative that attention was brought towards the racist and inflammatory comments made by Minister Bezalel Smotrich about Palestinians but also the forced expulsions, and settlement activity ongoing in the occupied West Bank."

This article omits critical information regarding Netanyahu’s decision to pause the Israeli parliament’s proposed judicial reforms. The reason that the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir agreed to this legislative pause, rather than resign from the coalition, was in return for a commitment from Netanyahu to establish a “national guard” under Ben-Gvir’s control.

Such context is completely absent from the Victoria Times Colonist article and should be included to emphasize that the judicial reforms impact an important group within Israel’s population despite their complex and difficult decision not to participate.

"Historically, the Israeli judiciary and supreme court have given their stamp of approval to racist laws like the Jewish Nation State Law, Jewish settlement activities, and forced expulsions. Thus, Palestinian citizens of Israel fail to see how these protests will address the discriminatory and racist laws that they face."

The article fails to acknowledge Palestinian citizens of Israel who despite not actively participating in the protests still constitute a third perspective. 

This important context is lost in the paragraph in the current article, making it sound like there are only two notable sides of this issue. Whereas, there is a significant third perspective on judicial reforms.

"I commend you for rightfully highlighting the criticism of Israel’s 'questionable democratic credentials' due to their treatment of Palestinians. This is an important critique, one backed effectively by a 200+ page Amnesty International report titled 'Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity.' Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is necessary context for understanding the nature and quality of Israel’s democratic institutions, and this should be included in all coverage of Israel’s judicial reforms."

"We insist that any discussion of Israel’s 'democracy' must come with a qualification that it is not extended to everyone under Israeli rule, and should note the findings of apartheid from the human rights sector. We expect that this critical aspect of Israel’s judicial reforms, and the broader impact on Palestinians generally, will be touched on in future reporting."

"Above all, it is highly problematic that neither article on the erosion of Israel’s democratic institutions once mentioned the Palestinians, who are under Israeli control yet largely excluded from its democracy. Of the 6.8 million Palestinians under Israeli rule, only a small minority of them (1.6 million) hold Israeli citizenship and have the right to vote in national elections (albeit with a second-class status and significant restrictions). The remaining 5.2 million Palestinians under Israeli military occupation in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, have no right to vote for the government that rules them. In fact, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UN experts, and Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups like B’Tselem, have argued that is Israel is not a democracy, but should properly be defined as a regime of apartheid."