The Media Accountability Project  

There are many issues with this shameful op-ed in the National Post from Avi Benlolo.  First, in his discussion about “terrorism,” Benlolo makes no distinction between Palestinian violence against civilians, and Palestinian violence against legitimate military targets like Israeli soldiers.  Second, in very racist fashion, Benlolo dehumanizes Palestinians by asserting they have a “death culture.” Finally, Benlolo ignores Israeli apartheid and occupation when he accuses Palestinians of antisemitism when they attack Israelis.  Overall, Benlolo misleads his reader and ignores important context in this extreme anti-Palestinian racist rant.

On March 8, 2023, the National Post published a letter to the editor by CJPME’s VP Michael Bueckert rebutting claims in an op-ed by Avi Benlolo that Palestinians possess a "death culture" due to the inculcation of "generations of Palestinian children to be venerated as 'martyrs' for mass murders." This followed a complaint from CJPME about the many falsehoods and errors in the op-ed.

The edited letter as published is as follows:

Avi Benlolo conflates all acts of Palestinian resistance under the rubric of “terror attacks,” whether they involve acts of violence against civilians or throwing rocks at Israeli military jeeps. What is more alarming however is his claim that the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA are “inculcating generations of Palestinian children to be venerated as ‘martyrs’ for mass murders,” and his implication that a “death culture” is pervasive in Palestinian society. This dehumanizing generalization of Palestinians as a group and labelling them with a “death culture” slander is more than inflammatory and a clear example of anti-Palestinian racism.

"This dehumanizing generalization of Palestinians as a group and labelling them with the “death-culture” slander is inflammatory and a clear example of anti-Palestinian racism, as discussed by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) in a 2022 report."

On February 27, 2023, the National Post and other outlets published a story by the Associated Press on a pogrom by Israeli settlers against the Palestinian town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank. However, while the deaths of three Israelis killed by Palestinians before and after the attack were prominently discussed at the top of the article, it did not mention that a Palestinian was also killed until halfway through the article.

CJPME responded to the Associated Press and National Post about this error, insisting that the Palestinian killed by Israeli fire should be mentioned in the first two paragraphs:

“There is an unjustified asymmetry in how Israeli and Palestinian casualties are reported. While the three Israelis who were killed in two incidents are mentioned in the headline and first paragraphs of the article, it is not until the 14th paragraph until you mention that a Palestinian was killed during the Israeli settler attack on Huwara (Hawara) and surrounding villages. The killing of Sameh al-Aqtash, who is unnamed in the article, is the immediate context for today’s retaliatory attack on an Israeli motorist, and this should have featured prominently in the story.”

Within a day, the Associated Press story was updated to properly reference the Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in the second paragraph.

On January 22, 2023, the National Post published a letter to the editor by CJPME’s VP Michael Bueckert about the Nakba, e.g. the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the creation of Israel from 1947-49. This followed a complaint from CJPME about a recent op-ed on the creation of Israel which had omitted any mention of the Nakba.

The letter as published is as follows:

Allan Levine fails to mention that 1948 not only commemorates the creation of Israel, which is the focus of the “Israel at 75” series, but that for Palestinians it also marks 75 years since the Nakba: the forced expulsion of at least 700,000 Palestinians by Zionist military forces. This process of ethnic cleansing and its associated atrocities (including the Deir Yassin massacre) had begun in the months prior to Israel’s declaration of Independence in May 1948, and it was followed by the expropriation of refugees’ property and land, the destruction of over 500 villages, and the imposition of military rule over those Palestinians who remained.

"However, there is an unjustified asymmetry in how Israeli and Palestinian casualties are reported. While the three Israelis who were killed in two incidents are mentioned in the headline and first paragraphs of the article, it is not until the 14^th paragraph until you mention that a Palestinian was killed during the Israeli settler attack on Huwara (Hawara) and surrounding villages. The killing of Sameh al-Aqtash, who is unnamed in the article, is the immediate context for today’s retaliatory attack on an Israeli motorist, and this should have featured prominently in the story."

"This article misrepresents the legality of Israel’s occupation and settlement enterprise as a matter of subjective opinion, writing that “most world powers view as illegal the settlements Israel has built on land it captured in a 1967 war with Arab powers.”

Cotler should be straightforward with Canadians and admit that he views IHRA as opposed to the human rights sector, the UN, and the application of international law itself. Then we could have an honest public debate about whether we think that Canada’s institutions should be restricting criticism of any state’s human rights violations.

It's important to acknowledge that criticism of Israeli policies is not inherently anti-Semitic, just as criticism of Palestinian policies is not inherently anti-Palestinian racism. However, when one crosses the line using language like "brainwashed" and "mass hysteria," it becomes something else entirely.

"The article does a good job of analyzing this event and its implications for academic freedom and democracy, and provides a much-needed Palestinian perspective. These viewpoints are often overlooked or erased in the national discourse about Palestine-Israel. By republishing this article, National Post is contributing to much-needed professional, diverse, and fair-minded coverage on this issue."