The Media Accountability Project  

"To put this in context, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyya, a Palestinian physician, was abducted by Israeli forces for refusing to abandon his patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital. His detention, like that of many other Palestinians, is a systematic attempt to intimidate and punish Palestinians who refuse to abandon their professional and ethical duties under Israeli occupation. His abduction reflects Israel’s broader pattern of detaining Palestinian doctors, journalists, and activists under arbitrary charges and without due process."

"His imprisonment, like that of many other Palestinians, was politically motivated—a blatant attempt to silence activists resisting Israel’s military occupation. In 2012, Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience, condemning his repeated detentions as part of Israel’s systematic efforts to suppress Palestinian activism."

"Many Palestinian detainees are not prisoners in the conventional sense. They are being arbitrarily detained, often without due process, which means referring to them as “prisoners” is not only misleading but, arguably, factually incorrect. Further, many of the Palestinians are women and children. And many more report facing torture, sexual abuse, and other crimes."

On January 30, 2025, CJPME media analyst sent a letter of complaint to CBC News regarding their article, originally sourced from Reuters, which describes Israel’s release of Palestinian “detainees” as “prisoners.” Following CJPME’s advocacy efforts, CBC News adjusted its headline to more accurately reflect the legal status of Palestinians held in Israeli detention cells, referring to them as “detainees.” It is important to note however that While CBC changed their headline, Reuters did not.

Altough this small revision appears at the onset to be a  a minor linguistic issue, this inconsistency from the CBC and Reuters reinforces the inaccurate narrative that all Palestinians in Israeli custody are convicted criminals.In reality, many are being arbitrarily detained, often without due process, which means they cannot  be considered “prisoners”  according to the normal definition.

Why does this distinction matter?

Many Palestinians in Israeli custody are held under administrative detention, a practice that violates international human rights law—specifically, Article 9(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a legally binding UN treaty ratified by Israel in 1991:

Article 9(1): “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law.”

Administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians indefinitely without charge or trial, based on secret evidence not disclosed to the detainee or their lawyer. According to Amnesty International:

“Israel has systematically used administrative detention as a tool to persecute Palestinians, rather than as an extraordinary and selectively used preventative measure.”

This means that many Palestinian detainees are not prisoners in the conventional sense.

While CBC’s headline change is a positive step, inconsistencies remain, as the article still alternates between “detainees” and “prisoners.”

Nevertheless, this remains an important step, highlighting CJPME’s role in holding CBC accountable for using precise and consistent language that upholds journalistic standards and accurately represents Israel’s detention practices.

"It is as if Reuters is randomly choosing which term to use each time. This inconsistency is not a minor linguistic issue—it reinforces the inaccurate narrative that all Palestinians in Israeli custody are convicted criminals, when in reality, many are held without charge or trial and cannot be considered “prisoners” according to the normal definition."

"In one of her first questions to the guest, Pierson laments that Palestinians are treated by some people as equal to Israelis."

"I especially appreciated that you asked a question that enabled Mr. Parnes to name what he is hoping from the International community: ‘that Western countries stop condemning and start taking action’. His response highlighted what a rising number of Canadians have been demanding of our government leaders for months if not years, specifically, since October 7, that they use whatever tools and laws available to them to bring about a ceasefire."

"While a lot of human rights groups released reports on the torture of Palestinians in Israeli detention centers, it is great that CBC finally decided to cover and report on it by giving voice to Ibrahim Saleh, a Palestinian man who was tortured in the Sde Teiman torture center."

"Cependant, cette phrase ne donne pas les bons chiffres qui, eux, révèlent du contexte plus large d’emprisonnement des Palestiniens. Pour que vos lecteurs aient une idée plus complète de la situation et de l’ampleur de l’occupation israélienne, il est nécessaire d’indiquer les bons chiffres et qu’une partie de ses détenus n’ont pas eu de procès, résultat d’actions illégales d’Israël."

"This article makes an irresponsible and inaccurate claim. It states: 'thousands of Palestinians have been arrested and hundreds have been killed since last year, mainly gunmen or fighters involved in clashes with Israeli troops but also including several uninvolved civilians'. This is untrue. You did not and cannot cite credible forces for such a plain falsehood."