The Media Accountability Project  

I am extremely surprised to see that there is very little mention of West Bank violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers and there are no Palestinian perspectives whatsoever in your reporting. By failing to include this vital context, the article leaves your readers with a very limited, partial understanding of the issues at hand.

"The article addresses the opposition by army reservists of Israel’s judicial overhaul and the threat it poses to Israeli “democracy.” The article, however, fails to mention the Palestinian people who have never been afforded such “democracy.” This results in a one-sided report."

"Your coverage of the unabated settlement expansion in the West Bank, land that is internationally recognized as being Palestinian land occupied by Israel in 1967, provides your readers with the necessary context in understanding the obstacles to peace that the Israeli government continues to lay down."

"I urge you to include more context to the second paragraph that clearly indicates that settler attacks have been ongoing this year and are not responses to one singular event."

"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."

"Ali Sawafta’s reliance on the official Israeli military narrative results in a complete whitewash of Israel’s brutal military invasion and siege of the Jenin refugee camp. Describing Israel’s assault as an “operation” misrepresents the systematic and large-scale damage caused by Israeli forces, evidenced in the destruction of roads, homes, electricity and water networks, hospitals and even mosques."

"Corroborative statements from multiple reputed international bodies also lend legitimacy to the narrative that Palestinians living in the West Bank are victims of a brutal, decades-long military occupation. For this reason, it was inappropriate to include the claim that “Israel ensures that humanitarian assistance is provided and does not apply any limitation on access for medical staff” in your article, when it has been shown that not only is the Israeli military failing to ensure the provision of such assistance, but is instead actively hampering its delivery."

"When mentioning the Jenin refugee camp, we must remember that it is exactly that; a “refugee camp”. The people living there are refugees who have been displaced from their homes and have been under periodic attacks by the Israeli military. The “militants” you mentioned are actually refugees defending themselves from the Israeli military invasions which have indiscriminately targeted men, women and children."

"As such, I strongly urge Reuters to be far more critical of the Israeli government and military sources when reporting on developments in Israel-Palestine. The quotes by Gallant and Herzi-Halevi are highly contradictory to statements made by other Israeli officials, most notably Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is a staunch supporter for the expulsion, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes."

It is insufficient to state that the Palestinians “seek” to establish an independent state in the West Bank; this is occupied land which they “claim” as an integral part of any future state.