The Media Accountability Project  

The headline chosen by Saltwire is misleading and reflects the precise opposite of the points made in the letter. A more accurate headline would be “Anti-apartheid advertisements appear on Metrobus,” or “Advertisements in support of Palestinian self-determination appear on Metrobus."

"Israeli society is made up of approximately 21% of Palestinians, who are marginalized and excluded from receiving any employment, healthcare, education and military benefits. While Israel exercises a policy of mandatory conscription, Muslim, and Christian Palestinian citizens are exempt from military service because they are deemed “disloyal” and “untrustworthy” by Israel. Furthermore, the refusal of Palestinians to join the Israeli army is exemplary of the continued military occupation of Palestinian land including the West Bank and Gaza Strip and their violent treatment of Palestinians. In other words, the military is not inclusive or diverse but segregationist."

On March 8, 2023, Saltwire published a letter to the editor by CJPME’s Policy Analyst Reem Majid rebutting claims in an op-ed by Gwyn Dyer that a “cycle of violence” between Israelis and Palestinians “stretches back” to 1967.

Here is an excerpt of the letter:

It is factually incorrect to claim that Israeli violence against Palestinians stretches back to 1967 when the creation of the Israeli state in 1948 necessitated Palestinian dispossession and death. The Palestinian Nakba, or catastrophe, describes the mass forced displacement and exodus of over 750,000 Palestinians from their lands and the destruction of over 530 Palestinian villages before, during and after the creation of the state of Israel in 1947-49. This violence also took the form of massacres carried out by Jewish paramilitary groups to facilitate Israel’s project of ethnic cleansing which led to an ongoing problem of stateless Palestinian refugees. Much of the violence that continues today has its roots in Israel’s violation of Palestinian rights since 1948.

A citation of ACLA’s definition of anti-Palestinian racism and the various forms it may adopt would be pertinent in calling attention to racist attitudes that Palestinians must frequently confront.

"The framing of a “cycle of violence” between Jewish settlers and Palestinians is problematic when describing recent events and Israel’s occupation of Palestine. While there is an element of truth to this framing, as the actions of either party often trigger a response, it is extremely misleading for readers who are not aware of the power dynamics at play. Such framing obscures the overall asymmetrical nature of the violence, in which Israel as an occupying power maintains a system of oppression and apartheid over Palestinians. One of the ways in which this oppressive system is imposed is through Israel’s expanding network of settlements which empower settlers to carry out attacks and pogroms against Palestinians with utmost impunity."

In your article, you fail to mention that Israel is militarily occupying the Gaza strip according to international law. Further, since 2007, Israel has imposed a land, sea and air blockade on the strip. Israel’s blockade on Gaza amounts to a “denial of basic human rights in contravention of international law and amounts to collective punishment,” according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Occupied Palestinian territory.

As a result of omitting this necessary context, the article fails to adequately describe the oppressive situation that Palestinians in Gaza face, and does not properly capture the severe human cost of Israel’s 15-year-long illegal blockade and siege.

"We applaud you for shedding light on the tragic story of a Palestinian family killed in Turkey’s earthquake, among seventy other Palestinians who were victims of the natural disaster. It is imperative for publications like Saltwire to provide the Palestinian perspective to Canadian audiences. However, the article is missing context which is crucial for readers to be able to understand the reality of the Israeli occupation.

In the article, you mention that Abu Jalhoum “fled war and poverty in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.” Referring to Gaza only as “Palestinian territory” obscures the fact that Gaza is militarily-occupied territory according to international law. In doing so, the article fails to adequately describe the oppressive situation that Palestinians in Gaza face, and does not properly capture the severe restrictions as a result of Israel’s 15 year-long illegal blockade and siege.[1]"