The Media Accountability Project  

On May 25, 2023, the Toronto Star published an article on a forthcoming visit to Canada by Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli. The article touched on Chikli’s far-right positions and associations but did not include any context about his racist and dangerous views against Palestinians. Chikli has called for the elimination of the Palestinian national identity, called Palestinian society “barbaric,” repeatedly compared Palestinians to Nazis, and says that annexing the occupied West Bank is “excellent." CJPME wrote to the Toronto Star on May 26 to request the inclusion of this information, noting that "Chikli and his far-right government present serious harms to many different groups of people, and Palestinians cannot be left out of this conversation.”

Following CJPME’s complaint, the article was updated later that day to note that “Chikli has also been called out by his critics for making anti-Palestinian remarks.” An editor’s note was added to say that “This story has been updated to provide more background on Amichai Chikli.”

CJPME had also taken issue with the Toronto Star’s description of Jerusalem Day, which was only described from Israel’s perspective as the “unification” of Jerusalem. CJPME requested an update to note that “unification” refers to the occupation and illegal annexation of East Jerusalem, but this change has not yet been made.

"The current Israeli political leadership is packed with racists and homophobes like Chikli and Cohen; it’s a government that Canada should have nothing to do with.  The Trudeau government must, once and for all, declare a boycott of Israel’s extreme right-wing leadership."

"Chikli and his far-right government present serious harms to many different groups of people, and Palestinians cannot be left out of this conversation. As a people under Israeli occupation and apartheid, the Palestinians must be included in all reporting on this subject."

"In past articles, you have done more to explain to the reader what collective punishment is and the impact it has on Palestinians. It is a violation of Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention as well as many other international laws. Please provide readers with a definition of collective punishment that makes reference to international law."

I appreciate that the article quoted Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour who raised concerns about the importance of internationally commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Nakba both as a historical and ongoing injustice, as many Palestinians continue to be forcibly expelled from their land for the establishment of Jewish-Israeli settlements. I am glad that you quoted Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Malki who pointed to the failure of the international community and the U.N. to hold Israel accountable.

I greatly appreciate your coverage of The Committee to Protect Journalists’ report on the targeting of journalists in occupied Palestinian territories by Israeli forces. This is especially pertinent ahead of the one-year anniversary of the killing of veteran Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was shot and killed while covering an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. It is important for Canadian audiences to be aware of the violations of press freedoms by the Israeli military.

"Your headline “Israeli strikes in Gaza kills 3 senior militants, 10 others” is gravely misleading as you fail to mention that the “10 others” were Palestinian civilians. By omitting the fact that 10 civilians were killed in Israel’s latest airstrike attack on Gaza, you are presenting the narrative preferred by the Israeli military, which says that any Palestinian living in Gaza is a “target.” In reality, 4 of the 10 civilians killed were children and another 4 were women."

Unfortunately, in today’s article, you again refer to the Israeli military operation in the city of Nablus as simply “raids.” This greatly downplays the violence and brutality inherent in these operations. The violent military raid wounded at least nine other Palestinians and resulted in at least 150 people suffering from tear gas inhalation, including children.

In 2023, Israeli forces have repeatedly conducted military raids into various neighbourhoods and towns in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. These operations are frequently carried out in the middle of the night – where heavily armed Israeli forces forcefully enter Palestinian homes to search, interrogate, photograph, beat, and arrest Palestinians, including young children and the elderly.

"It’s bold to suggest that Israel was ever a democracy to start with. It is highly problematic that an article on the erosion of Israel’s “democracy” fails to include how the Palestinians under Israeli control are largely excluded from said democracy." 

"2023 has been the deadliest for Palestinians living in the West Bank in the last two decades, where at least 80 civilians including 17 children have been killed. Palestinians have been subjected to destructive and violent rampages by illegal Israeli settlers, often resulting in the destruction of Palestinian homes, businesses, and possessions. Palestinians also endure constant raids, arrests, and violence by Israeli forces. By referring to the escalation of violence in such generalized terms, you obscure the asymmetrical nature of Israeli violence on Palestinians."