Misleading assertion about Israeli military in Toronto Star
One paragraph begins with, “Not everyone identifies with the soldiers.” One assumes that this paragraph will talk about people who are critical of soldiers who threaten insubordination because of their views on Netanyahu’s government’s actions. Instead, this paragraph talks about how the military upholds a regime of injustice against Palestinians with “open-ended occupation,” and the subjugation of the Palestinians, which itself has, “eroded the country’s democratic ideals.” It is useful to point out these contradictions. At the same time, the opening sentence mischaracterizes the whole direction of the paragraph. As such, I ask that you change the opening sentence of this paragraph to read, “Yet the soldiers’ position has deep contradictions.”
Read moreMisleading and inaccurate description of Palestinian casualties in Huwara pogrom
"Even if the statistics are accurate, it would be far more relevant to say that about half of those killed are civilians, including at least 13 children killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023. That would mean that approximately 1 in 5 Palestinians killed this year have been children."
Read moreToronto Star corrects headline to reflect Israel’s promises on illegal West Bank outposts
On February 20, 2023, the Toronto Star and other outlets published an Associated Press story with an inaccurate and misleading headline, “Israel promises not to approve additional West Bank outposts.”
CJPME considered this a serious factual issue which misrepresented the content within the article itself, and pressed for a correction. As CJPME wrote to several outlets:
Unfortunately, the headline is factually inaccurate. Israel has not promised that it will not approve any more West Bank outposts. In fact, multiple Israeli ministers have vowed that last week’s settlement expansion and outpost authorization is just the beginning. Instead, as the story itself makes clear, Israel has made a significantly weaker promise to temporarily ‘hold off’ on such activities for the next few months. As the article mentions, this ‘pause’ does not apply to a coming announcement this week to authorize thousands of new settlement units. Further, as it was reported in the Israeli press, Israel only meets once every three months to authorize settlement expansion anyway, a fact which renders Israel’s ‘promise’ completely meaningless.
On February 27, 2023, the Toronto Star updated its headline to accurately state that “Israel promises to pause additional West Bank outposts.”
CJPME alerts Associated Press to error in highly syndicated story on Nablus Massacre
There should not be a comma after the word rare. The comma creates the false impression that the “arrest operations” themselves are rare. As you are well-aware, that is not true. This raid is rare only insofar as it was carried out during the day. As such, the sentence should instead read “… in a rare daytime arrest operation…” without the original comma. In the AP’s past reporting, Israeli arrest raids are described as “regular,” which is indisputably the case. I believe this is ultimately a mistake related to the difference between coordinate and cumulative adjectives.
Read moreInaccurate description of settlements in occupied West Bank by Toronto Star
Your article also describes the new right-wing government’s decision to authorize nine illegal settler outposts as a way to “expand its authority” in the occupied West Bank. This framing severely downplays the gravity of this decision. In fact, since 1967, Israel has established at least 132 illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory according to the Israeli Peace Now watchdog group. These settlements are in direct violation of the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, therefore constituting a war crime. Scandalously, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s response is that nine settlements are simply “not enough” and that he “want[s] much more.”
Read moreMisleading description of occupied West Bank by Toronto Star
This article again describes the occupied West Bank as “lands the Palestinians seek for a future state.” Your article also suggests that Israel “captured” the West Bank in 1967. Referring to the West Bank in this way obscures the reality that it is territory, occupied militarily by Israel, that all UN resolutions and international peace agreements reserve for a Palestinian state. This is not an opinion but a matter of a settled consensus at the international level, as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel’s military occupation of these Palestinian territories is critical context for interpreting the nature of, and motivations behind, the new far-right government’s plan to expand illegal settlements.
Read moreWhy is the Israeli occupation of Palestine left out of Toronto Star news article?
"Your article describes the occupied West Bank as 'lands the Palestinians seek for a future state.' Your article also mentions that Israel 'captured' the West Bank in 1967. Referring to the West Bank in this way gravely obscures the reality that it is militarily-occupied territory. This is not an opinion but a matter of a settled consensus at the international level, as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council, the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel’s military occupation of these Palestinian territories is critical context for interpreting the nature of, and motivations behind, the new far-right government’s plan to expand illegal settlements. We, therefore, insist that you correctly identify the West Bank as Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) under international law and change 'captured' to 'occupied.'"
Read moreAnother "Toronto Star" article excludes Palestinian perspective
"When describing the 'near-nightly arrest raids,' it should be noted that these are often deadly and violent military invasions. This year, at least 29 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during these raids, including five children. These raids often involve excessive use of force, including the use of live ammunition, which violates international law and can result in unnecessary loss of life. The article only briefly mentions that 'youths protesting the incursions... have also been killed.' It is important to acknowledge and be specific that the violence committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians includes numerous children."
Read moreMisleading headline regarding Israeli law to strip Palestinians of citizenship by Toronto Star
The use of the term “attackers” in the headline is misleading. According to the Israeli parliament’s press release, the new law applies to Palestinians who are convicted of an offense that “constitutes a breach of trust to the State of Israel.” As reported by the Times of Israel, the law applies to Palestinians who have been “incarcerated following a conviction for terror, aiding terror, harming Israeli sovereignty, inciting war, or aiding an enemy during wartime.” Many of these requirements are vague and could potentially encapsulate many Palestinian citizens of Israel convicted of a variety of offences, and not necessarily for violent attacks on Israel. Therefore, referring to them as “attackers” minimizes the potentially harmful implications of this new law.
Read moreToronto Star article leaves out crucial information on civilian deaths
"Overall, the article does a fine job at providing context for the recent rise in tensions and violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. However, I would like to draw your attention to two significant issues.
First, the article mentions that Hamas “rules the Gaza strip.” Referring to Gaza only as “the Gaza strip” 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] The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) encourages journalists to avoid the language of “Hamas-controlled” or “Hamas-ruled” for this same reason, as it minimizes Israel’s control as an occupying power.[2]"
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