The Media Accountability Project  

In your description of the events, you fail to mention that Jerusalem’s Old City is in East Jerusalem, considered occupied Palestinian territory under international law. This is not an opinion but a settled consensus at the international level, as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council and other legal bodies. It is also the long-standing position of the Canadian government. By omitting this critical context, your article obfuscates the reality of the military occupation under which Palestinian residents of Jerusalem live.

"By deleting “occupied,” you misrepresent T’ruah’s own self-description, and you exclude context regarding Israel’s 55-year military occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem."

I am disappointed that your article failed to consult or quote a single Palestinian.  A Palestinian perspective could have provided insight into the typical inequity in justice in the West Bank.  This is disappointing failure to provide diverse viewpoints – a serious journalistic issue. 

"Netanyahu’s judicial coup is certainly alarming, but it is not a radical departure from Israel’s foundational principles which always privileged the rights of one group over another."

"It is deeply problematic and inaccurate to refer to Palestinian citizens of Israel as 'Palestinian Israelis,' a label they simply reject. In your headline, you employ the term 'Israel’s Palestinians,' and in the second paragraph, 'Palestinian citizens of Israel,' both deemed acceptable by the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) and the International Press Institute (IPI) as they emphasize the population’s Palestinian Identity. Yet, you adopt the term 'Palestinian Israelis' throughout the article, a label which wrongfully imposes the 'Israeli' identity on the country’s Palestinian citizens."

"Even though Canada is a member of the Rome Statute, it has consistently opposed investigations into Israeli war crimes. Just last November, Canada opposed a United Nations motion which would require an opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the illegality of Israel’s occupation. Canada’s excuse is that “since it doesn’t recognize a Palestinian state, it wouldn’t recognize Palestine’s accession to international treaties.” However, 138 member states do in fact recognize a Palestinian state and ironically, Canada has voted in favour of Palestinian self-determination."

Nevertheless, the article fails to fully describe the significance of the Knesset’s vote to revoke the 2005 law on the four settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel promised the US in February that it would halt settlement expansion for six months in exchange for the US blocking a scathing UN Security Council resolution. This is such a betrayal that the Biden administration sought to summon Israel’s ambassador in Washington. 

"This sentence implies that the 'possibility of friction' results from an 'unusually large influx of worshippers and visitors,' which is an inaccurate claim. It is indeed true that tensions and violence are heightened during the holy month of Ramadan, however, this is due to Israel’s arbitrary restrictions on Palestinians in the city. In fact, the arbitrary imposition of restrictions at Damascus Gate, a key gathering site for Palestinians, was one of the triggers which contributed to the Palestinian uprising and acts of extreme Israeli violence in May of 2021."

"I take issue with the language used to discuss the legal status of Israel’s colonial settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). In the article you state “Since then, more than 700,000 Israelis have moved into dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — which most of the world considers an obstacle to peace.” In an article by Ilan Ben Zion published by Associated Press, he states that “Most of the international community considers Israel’s West Bank settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.” Just as Ilan Ben Zion mentions these two points, I believe it is important and necessary that you do."

"First, I take issue with the language used to discuss the legal status of Israel’s colonial settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). The article says, “The international community, including Israel’s closest ally, the United States, considers settlements illegal.” Regrettably, this phrasing presents the issue as if it is a matter of mere opinion. In fact, Israel’s settlement enterprise is a direct violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that an occupying power “shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” There is no ambiguity about this question."