"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."
February 20, 2023,
To:
Paul Samyn, Editor, Winnipeg Free Press
Stacey Thidrickson, Associate editor (news), Winnipeg Free Press
Dear Mr. Samyn and Ms. Thidrickson,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to request a headline change to the article, “Israel promises not to approve additional West Bank outposts,” which was authored by the Associate Press and published by the Winnipeg Free Press on February 20, 2023.
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.[1] 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.[2]
By claiming that Israel has promised “not to approve additional West Bank outposts,” your story’s headline is factually incorrect. It suggests to readers that Israel has made a significant concession to stop any new authorizations when its actual settlement plans continue unabated. We insist that the headline be changed to something along the lines of: “Israel says it will temporarily pause the authorization of additional West Bank outposts, even as it moves to approve thousands of new settlement units.”
Thank you for making this change. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Michael Bueckert, PhD
Vice President, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] Isabel Debre, “Israeli cabinet ministers reject US criticism of West bank settlements,” Toronto Star, February 14, 2023, https://www.thestar.com/politics/2023/02/14/israeli-cabinet-ministers-reject-us-criticism-on-west-bank-settlements.html
[2] Jacob Magid, “PA agrees to yank UN measure, even as Israel readies to advance settlement package,” Times of Israel, February 19, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/pa-agrees-to-yank-un-measure-even-as-israel-readies-to-advance-settlement-package/