"However, there is an unjustified asymmetry in how Israeli and Palestinian casualties are reported. While the three Israelis who were killed in two incidents are mentioned in the headline and first paragraphs of the article, it is not until the 14th paragraph until you mention that a Palestinian was killed during the Israeli settler attack on Huwara (Hawara) and surrounding villages. The killing of Sameh al-Aqtash, who is unnamed in the article, is the immediate context for today’s retaliatory attack on an Israeli motorist, and this should have featured prominently in the story."
February 27, 2023
To:
Aileen Donnelly, News Editor, National Post
Josef Federman, News Director, Associated Press
Nicole Meir, Media Relations Manager, Associated Press
Majdi Mohammed, journalist, Associated Press
Ilan Ben Zion, journalist, Associated Press
Dear Ms. Donnelly and those at the Associated Press,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) requesting a necessary update to your article, “Palestinian gunman kills Israeli as violence roils West Bank,” which was published in the National Post on February 27.
Overall, this article provides the necessary information and context about events in the occupied West Bank over the past several days, including the incendiary and violence statements from Israeli officials.
However, there is an unjustified asymmetry in how Israeli and Palestinian casualties are reported. While the three Israelis who were killed in two incidents are mentioned in the headline and first paragraphs of the article, it is not until the 14th paragraph until you mention that a Palestinian was killed during the Israeli settler attack on Huwara (Hawara) and surrounding villages. The killing of Sameh al-Aqtash,[1] who is unnamed in the article, is the immediate context for today’s retaliatory attack on an Israeli motorist, and this should have featured prominently in the story.
I insist that you update the article to include a mention of the killing of Sameh al-Aqtash by Israeli fire in the first one or two paragraphs.
Further, the article fails to mention Israel’s recent actions in the Palestinian city of Nablus on February 22. The killing of two Israelis in Huwara on February 26 is widely understood to be a response to Israel’s earlier raid on Nablus, which killed at least 10 Palestinians (including two elderly people and a child) and injured over 100. By failing to include this necessary context, your article minimizes Israel’s role in the latest escalation of violence.
I insist that you update the article to include a reference to Israel’s deadly raid on Nablus as context for the latest Palestinian attacks on Israelis.
Thank you in advance for promptly making these changes. 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] Fayha Shalash, “After helping earthquake victims, this Palestinian was killed by an Israeli rampage,” Middle East Eye, February 27, 2023, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestinian-earthquake-victims-killed-rampage