HonestReporting Canada

During the 2021 Hamas war against Israel, anti-Israel protesters called for Intifada against Israel, and some even called to “Globalize the Intifada.” The Intifada, an Arabic word for uprising, was a violent multi-year terror campaign against the Jewish State which claimed a thousand innocent Israeli lives. Now, as more Islamist terror attacks happen in Israel, killing 14 innocent civilians, is this what the protesters calling for intifada wanted?

After more than 50 years of diplomatic relations, the tiny Asian city-state of Singapore has announced it will be opening an embassy in Israel for the very first time. Singapore’s announcement is just the latest in a string of countries in recent years to announce new or expanded relationships with Israel, demonstrating that as much as the media and BDS’ers claim that Israel is isolated, the Jewish state continues to thrive and to expand its relations with the international community.

As the war in Ukraine continues, major powers like the United States, France, Germany and others are working feverishly to try to end the fighting. But in a major blow for the BDS movement, perhaps the most critical linchpin of all the countries is Israel. The country’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has frequently spoken with leaders of both Russia & Ukraine, and the Jewish State has become integral to ongoing negotiations.

In the weeks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, an estimated three million Ukrainian refugees have fled the country, seeking safety elsewhere. And while neighbouring states in Europe have offered temporary refuge to these civilians, Israel, a country roughly two thousand kilometres from Kiev, Ukraine's capital, is in the process of admitting thousands into the tiny country. Although the media may not share this story, it's a powerful example of how Israel is a small country with a big heart.

In recent weeks, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have taken punitive measures against media outlets connected to Russia's government, including Russia Today. Last year, in the wake of the January 6 Capitol Hill riots in the United States, Twitter and Facebook banned Donald Trump and QAnon accounts for misinformation. But these same social media companies continue to give a free pass to the unchecked hate and propaganda emanating from the Islamic Republic of Iran, including both state media outlets and individuals connected to the regime itself. Why are social media giants turning a blind eye to Iran's hateful rhetoric? Enough is enough!

The United Nations Human Rights Council, a notoriously anti-Israel body, recently announced it was forming a special commission to investigate alleged war crimes during the last war between Israel and Hamas terrorists. The commission will be spearheaded by Navi Pillay, a vocal anti-Israel advocate and past leader of the Council, and the commission's findings seem all but guaranteed. Israel announced it would refuse to participate in this charade, and the news media should now be recognizing the Jewish state's moral move.

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, by preaching peace to global audiences, all while inciting hatred and violence against Israelis when speaking primarily to Palestinian and other friendly audiences. As long as Abbas continues to preach hate towards Israel and Jews, peace will continue to be as elusive as ever. When will the news media report the true face of Mahmoud Abbas?

In a recent episode of The View, actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg made some eyebrow-raising comments about the Holocaust, saying that the murder of six million Jews was "not about race." Though she faced significant backlash, including a two-week suspension from the television program, Whoopi's ignorant comments reveal the extent to which millions of people simply don't understand the basics of antisemitism.

Last spring, a property dispute in Jerusalem flared into open conflict. A group of Palestinian-Arabs in Jerusalem, who refused to pay rent to their Jewish landlords, became heroes in some quarters, and anti-Israel activists accused the Jewish State of attempting to expel these squatters. This allegation spread around the world, and helped to spur Hamas' war against Israel. But just a few weeks ago, Hamas bulldozed the homes of dozens of Palestinian families, rendering their inhabitants homeless, all to create a new commercial area, the world media barely reported it. When false allegations against Israel easily spread around the world, why are real examples of Palestinians being evicted by Hamas going unreported?

In January, Houthi terrorists, backed and funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran, fired missiles into Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, killing three civilians. The attack was only the latest salvo by the Houthis, but the minimal news coverage of the event means that Iran's terror funding will go ignored and the regime in Tehran will face few consequences for its nefarious actions.

On December 26, 2021, Desmond Tutu died. The South African archbishop became well known for his laudable opposition to apartheid in his homeland, and received recognition for these efforts. Unfortunately, he was also a vicious opponent of Israel's, and even made antisemitic statements. While the media is justified in recognizing the positive aspects of Tutu's work, his anti-Israel agenda severely tarnishes his legacy, and as uncomfortable as it may be, the media should not shy away from telling the full story of Desmond Tutu.

Recently, two Jews were viciously beaten in New York City because one of them was wearing an Israel Defense Forces sweater. Lest there be any doubt that the motivations were antisemitic, anti-Jewish slurs were made at the victims during the assault. Despite the cries of critics, when Jews are assaulted for daring to express their affiliation with Israel, it's antisemitism, pure and simple.

In a world of nearly 8 billion people, and more than 200 countries, the only Jewish state, with a small population, attracts condemnation and hate immensely disproportionate to its size, but why? None of the accusations made against Israel can justify this outsized hatred, and it's time for the media to stand up and say so.

2021 had no shortage of major news stories, whether the insurrection of the U.S. capitol in Washington, the ongoing Covid pandemic, or the American pullout from Afghanistan, but despite these major news stories, a recent Time Magazine issue profiling 100 top news photos of the year, featured on its front cover a likely staged anti-Israel image propaganda image. In fact, three of the 100 images selected by Time Magazine editors were anti-Israel. In a year of so many important news stories, it was shameful that Time Magazine chose to single Israel out for exclusive censure and condemnation.

A recent Washington Post article reported that in 2020 and 2021, Israel had carried out a number of air strikes on Syrian chemical weapons sites, which effectively stopped Bashar Assad's regime from acquiring chemical weapons. It did the same in 2007, when it destroyed a nascent Syrian nuclear reactor. And although Israel receives no recognition for its actions, the reality is that thanks to the Jewish State, both Israelis and Syrians are safer as a result of the Assad regime being denied chemical weapons.

Only a few months after tacitly accusing Israel of providing Covid vaccines only to its Jewish population, Michael Che of Saturday Night Live (SNL) is at it again. In a recent episode, Che made a snide comment about Jews, once again under the pretense of humour, claiming that Jewish people in Israel can't make wine. Saturday Night Live: unlike award-winning Israeli wines, leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

When a recent video hack revealed widespread torture at an Iranian prison, Iranian officials wasted no time in speaking out against the incident. For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has used torture with brutal effectiveness against its own people and to intimidate its population into silence. Will the news media report this incident as having been isolated or as being systemic and reflective of the true face of the Iranian regime?

Two thousand years ago, the Syrian Greek Empire attempted to assimilate the Jewish people in Israel. Today, as we mark the final day of Chanukah, the students' union at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, attempted a similar battle when it passed a motion banning kosher caterers unless they were anti Israel. Find out why this effort was rife with bigotry and Jew hatred.

Only four years after moving its embassy to Jerusalem, the U.S. is now looking to open a consulate serving the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem, which Israel views as an effective slap in the face. While Israel says it will not allow such an effort to undermine its legitimacy in its eternal and undivided capital, in reality, the move is a highly significant attack on Israel’s claims to the holy city and it serves to prejudge a final status issue that the parties must negotiate.

Recently, Israel blacklisted six Palestinian NGO's for their connections to terrorism, accused them of funneling foreign aid to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a proscribed terror group which has murdered innocent Israelis. Instead of lauding Israel for the move, much of the international media has issued condemnations alleging that the Jewish state was attempting to quash dissent instead of daring to defend its citizens from terror attacks.

For years, anti-Israel and antisemitic content has filled Palestinian school textbooks, even earning a harsh rebuke from the European Union (EU) Parliament this past April, but despite the criticism, little seems to have changed. Palestinian textbooks, which demonize Israel and Jews are a major obstacle to peace, and are effectively child abuse, harming both Palestinians and Israelis, but will the Canadian media report on it?

A new video game scheduled for release in December 2021 glorifies the killing of Israeli soldiers. The game, titled Fursan al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, depicts a recently released Palestinian prisoner attempting to "free Palestine" by attacking and killing Israeli soldiers, and who calls out "God is great" when a soldier is killed. At a time when Jews worldwide are the number one targets for hate crimes, and with social media and gaming platforms being powerful breeding grounds for antisemitism, this video game will only serve to glorify the killing, not just of Israeli soldiers, but of all Israelis, and by extension Jews. Will the media take notice?

Recently, a school administrator in Texas was caught on tape telling teachers that they should teach an "opposing" side of the Holocaust. While pushback was immediate and the school board quickly clarified the veracity of the Holocaust is not up for debate, but as we mark Holocaust Education Week, it's never been more important to draw the line between truth and fiction, and to protect the facts.

In mid-September, a demonstration took place in downtown Ottawa calling for the destruction of Israel. Equally appalling, protestors called for the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails without distinguishing from those who have blood on their hands and are convicted terrorists. Canada is a vibrant democracy with freedom of expression and assembly, but at the very least, a demonstration replete with genocidal proclamations warrants a strong condemnation from politicians, journalists and opinion makers alike.

In September, more than 300 influential Iraqis gathered in the northern city of Erbil for a conference aimed at promoting peace between Iraq and Israel. It featured influential religious leaders and high level bureaucrats, in what was likely the first event of its kind. But within days, in the face of threats from the Iraqi government and an influential Shia Islamic cleric, many of the speakers recanted their pro-peace views. Despite this setback, if peace will ever spread throughout the Middle East, those who take a chance on peace must be acknowledged and promoted. Tragically, the silence of the Canadian news media in covering this story only serves to harm the cause of peace in the region.