HonestReporting Canada

In early July, Israel carried out a major counter-terrorism operation in the Jenin refugee camp, which for years has been an epicentre of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel. Although the operation was over in only two days, Israel seized and destroyed a large cache of weapons, and said it killed 18 Palestinian armed combatants, without killing a single Palestinian civilian. Not only does Israel have a right to defend itself, but its ability to minimize Palestinian civilian casualties is noteworthy, though it often goes unreported by the news media.

In late February, a Palestinian terrorist shot and killed two Israeli brothers as they were driving on a highway near their home in Samaria (northern “west bank”). After the terrorist was later killed during an exchange of fire with Israeli troops, his family was paid a condolence call by a number of high-ranking figures in the Palestinian Authority (PA), including a local governor, whose office described the terrorist as having committed an act of “martyrdom.” When the Palestinian leadership endorses murder against Israeli civilians, where is the media coverageand outrage?

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?

According to a recent survey conducted by Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), based on a two-year review of posts on Twitter, Israel is accused of violating human rights more than any other country in the world. The report found that Israel faces those accusations on social media 38 times more than Iran, and more than 100 times more than North Korea. Both of those regimes widely abuse their citizen’s human rights, in contrast to Israel, a liberal democracy that guarantees its people’s rights.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

The Iraqi parliament recently passed a law restricting its citizens from creating ties with Israelis, under the threat of the death penalty. Despite a growing trend in the Arab world of states creating closer ties with Israel, Iraq has chosen a path not of progress, but of regression.

In early September, Hamas, the Gaza-based Islamist terrorist group, announced that it had executed five Palestinian men, two of whom for the alleged crime of “collaboration” with Israel. Hamas murders Israeli civilians and brutally oppresses its own citizens, and constantly instills fear to maintain absolute control over Gaza’s two million people. It’s time for the news media to show the true face of Hamas to the world.

Amidst the recent violence between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), anti-Israel rallies have popped up around the world, including in some Canadian cities. And some of these rallies have featured more than simply anti-Israel rhetoric; they have included praise for PIJ terrorists and calls for the destruction of Israel. It’s time the media and the government condemn these words of incitement.

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?

In mid-April, as the holidays of Passover, Easter and Ramadan coincided, faithful across Israel celebrated these three festivals in peace, enjoying the freedom of religion guaranteed by Israel. But in Jerusalem, the Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third-holiest site which was built atop the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, saw Palestinian extremists turn the location into a staging ground for violence. Video footage showed Palestinian rioters stockpiling rocks and firebombs inside the mosque, and engaging in violence against Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall below and at Israeli police who were attempting to remove the weapons, stop the riot and restore peace.

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.

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!

Each year, the World Cup attracts legions of fans in person, and viewers worldwide cheer on their home country. The games also attract a massive amount of media attention. This year, the World Cup takes place in Qatar, the small oil-rich kingdom in the Persian Gulf. And while the country's immense oil wealth has attracted widespread attention, it's critically important that the news media doesn't ignore the kingdom's true face: its abuse of foreign labourers, its support for the Hamas terrorist group, and its founding of Al Jazeera, the anti-Israel broadcasting juggernaut.

In late June, Natural Resources Canada announced a major investment in an advanced earthquake detection system developed by Tel Aviv University, in partnership with SeismicAI, an Israeli hi-tech company. The Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system aims to provide advanced notice for Canadians in high-risk areas, so they can find safety before a large-scale earthquake strikes. This Canadian investment in Israeli know-how could potentially save countless lives should such a natural disaster take place in Canada. Although often covered by the news media when conflict takes place, Israel’s true impact is helping to make the world a better place.

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.

For many years, Turkey and Israel enjoyed close relations. But with the 2008 Gaza war, and the Gaza flotilla, Ankara's leaders adopted a hardline anti-Israel position. But a decade later, in the face of Israel's growing influence across the Middle East and beyond, Turkey has begun moving towards renewed closeness with Israel. No matter how hard BDS activists try and isolate Israel, the Jewish State keeps proving that it's indispensable to the rest of the world.

In early October, Kanye West – one of the world’s most powerful influencers on social media – made a string of antisemitic comments online and in television interviews. His baseless claims about Jews – including that they exert control over Black people – are without merit, but with such a significant following, his comments are a powerful reminder that poisonous comments targeting Jews must always be challenged, and not easily dismissed.

On May 30, a Polish-Canadian historian of the Holocaust at the University of Ottawa, Jan Grabowski, was scheduled to deliver a lecture in Warsaw, Poland about Polish complicity in the Holocaust and the Polish government’s attempts to whitewash its history. But Grabowski was unable to deliver his lecture because a Polish politician with a history of making antisemitic comments, Grzegorz Braun, physically disrupted the event and prevented Grabowski from sharing his research. With the number of Holocaust survivors decreasing, the need has never been greater to preserve their memories accurately and not let the history of the Holocaust get whitewashed to benefit Nazi collaborators.

Recently, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, visited southern Lebanon and was within striking distance of Israel, where he proclaimed that recent events in the region “will lead to the collapse of the Zionist entity.” His words are more than just rhetoric; Iran’s regime is an active funder and supplier to Hezbollah, the Shiite Islamist terrorist group operating in southern Lebanon, which threatens Israel’s existence. It’s time the news media shine a light on Iran and Hezbollah’s genocidal aims.

On Friday, March 3, a poster appeared in the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, showing a Star of David alongside the words "anti apartheid is not antisemitism.” Without showing an Israeli flag, or even the word Israel, the phrase clearly associated Jews with apartheid, a brutal system of oppression widely used in South Africa. While the unapproved poster was promptly removed and condemned by the city’s acting mayor, the incident highlights the increasingly brazen tactics used by anti-Israel groups.

On March 29, a 26-year-old Palestinian terrorist entered the Israeli City of Bnei Brak, with its overwhelmingly religious Jewish population, and opened fire, killing five innocent people. One of the victims was an Israeli-Arab Christian named Amir Khoury, who died trying to arrest the terrorist. Now, Bnei Brak is honouring Khoury’s memory, showing that solidarity is more powerful than anti-Israel hate.