Top 7 Guardian Anti-Israel Errors, Lies and Deceptions of 2017
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by Adam Levick
The Guardian newspaper’s London offices. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Narrowing down an entire year of Guardian anti-Israel reporting is not an easy task — but, as a public service to our loyal readers, here are some errors, deceptions and outright lies about Israel in 2017 that especially stood out:
1. Guardian op-ed by Diana Buttu claims Palestinians are arrested for “criticising Israel” on Facebook
Diana Buttu’s allegations in The Guardian, including her bizarre claim that Palestinians have been arrested for criticizing Israel on Facebook, were context-free and counter-factual — essentially everything you’d expect from a PLO propagandist with such a well-documented record of lying about the Jewish state.
2. Guardian falsely suggests the existence of Haredi-only Israeli hospitals
The Guardian’s suggestion that there are haredi-only hospitals is absurd, as anyone familiar with Israeli hospitals would surely know. Whilst Bikur Cholim Hospital in Jerusalem likely treats a large number of haredim (due to its close proximity to haredi neighborhoods), like all Israeli hospitals, it treats all patients who come through its doors, regardless of religious background.
3. Guardian falsely claims that Israel ‘banned’ Arab political parties in 2009
An official Guardian editorial claimed that Israel has “banned” Arab political parties. In fact, as we noted in a complaint to editors, though there was — in 2009 — a decision by the Israel Central Elections Committee to bar two Israeli Arab parties due to allegations they supported terrorism, the Israeli Supreme Court overturned the “ban” only two weeks later, before it could go into effect. The Guardian upheld our complaint, and issued a correction.
The advocacy journalism practiced by The Guardian’s Jerusalem correspondent Peter Beaumont seems to demand that the Palestinian cause be framed — regardless of the evidence — as a peaceful and progressive. Therefore, in his columns, all information that runs counter to this narrative must be whitewashed and obfuscated.
5. Guardian columnist suggests that Israel’s defenders are akin to climate change deniers
Guardian columnist Zoe Williams actually compared Israel’s defenders — whom she characterizes as defenders of “killing children” — and climate change deniers. This analogy is indicative of a view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, held by many in the media, which sees it as a binary tale of ignorance vs. truth, and good vs. evil.
6. Guardian claims that there’s a wall around Haifa
Following communication with UK Media Watch, Guardian editors removed a sentence bizarrely suggesting the existence of a wall surrounding the Israeli city of Haifa, and added an addendum noting the change.
7. Guardian erroneously claims that Israel “censored” a book by Dorit Rabinyan
Israelis are free go to bookshops anywhere in the country — and purchase the book, Borderlife, by Dorit Rabinyan. The book made it to the Israeli best seller’s list. Israeli students can borrow the book from libraries. Israeli teachers in advanced literature classes across the country are free to assign the book to their students if they choose. Yet, The Guardian somehow claimed that the book was “censored” by Israel.
The writer covers the British media for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.
