Haaretz Adds Information on Marwan Barghouti’s Murder Convictions

Yesterday The New York Times published an editor’s note acknowledging that an article which euphemistically referred to “controversial Palestinian activist Rasmeah Odeh” should have noted that she was convicted of a deadly bombing in Israel. Today Haaretz amends an article to note that “convicted Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti” was found guilty of five counts of murder.
 
The Nov. 14 Haaretz article (“Israel Denies Entry to European Officials Over ‘Support for Israel Boycott’“) had originally stated:

According to Interior Minister Arye Dery and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the purpose of the visit was to meet with the convicted Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti at Hadarim Prison, “as part of their support for Barghouti and Palestinian prisoners.”

 
As Haaretz had reported elsewhere, Barghouti was “convicted on five counts of murder and sentenced to five cumulative life terms in prison plus 40 years for attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization.” This key information did not appear in yesterday’s article about the Israeli decision to deny entry to European officials who were planning to visit Barghouti in prison.
 
Following communication from CAMERA’s Israel office, Haaretz editors quickly amended the article, adding the crucial information about Barghouti’s multiple murder convictions. The amended online article now states:

According to Interior Minister Arye Dery and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the purpose of the visit was to meet with the jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti at Hadarim Prison, “as part of their support for Barghouti and Palestinian prisoners.”

Barghouti was convicted in 2004 of a series of terror-related murders during the second Palestinian intifada and is currently serving five life sentences. …

 
In addition, editors commendably appended a note (below) alerting readers to the change.
 

This past April, The New York Times was also compelled to publisher an editor’s note and add information about Barghouti’s murder convictions after the paper identified him only as a “Palestinian leader and parliamentarian.” 
 
In a separate omission in Haaretz‘s article yesterday, the English edition did not include information regarding Addameer, a Palestinian NGO, which had appeared in the Hebrew version of the same article.
 
The article quotes from a Strategic Affairs Ministry document which was sent to the Foreign Ministry. The English edition states:
According to the document, “The Strategic Affairs Ministry’s position is to not allow this visit either, which is liable ‘to celebrate’ an extremist delegitimizing activist. Salah Hamouri, a Palestinian Frenchman who works as an investigator for the Addameer, was arrested by IDF forces in late August.” Addameer is the Ramallah-based Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association.

The final sentence merely stating that Addameer is the Ramallah-based Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association does not appear in the Hebrew edition. Rather, the original Hebrew article continues with one more sentence from the Strategic Affairs Ministry. It states (CAMERA’s translation):

Addammeer is among the Palestinian delegitimization organizations leading the lawfare campaign against Israel.

Readers of the English edition have no way of knowing that, according to the Strategic Affairs Ministry, Addameer is one of the Palestinian delegitimization organizations leading the lawfare campaign against Israel.
 
For additional examples of “Haaretz, Lost in Translation,” in which the English edition downplays, whitewashes or omits Palestinian or Arab wrongdoings noted in the Hebrew edition, see here. For more Haaretz corrections prompted by CAMERA and Presspectiva, CAMERA’s Hebrew department, please see here.

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