CAMERA staff prompt corrections in both The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post regarding inaccurate usage of the term “Palestine.” The Los Angeles Times obituary for Professor Gerald Larue, which also was published in The Post, incorrectly said that the archeologist participated in digs in “Palestine” in the 1960s.
A screen capture of the original Los Angeles Times obituary follows:
While Dr. Larue participates in digs in both Israel and the West Bank, it is incorrect to say that he took part in a dig in “Palestine.”
In the 1968s, Mr. Larue was the site excavator of Khirbet Mazraa, an archeological site near the Israeli coast south of Haifa, close to Tel Dor and Nachsholim. This piece of land is well within Israel’s pre-1967 lines.
In addition, earlier in the 1960s, he participated in a USC dig in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Following the 1948 war and the dissolution of the Mandate Palestine, there was no longer an entity called Palestine. Thus, the term “Palestine” is incorrect.
Since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, those West Bank areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority are often referred to as “Palestinian territories.” Before the Palestinian Authority assumed control for those areas, however, correct terminology would simply be West Bank.
Following correspondence from CAMERA staff, both media outlets commendably corrected the error both in print and online.
The Los Angeles Times amended its online article and prominently added this correction near the top of the article:
The amended text reads:
The Washington Post also amended its text and posted this correction at the bottom of the article:
