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CAMERA Arabic has prompted correction of a Deutsche Welle article which erroneously stated that Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on May 15. The May 14 article in Arabic entitled “Eurovision in Israel… between music and politics” erred:
The [Eurovision] contest’s [first] semi-final falls on Tuesday (May 14), a day prior to May 15, when every year on the same day the Palestinians commemorate the “Nakba,” while the Israelis celebrate “Independence Day.”
While Palestinians do mark the anniversaries commemorating the events of 1948 on May 15 every year, Israeli Independence Day was celebrated this year on May 9. Moreover, since Israeli and Jewish holidays typically follow the Hebrew calendar rather than the Gregorian one, the Gregorian date on which Israeli Independence Day may fall changes from year to year. The next time Israel will celebrate its Independence Day on May 15 will be the year of 2035.
In response to correspondence from CAMERA Arabic, editors commendably corrected the article, which now states:
The [Eurovision] contest’s [first] semi-final falls on Tuesday (May 14), a day prior to May 15, [the date] in which Palestinians commemorate the “Nakba” – when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were made to emigrate from their homes during the war that preceded the establishment of the State of Israel.
For the Arabic version of this post, please see CAMERA Arabic.