Haaretz Corrects “Lost in Translation” on Mosque Fire

Following communication from CAMERA’s Israel office, the English edition of Haaretz has added crucial information to an article which referred to Palestinian allegations of settlers torching a West Bank mosque in November 2014. The English edition’s article failed to note Israeli investigation findings which ruled out arson in the Moughayer mosque fire, identifying instead a malfunctioning heater as the source of the electrical fire.
 
Chaim Levinson’s Jan. 1 print article (and the Dec. 31 online version) stated: “In November Palestinian reports said that settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Moughayer. Worshippers arriving for morning prayers put out the fire.”
 
As Levinson himself reported just a couple of weeks ago, an Israeli investigation found that the Moughayer mosque fire was caused by a malfunctioning heater, and not by arson.
 
Indeed, Levinson’s original Hebrew article in the Hebrew print edition, also on Jan. 1, rightly noted (CAMERA’s translation): “A few weeks ago West Bank firefighters noted that the fire was caused by a short in an electrical heater, and not by arson.”
 
When notified by this latest instance of “Haaretz, Lost in Translation” this past Thursday, editors immediately added the missing information into the online article.
 
The amended online article now notes the Israeli investigation ruling out arson:
 
In addition, editors commendably appended the following note to the bottom of the article:
 
 
A clarification has yet to appear in the print edition.
 
For additional Haaretz corrections prompted by CAMERA, please see here.
 

Comments are closed.