We complained last week to the Independent about an egregiously misleading article suggesting that the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound is solely a Muslim holy site, erasing that it’s Judaism’s holiest site.
It also uncritically promoted Jordanian accusations that Israel was going to “take over” the site, while using propagandistic language typically only used by Palestinian Authority-controlled news sites and terror groups accusing Jews who visit to their holy site of “storming the mosque” and “incursions”.
The Aug. 4 article, by Alex Croft, initially titled “Israeli takeover of Jerusalem’s most important Muslim site is ‘imminent’, warns Jordan,” also described thousands of Jews who peacefully visited the Temple Mount as “extremists,” language they never use when describing even Palestinians who riot at the same location.
The claim that Jews are “storming” or trying to take over Al-Aqsa compound, we argued to editors, is the same line that Amin al-Husseini used to incite violent anti-Jewish mobs in 1929 that killed or injured hundreds in Hebron and Jerusalem, and has been cynically used by Palestinian officials to fuel violence against Jews ever since.
To their credit, Indy editors upheld most of our complaints.
Temple Mount as solely an important “Muslim” site
First, here’s the original headline.
Israeli takeover of Jerusalem’s most important Muslim site is ‘imminent’, warns Jordan
Here’s the revised headline following our complaint, which is still problematic, but at least no longer inaccurately describes the site as a uniquely Muslim holy site.
Israel on verge of ‘changing status quo’ at al-Aqsa mosque, warns Jordan
In the text of the original article, the erroneous characterization of the site as solely Muslim was repeated, such as in the opening sentence:
Jordan has warned that an Israeli takeover of one of Jerusalem’s most important Muslim sites is imminent and could trigger a religious conflict, according to a report.
Here’s the revised opening sentence, after our complaint:
Jordan has warned that Israel is on the verge of changing the status quo atone of Jerusalem’s holiest sites and could trigger a religious conflict, according to a report.
Jews peacefully visiting the site described “extremists”
Here’s the original sentence:
The Jordanian government will hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world on Wednesday, as they look to address repeated incursions by Jewish religious extremists into the al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock compound.
Here’s the revised sentence, which removed the word “extremist” – replacing it with the slightly improved, but still problematic “hardline” – while again noting the religious significance of the site to Jews.
The Jordanian government will hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Arab and Islamic world on Wednesday, as they look to address repeated incursions by Jewish religious hardliners into the al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock compound. The compound is known to Jews as Temple Mount and is their most important holy site.
Jews “storming the mosque”
Further into the article, the initial version told readers the following.
On 23 July, Ben Gvir joined thousands of Jewish extremists as they stormed the site…
The revised version again replaces “extremists” with “religious hardliners,” and, more importantly, changed the incendiary term “stormed” to “entered”.
On 23 July, Ben Gvir joined thousands of Jewish religious hardliners as they entered the site…
Similarly, the caption below the lead photo showing Jews visiting the Temple Mount initially read:
Right-wing Israeli groups storm Al-Aqsa as Palestinians barred from worship
Here’s the revised version:
Israelis are seen at the holy site during the day of Tisha B’Av
Jewish “incursions” into the mosque
A paragraph further down described peaceful Jewish visits to their holy site as “incursions,” a word denoting a hostile intrusion:
This year, dozens of Muslim mosque staff have their entry permits revoked, an Imam was arrested by Israeli police during Friday prayer, and incursions by Jewish groups have escalated.
Here’s the revised version, which uses the more accurate and neutral term “entering”.
This year, dozens of Muslim mosque staff had their entry permits revoked, an Imam was arrested by Israeli police during Friday prayers, and the frequency of Jewish groups entering the site has increased.
(Unfortunately, they didn’t correct the word “incursions” in a previous sentence that we highlighted above.)
“Ethnic cleansing”
A few paragraphs down, the Indy journalist writes – in his own voice, as if it’s a fact – that Israel is engaging in an “ethnic cleansing” campaign in the West Bank.
Amman fears a dramatic upscaling of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in the West Bank ahead of the October elections, the outlet reported.
Here’s the revised version, clarifying that “ethnic cleansing” is merely Amman’s accusation:
Amman fears a dramatic upscaling of what it claims is an ethnic cleansing campaign by Israel in the West Bank ahead of the October elections, the outlet reported.
The following editor’s note was added the following at the bottom of the article:
