As Spain’s public news service, RTVE Noticias is hardly a tabloid or a fringe social media agitator. But its Instagram account, with more than half a million followers, recently posted misinformation about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians which would have been quite as home in either of those notoriously sensationalist and inaccurate platforms.
In response to correspondence from CAMERA Español, RTVE removed its Nov. 12 Instagram post which had falsely claimed Israel had legalized the “death penalty for Palestinians.”
To date, the outlet has issued no public clarification acknowledging the error.
Alongside a photo of far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, the post’s text stated:
Ben Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, celebrates with cakes the approval of the death penalty for Palestinians who kill Israeli citizens. Palestinian associations say he intends to legitimize mass executions of hundreds of detainees. [Translated from Spanish by CAMERA Español.]
More than 4,700 users had “liked” the post and nearly 1,000 had commented—meaning thousands were misinformed by the public broadcaster. On RTVE’s website, the related story carried the accurate headline: “Death penalty law for ‘terrorists’ passes first of three readings in Israeli Parliament.”
The differences between RTVE’s Instagram post and website’s headline are significant. First, contrary to the Instagram post, no law was approved. Rather, the bill passed its first reading, as correctly reported on RTVE’s website. It still has significant steps to overcome before turning into law.
Second, the bill does not allow for a “death penalty for Palestinians,” per the Instagram post. The provision would apply to convicted terrorists, as RTVE’s own reporting made clear. Unless RTVE equates “Palestinians” with “terrorists,” the distinction matters.
RTVE’s Instagram post associating Israel with cakes feting the killing of Palestinians is striking. The shocking coupling of cakes and killing is certainly bound to attract clicks.
It’s also noteworthy that RTVE has never mentioned the routine street celebrations with sweets in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following brutal attack against Israelis, including on Oct. 7 2023, when Hamas and its allies massacred, kidnapped, tortured and raped civilians. Those images rarely make it to the social media or news feeds of Spain’s public broadcaster. Apparently, RTVE editors find some sweets sweeter than others.
Despite the careful aforementioned website headline, a second piece on the news outlet’s site uncritically parroted Hamas lies: “Hamas says Israel seeks to legalize ‘mass murder’ of Palestinians with its death penalty law for ‘terrorists’.”
The RTVE journalists responsible for this piece are seemingly completely oblivious to the obvious irony of Hamas complaints about a proposed Israeli law applying the death penalty to terrorists.
Exploiting both public funds and its reputation as a responsible source of credible information, RTVE poisons public debate with simplified and false messages. The deletion of the false and sensationalist Instagram post was a step in the right direction, but it’s not yet time to pull out the celebratory sweets given the public broadcaster’s troubled journalism.
For the Spanish version of this article, please see CAMERA Español.