CAMERA’s Israel office today prompted correction of a Sept. 10 Times of Israel headline which erroneously had stated that convicted terrorist Bassam al-Sayeh had died in Israeli jail. The original headline read: “Palestinians protest after cancer-stricken terror convict dies in Israeli prison.” In fact, Bassam Al-Sayeh died in Asaf Harofeh Hospital. As the article itself states:
A Palestinian convict serving time in Israeli prison for his role in a deadly terror attack died of complications from cancer at a hospital in central Israel late Sunday, sparking accusations of neglect from top Palestinian officials.
Bassam al-Sayeh, who suffered from bone and blood cancer, died at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Beer Yaakov, according to the Palestinian Authority Prisoner Affairs Commission.
In response to communication from CAMERA, editors commendably amended the headline. It now accurately states: “Palestinian protest after terror convict dies in Israeli hospital.”
Contrary to common journalistic practice, editors did not append a note to the bottom of the article alerting readers to the correction.
Al-Sayeh was convicted for approving and financing the 2015 fatal shooting attack in which Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin were murdered in front of their four children.
See also: “AFP Corrects Over a Dozen Captions: Prisoner Bassam Al-Sayeh Convicted in Henkins’ Murder“