UPDATE: May 20, 2021
In response to our complaint about Shenaz Karmalli’s op-ed that accues Israel of carrying out 911 style terror attacks like Al Qaeda, the Star’s public editor, Bruce Campion-Smith, sent the following email this week to many HonestReporting Canada subscribers:
Good afternoon . . . thank you for the email and the feedback.
I note your concern with the column by Ms. Kermalli expressing her personal perspectives on the conflict, notably the 9/11 reference. I heard from many readers on this topic. I have made senior editors aware of the concerns expressed by you and others.
The Star strives to be fair to all sides. This week, the Star has published columns by Michael Levitt, Amira Elghawaby and Michael Coren offering their viewpoints.
I know the Star will endeavour to provide a diversity of viewpoints in the opinion columns selected for publication.
Bruce Campion-Smith
ORIGINAL ALERT:
In an op-ed published to the Toronto Star’s website today by writer Shenaz Kermalli (pictured right), the author outrageously draws a tacit comparison between Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian terrorists and buildings used by Hamas for terror purposes, and Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 terror attacks that killed close to 3,000 people.
Kermalli writes (emphasis added):
Israeli bombs and artillery shells are raining down on Gaza. Yet again, the world watches silently.
A 14-storey highrise building collapses, one tower complex at a time into piles of rubble and dirt, 9/11-style.”
To accuse Israel of carrying out attacks similar to the atrocities carried out by Al Qaeda on September 11, 2001 is appalling. Setting aside how Israel warns civilians to leave the area due to impending attacks on terrorists and terror infrastructure, to depict Israel as carrying out terrorism of the scale of 9/11 is inflammatory and of course, without foundation. We know for certain that Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields and embeds themselves in civilian population centres, a bona fide war crime.
Shame on the Toronto Star for publishing this outrageous allegation not fit for publication and which has the potential to fan the flames of hatred against supporters of Israel and Jews in Toronto and worldwide. HonestReporting Canada has filed a complaint with the Star and we encourage you to do the same by sending letters to Toronto Star Public Editor Bruce Campion-Smith: bcsmith@thestar.ca.
