True to form, CTV News and its senior correspondent, Paul Workman, produced a report on the May 27 broadcast of CTV National News which completely ignored Israel’s legitimate security concerns and the raison d’être for the security barrier.
Workman’s report (watch by clicking here or immediately below) was about British graffiti artist “Banksy” and his “Walled-Off Hotel” in Bethlehem. The hotel, which is part PR stunt and part, a bizarre tourism effort, maligns the Israeli security barrier as a racist tool of “apartheid” “segregation” and “occupation”.
CTV News showed images and footage of the imposing 8-metre concrete barrier with Workman interviewing Palestinians who expressed their hate of the existence of the barrier.
Workman even inserted his personal opinion into the report by saying that the hotel shows “… Banksy’s angry artistic genius“.
The hotel, Workman claims, has a room with “the worst view in the world” as it overlooks the security barrier. Worst view? If Mr. Workman had gone to Israel’s Hadassah Medical Centre and had seen its emergency room following a terror attack – with bodies maimed, murdered, amputations, shrapnel wounds, burn victims, etc. – he would have truly seen the “worst view in the world” as the lives of Israelis continue to be shattered by Palestinian terror.
At no time did Workman and CTV News mention that the security barrier was built to deter and thwart relentless Palestinian terror in the form of suicide bombers, stabbing rampages, and shooting attacks. It’s not a land grab, but a necessary security measure. Importantly, 95% of the barrier is chain link fence, the remains 5% is made up of concrete wall slabs that are in place to prevent Palestinian snipers from shooting at Israeli civilians.
There is no justification for CTV News’ ignoring Israel’s very real security concerns, especially in the backdrop of the over 1,323 people who have been killed by Palestinian violence and terrorism since September 2000.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Call on CTV National News to issue an on-air apology for egregiously ignoring Israel’s security concerns when faced with unrelenting Palestinian terrorism. These abhorrent acts of terror necessitates the barrier’s presence. Send emails to CTV News President Wendy Freeman at: wendy.freeman@bellmedia.ca and refer to Paul Workman’s May 27 report about Banksy’s “Walled off Hotel”.
