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March 16, 2015
NY Times Errs on Jerusalem Arabs' Voting Rights
Diaa Hadid, The New York Times' new recruit to expand the paper's coverage of Palestinians, misleads in her article today on Israeli Arabs in the upcoming elections ("Arab Alliance Arises as Force in Israeli Elections"):
Unlike Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, Palestinian citizens of Israel have full voting rights.
Jerusalem Arabs are entitled to Israeli citizenship, which grants them full voting rights. In the last decade alone, over three thousand individuals have joined those Arabs who had already become citizens of Israel.
As The Boston Globe clarified on Feb. 4, 2003:
A Jan. 29 story on the World pages about the Israeli elections was unclear on the voting rights of Palestinians living in Jerusalem. Palestinians living there can seek Israeli citizenship and, if they obtain it, can vote in Israeli elections. If they do not become citizens, they can still vote in municipal elections.
CAMERA has contacted The Times, and a representative has responded that the error will be corrected.
An Israeli-Arab voter drops a ballot into a ballot box during voting in East Jerusalem, February 6, 2001. Most Israeli-Arabs are expected to abstain from voting in a protest against the 13 Israeli-Arabs who were killed during the recent 'Intifada' or uprising against Israel. Ariel Sharon appeared poised for a stunning political victory over Prime Minister Ehud Barak as voters began casting ballots Tuesday in an election seen as a referendum on Israel's relationship with the Palestinians. Photo by Reuters
Update, 7:17 a.m., EST: The New York Times has issued a stealth change to the wording of its online article. The article now states:
Unlike Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and most Arab residents of East Jerusalem, Palestinian citizens of Israel have full voting rights.
There is no correction appended to the article noting the change.
March 18 Update: New York Times Corrects on Jerusalem Arabs' Voting Rights
Posted by TS at March 16, 2015 04:43 AM
Comments
The Times also is misleading by implicitly criticizing Israel for not allowing Arabs or Palestinian citizens of the Gaza Strip to have full voting rights. This completely ignores that Israel gave Gaza to the PA and no longer claims rights to the territory. It would be as if the Times said, "Unlike Arabs in Saudi Arabia, Canada, and the United States, Palestinian citizens of Israel have full voting rights." Why should Arabs in Canada (or Gaza) vote in Israeli elections?
Posted by: Phil at March 16, 2015 10:57 PM
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