Oops…The Guardian Acknowledges Jerusalem’s Old City is in Israel

This is one "error" we won't be asking for a correction.

By July 19, 2012

The Guardian usually goes to great lengths to portray Jerusalem and more specifically, the Old City as not being a legitimate part of Israel. Instead, The Guardian (and many other media outlets) refer to “East Jerusalem” as a “settlement” beyond the 1967 borders and therefore “illegally occupied.”

When it comes to the status of Jerusalem, The Guardian’s style guide even states: “Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel; Tel Aviv is,” a shocking assertion ultimately backed up by the UK’s Press Complaints Commission.

But has The Guardian quietly relented? After all, what could be more iconic than a photo of Jerusalem’s Old City and the Temple Mount? And what could be a clearer indication of Israeli sovereignty than using such a photo to illustrate a story about Israel with no mention whatsoever of the Palestinians?

Is this an error? If so, this is one “error” that we won’t be asking The Guardian to correct. But just how long will it take before The Guardian replaces the photo above with a more suitable one?

Expect to see an image of Tel Aviv very soon.

© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Simon Plosker

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020.

Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias.

Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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