Arabicizing Hebrew place names is one method used to delegitimize Israel and Jewish roots in the region. The mainstream media, however, are expected to refer to the names of villages, towns and cities in modern-day Israel by their common Hebrew usage.
That’s why we called out Associated Press for this:
Why is @AP referring to the well-known and internationally recognized Israeli town of Rosh Hanikra as "Ras Hanikra"? Using semi-Arabicized spellings of Israeli places is a form of delegitimization. https://t.co/qUEug5XVMO pic.twitter.com/AgmPFF3PDZ
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 24, 2022
Rosh Hanikra is a chalk cliff on the beach of Upper Galilee on the border between Israel and Lebanon, chiseled out into labyrinthine grottoes filled with seawater formed by the geological and biological processes and by waves lapping on the soft rock.
It was known during the Arab conquest of the region as Ras-A-Nakura. AP’s reference to “Ras Hanikra” appears to be an erroneous amalgam of Arabic and Hebrew. But it is certainly wrong.
The error has now been corrected as a result of correspondence between HonestReporting and AP.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
