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Corrected: “Occupation Wall” Comes Down

Describing Israel’s security barrier, specifically the walled section next to Bethlehem, The Independent‘s Bethan McKernan could barely disguise her bias: Israel’s barrier is there as a means to protect against terrorist infiltration. Labeling…

Simon Plosker
May 25, 2017
12:00 am

Reading time: < 1 minutes

Describing Israel’s security barrier, specifically the walled section next to Bethlehem, The Independent‘s Bethan McKernan could barely disguise her bias:

Israel’s barrier is there as a means to protect against terrorist infiltration. Labeling it an “occupation wall” is prejudicial and inaccurate.

Following a complaint from HonestReporting, The Independent has amended it to the more palatable “security wall.” While we would normally take issue with the description of the barrier as a wall (over 95 percent of the structure is a fence), in this case the reference to a wall is acceptable given the focus on the specific section by Bethlehem.

Photo by Nati Shohat / Flash90

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Tags: Bethan McKernan, Bethlehem, Misleading terminology, security barrier, security fence, success, The Independent, wall

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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