Last year, we exposed Reuters correspondent Henriette Chacar’s alarming history of spreading misinformation about Israel, including accusing the country of “blatant and systemic racism” and claiming that “racist, fascist talking points are now mainstream.”
In one tweet, she called Israel “a [racist] light unto the nations,” a play on the Jewish adage to be a positive example and a force for good in the world.
Chacar, who was the deputy editor of the anti-Israel +972 Magazine, also suggested that Israel implemented “racist, segregationist policies” — even though, somewhat ironically, the self-defined “Palestinian journo from Jaffa” was educated at IDC Herzliya, a top Israeli academic institution.
Despite her clear animus toward the Jewish state, the global wire service Reuters, which produces material that is used by more than 2,000 news outlets in 128 counties, refused to sever ties with Chacar and instead entrusted her to continue reporting on Israeli-Palestinian issues.
This is in spite of evidence that Chacar has allowed her feelings about Israel to influence her reporting, including a bylined article this week in which she glorified the Palestinian teenage terrorist who opened fire on a group of Israelis in Jerusalem.
It can now be revealed that Chacar was rebuked by bosses at Reuters over disturbing comments she sent to her editor in which she disputed whether there was a difference between Israeli civilians and combatants.
According to emails obtained by the Jewish Chronicle, she sent the now-retired Reuters Jerusalem Bureau Editor-in-Charge Jeffrey Heller a message that said: “Can we conclusively say that Palestinians have mostly targeted civilians?
“Many Israelis are either in active or reserve duty, and with the prime minister encouraging citizens to carry their guns, the line between civilians and combatants is quite blurred, so I do think it’s a tricky thing to highlight. It also seems redundant, since we already outline the number of Israeli civilians and security forces killed.”
Heller replied: “Hi, This line of thinking is outrageous and I will be raising it with our superiors.”
This is a must-read: Shocking evidence uncovered by @JewishChron that @Reuters journalist Henriette Chacar, whose bias has previously been flagged by HonestReporting, outrageously questioned the difference between Israeli civilians & combatants to her editor-in-chief. https://t.co/FFI9R3VAXF
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) February 9, 2023
In the same email exchange, Chacar pushed to be allowed to “contextualize” Palestinian terror attacks, writing: “If we are going to explain Israel’s raids to readers by presenting them as a response to something, I think it’s crucial that we also contextualize Palestinian attacks.
“Perhaps something along the lines of: Israel says it conducts raids in Palestinian towns and villages to thwart ‘terror’ attacks. Palestinians say their armed struggle is a legitimate form of resistance to decades of Israeli occupation.”
Despite being reprimanded for her alarming comments, Chacar was again allowed to remain in her role at Reuters.
Commenting on the revelations, HonestReporting Executive Director Gil Hoffman said: “Henriette Chacar has proven time and time again that she sympathizes with terrorists and cannot be trusted to report objectively on the Arab-Israeli conflict for the world’s largest multimedia news provider.
“The Jewish Chronicle’s report raises alarm bells and requires immediate action.”
If Reuters is serious about its commitment to accurate and bias-free journalism, it can no longer bury its head in the sand when it comes to Henriette Chacar.
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Photo: Terror Attack – Shalev Shalom via TPS / Henriette Chacar – Twitter
