(CAMERA) Gilead Ini - The New York Times has misinformed readers about Palestinians in the Jordan Valley. A Sep. 10 piece by Ben Hubbard, citing the Israeli advocacy group B'Tselem, told readers Palestinians are "barred from entering or using about 85%" of the Jordan Valley. In fact, Israeli communities and their lands, which sit within Area C that is administered by Israel, take up 8-15% of the Jordan Valley. The Times itself has frequently documented that Palestinians can enter these areas. A separate Times story published on the same day noted that nearly all the male population of Fasayil, a Palestinian village in the Jordan Valley, are employed in the neighboring Israeli community of Tomer. Thousands of Palestinians live in Palestinian communities and tend Palestinian fields throughout the Israeli-controlled section of the Jordan Valley. They also access the same parks and open spaces that Israelis do and they swim at the Dead Sea's Kalya beach. Some 46% of the Jordan Valley is designated as an IDF firing zone and another 9% is the buffer zone along the border with Jordan. These areas are restricted for all civilians, Israeli and Palestinian alike.
2019-10-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive