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Corrections Are Not Enough: Washington Post Misquotes Israeli Expert, Then Inserts Hezbollah Propaganda
Hezbollah members hold flags marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Kfar Kila near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, May 25, 2021. Photo: Reuters/Aziz Taher
Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, the founder and president of Alma — an independent research and education center focused on Israel’s security challenges along its northern border — has become a sought-after commentator amid Israel’s ongoing strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Following the elimination of the terrorist organization’s leader, Hasan Nasrallah, it’s no surprise that the international media have turned to her for insight.
However, it was extremely surprising to see comments in The Washington Post connected with Zehavi that implied the Galilee region in northern Israel is “disputed” territory.
After confirming with Zehavi, she clarified that she had never made any statement during her interview with Washington Post journalist Loveday Morris that could be interpreted in that way.
No, @washingtonpost, the Galilee region in Israel’s north is not “disputed.” It’s recognized sovereign Israeli territory.
Is there any part of the country that @LovedayM thinks is legitimate? https://t.co/mF6FZTcEvC pic.twitter.com/O6NTWi5rCT
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) September 29, 2024
Not to mention the fact that the Galilee is an undisputed sovereign region of Israel, and recognized by the entire international community.
Shortly after we called out the error on X (formerly Twitter), the Post quietly amended its text — but at the time, didn’t acknowledge any correction.
But instead of simply removing the word “disputed” from the article, Morris appeared to double down, attempting to justify or explain why the status of the Galilee region could be considered disputed:
After we called out @LovedayM for misquoting an Israeli expert, @washingtonpost replaced the misquote with bogus Hezbollah propaganda that was also not given as background context by @ZehaviAlma in her interview.
Is this what passes for journalism in the Washington Post? https://t.co/DTsBl3p0ZS pic.twitter.com/3M1W4BWzyY
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) September 29, 2024
By doing so, Morris continued to misrepresent Zehavi’s comments by inserting “context” or “background” that was never mentioned in the interview, and worse still, amplified blatant Hezbollah propaganda in the process.
The only reason to bring up the status of the Galilee is to indulge bogus Hezbollah talking points.
So where does this claim that seven Israeli villages belong to Lebanon even come from?
As the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs explains, the villages were originally on Lebanese territory until the 1923 demarcation agreements between the mandatory powers of Britain and France, which placed them inside Mandatory Palestine.
Even if one were to challenge borders drawn by colonial powers over a century ago, the Lebanese state itself accepted this demarcation in the 1949 armistice agreement with Israel, and officially relinquished any claim to the seven villages, which remained under Israeli sovereignty.
Once again, we called out The Washington Post on X and, once again, a change was made. We also learned that Zehavi herself had complained to Morris. This time, an effort was clearly made to separate Zehavi’s comments from the context added by Morris.
However, at this point in time, the Post still chose to platform Hezbollah’s false claims.
Morris is certainly right about one thing: Hezbollah seeks Israel’s destruction. And that, like the ideology that drives Hezbollah’s masters in Tehran and its allies in Hamas, is the true context behind the rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon — not seven Israeli villages in the Galilee.
Later, as a result of a complaint by Zehavi, the Post finally issued a public correction:
While the article has resolved the incorrect attribution to Zehavi, it is utterly appalling that The Washington Post states that baseless Hezbollah propaganda is the “context” that was missing when Loveday Morris decided to make the completely false claim that the Galilee region is “disputed.”
It’s simply not good enough.
The author is the Editorial Director of HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Corrections Are Not Enough: Washington Post Misquotes Israeli Expert, Then Inserts Hezbollah Propaganda first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Says Next Hostages to Be Released on Sunday, a Day Later Than Expected
A man looks at pictures and memorabilia related to fallen soldiers, hostages, and people killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, ahead of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, at a public square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shir Torem
A Hamas official said on Monday the Palestinian terrorist group would next release hostages on Sunday, a day later than expected under a complex ceasefire accord reached this month with Israel.
Nahed Al-Fakhouri, head of the Hamas prisoners’ media office, said in a statement the names of Israeli hostages it would release would be provided on Saturday. Israel would similarly disclose the names of Palestinian prisoners to be released under the deal, he said.
“Based on these two lists, the actual implementation will be carried out on Sunday,” Al-Fakhouri said.
Hamas had been expected to release four hostages on Saturday, coinciding with a release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
A senior Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that as far as Israel was concerned, the deadline for the next hostages to be released by Hamas was Saturday.
“This is the agreement and must be adhered to,” the official told Reuters.
Earlier this month, Israel and Hamas agreed to a three-phase ceasefire that could bring an end to the 15-month war in Gaza. The ceasefire came into effect on Sunday with Hamas releasing three Israeli hostages. Israel also released Palestinian prisoners and detainees, who were largely imprisoned for involvement in terrorist activities.
The ceasefire accord outlines a six-week initial ceasefire phase and includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and release of hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists started the war in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, when they invaded southern Israel, massacred 1,200 people, and kidnapped 251 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.
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Americans Maintain Overwhelming Support for Israel Amid Ceasefire With Hamas, Poll Finds
Pro-Israel rally in Times Square, New York City, US, Oct. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
An overwhelming share of the American people remains supportive of Israel in its war against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll published over the weekend.
The poll, conducted from Jan. 15-16 among US registered voters, found that 79 percent of Americans support Israel and 21 percent support Hamas, indicating that the Jewish state has remained largely popular with the American public over the course of the 15-month war in Gaza.
Both major political parties strongly back Israel, with 81 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of Democrats, and 80 percent of independents saying that they support it. In contrast, only 25 percent of Democrats, 19 percent of Republicans, and 20 percent of independents responded that they support Hamas, which launched the Gaza war with its invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel maintains strong support among all age brackets, although higher percentages back Hamas among the younger generations. Among those over age 65, the Jewish state enjoys a 90 percent rate of support, compared to only 10 percent of respondents who back Hamas. Among those aged 55-64, 83 percent support Israel and 17 percent support Hamas. Further, among respondents aged 45-54, 77 percent support Israel and 23 percent support Hamas. Seventy-one percent of respondents aged 35-44 support Israel and 29 percent support Hamas.
Israel also enjoys strong support among the youngest age cohorts, despite he prevailing narrative that young Americans are opposed to the Jewish state. According to the poll, 68 percent of respondents aged 25-34 support Israel, compared to 32 percent for Hamas. Likewise, those aged 18-24 support Israel by a margin of 79 to 21 percent.
The poll was conducted days before a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Sunday, halting 15 months of war sparked by the terrorist group’s Oct. 7. invasion of the Jewish state. During the onslaught, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages to Gaza.
Under the ceasefire, Hamas will release 33 hostages over the next six weeks in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners detained in Israel as fighting stops in Gaza. The poll found that 82 percent of respondents support the ceasefire.
In October, a Harvard-Harris poll showed similar results, with Americans indicating support for Israel over Hamas by a margin of 81-19 percent. This was a slight uptick from September, when 79 percent of Americans indicated support for Israel over the terrorist organization.
The post Americans Maintain Overwhelming Support for Israel Amid Ceasefire With Hamas, Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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American Historical Association Vetoes Defaming Anti-Israel Resolution
Pro-Hamas activists gather in Washington Square Park for a rally following a protest march held in response to an NYPD sweep of an anti-Israel encampment at New York University in Manhattan, May 3, 2024. Photo: Matthew Rodier/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
The American Historical Association (AHA) has vetoed a controversial resolution, passed by its members earlier this month, which falsely accused Israel of sabotaging the higher education system in Gaza during its war to eradicate the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, the resolution — titled, “Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza” — cited damages sustained by education institutions and loss of life, but rather than describing those misfortunes as inevitable consequences of a protracted war that Hamas started by launching a surprise massacre of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, it argued that Israel’s aim was to murder educators and erase Palestinian history and culture.
The measure was, according to numerous groups which commented on it, intemperate and needlessly political, reducing the AHA to a manufacturer of political conformity. On Thursday, the AHA Council, the primary governing body of the organization, addressed that concern in a statement which announced its vetoing of the resolution and stressed the limits of its institutional mission.
“The Council considers the [resolution] … to contravene the Association’s Constitution because it lies outside the scope of the association’s mission and purpose, defined in its Constitution as ‘the promotion of historical studies through the encouragement of research teaching and publication; the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts; the dissemination of historical records and information; the broadening of historical knowledge among the general public; and the pursuit of kindred activities in the interest of history,’” the statement said.
It continued, “After careful deliberation and consideration, the AHA Council vetoes the resolution.”
AHA was subject to a flurry of criticism after the resolution passed, with organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) calling on it to reverse course and protect its reputation as a “respected source for evidence-based, nonpartisan historical perspectives for more than a century.” Meanwhile, the National Association of Scholars (NAS), a higher education nonprofit which promotes intellectual freedom and the restoration of academic standards, argued that the resolution was “disgraceful for its unwillingness to state forthrightly Hamas’s culpability for the indeed lamentable destruction of Gaza’s educational infrastructure.”
On Friday, the ADL said “we welcome” the veto of the resolution, adding that it “would not only alienate many members but also deviate from the [its] core purpose and undermine the AHA’s credibility.”
The AHA is not the first professional association for academics to have endorsed partisan attacks on Israel.
In August, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) issued a statement which endorsed academic boycotts, a seismic decision which overturned decades of policy and cleared the way for scholar-activists to escalate their efforts to purge the university of Zionism and educational partnerships with Israel.
The previous year, members of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) overwhelmingly voted to approve a resolution calling for a full academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions. With the resolution’s approval, the AAA, established in 1902 and based in Arlington, Virginia, became the first major academic professional association to endorse the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel since the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) did in 2022.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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