The Australian Jewish News (AJN) published a letter on March 30 2012 alleging that Gazans were cutting off the limbs of children to claim compensation from the Israeli military.
Without even bothering to check, the Jewish News printed the letter, even though the writer had hinted at the need for hoaxes a week earlier. This was an irresponsible act by the AJN, only contributing to prejudice and mythologies in the Jewish community.
The fact is that the Israeli government banned compensation claims with respect to military action a number of years ago so that is one reason why the story should be doubted. Second, one would have expected such an appalling story to have had other international press coverage, but there has been nothing in the press. Third, we have also endeavoured through contacts to see if Gazan hospitals know of any such things happening, and there is nothing recorded by them.
The letter was a falsehood and is nothing short of a blood libel which the AJN has published.
While the AJN subsequently published a letter from the AJDS complaining about the falsehoods in the letter and the irresponsibility of the paper for willingly publishing such a fabrication in the Jewish community, the AJN did not apologize, despite being urged to do so by the AJDS.
The AJDS made a complaint to the Australian Press Council (APC) of which the AJN is a member, because the AJN was clearly in breach of at least four of the APC’s own guidelines.
The AJN published on May 25 what it calls a ‘clarification’ (see attached) in response to the AJDS complaint to the APC. At least said they ‘apologise[d] for any offense caused’, but the question remains about the lack of professionalism which resulted in the publication of such offensive material.
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Australian Jewish Democratic Society
A PROGRESSIVE VOICE AMONG JEWS, A JEWISH VOICE AMONG PROGRESSIVES