A complaint against an editorial in the Toronto Star that questioned the loyalty of Canadian Jews who support Israel has been upheld by the Ontario Press Council.
The council is a voluntary organization of newspaper editors in the province, which monitors the press for unfair or biased reporting and commentary.
It acted on a complaint by Neil Applebaum of London, Ontario, who objected to a March 12 editorial in the Star that commented on Jewish reaction to a speech given by External Affairs Minister Joe Clark.
Clark, addressing the annual conference of the Canada-Israel Committee in Ottawa in March, criticized Israeli behavior toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Some of his audience walked out.
Applebaum’s objection centered on a sentence in the Star editorial, which said Clark’s speech “was a necessary reminder to members of the Jewish community of Canada that they are citizens of Canada, not Israel.”
The Star, responding to inquiries by the press council, said the reminder was intended only for those Jews who walked out on Clark during his speech, challenging the right to criticize Israel.
In upholding the complaint, the press council said “the Star should have clearly stated that its original editorial of March 12 was not aimed at all Canadian Jews.”
However, the council commended the Star for publishing a follow-up editorial a few days later.
“It is not disloyalty to Canada for any citizens of any race or religious persuasion to disagree with a policy of the Canadian government,” the editorial said.
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