West Bank City?

There is something I should have pointed out when I wrote about this sloppy piece of journalism from the Saturday Star.

The article's headline declared "West Bank city attracts SA Jews".

The Star told of families that have recently immigrated to Israel. The families moved to Modi'in, as much an Israeli city as Tel Aviv is. Modi'in, described by the Star as located on Palestinian land, is not even in the West Bank. As I said, it is on the Israeli side of the green line, and has ALWAYS been within Israel's boundary.

It seems that the MRN must have fooled the Saturday Star into confusing the legitimate Israeli city called Modi'in with the Israeli settlement called Modi'in Ilit or Qiryat Sefer.

The South African Zionist Federation has promoted Modii'in, not Modi'in Ilit. People started moving into Modi'in in 1996. The settlement Modi'in Ilit was founded in 1981.

The Saturday Star are guilty of sensationalist headlining coupled with sloppy journalism. It's generally a product of treating the Media Review Network as a legitimate voice of the Palestinian people.

If the Israeli government is faltering on its commitments under the roadmap then these breaches should be covered by the press. Sloppy coverage that confuses a legitimate town with a settlement only serves to weaken the balanced and factual criticism that needs to be addressed.

In the MRN press release Suraya Dadoo states

Media Review Network is outraged that the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) and its allies are actively promoting the emigration of South African Jews to a settlement called Modi’in in the West Bank. Modi’in is built on stolen Palestinian land.

Dadoo is lying. You can find a detailed map of the West Bank over here. The map depicts the location of Modi'in - west of the green line, inside Israel proper.

The Foundation for Middle East Peace has a database of all West Bank settlements. You won't find Modi'in there because it is not a settlement. (Modiin Ilit of course will be there - because it is a settlement.)