Does the Guardian Own a Map? More Claims that E-1 Cuts the ‘West Bank’ in Two
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Jewish Home Party Chairman Naftali Bennett (L) and former IDF Gaza Formation commander Moti Yogev, pointing at the E1 zone.
Photo Credit: FLASH90
Earlier this week, we demonstrated that Guardian columnist Harriet Sherwood’s allegation that proposed Israeli construction in the area of land (known as E-1) between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim would cut off eastern Jerusalem from the West Bank is simply untrue.
Sherwood wrote:
“The development of [land east of Jerusalem known as] E1 has been frozen for years under pressure from the US and EU. Western diplomats regard it as a “game-changer” as its development would close off East Jerusalem – the future capital of Palestine – from the West Bank.” [emphasis added]
As CAMERA noted:
[It is not true that] construction [in E-1] would cut off Palestinian areas from Jerusalem. Access to Jerusalem through Abu Dis, Eizariya, Hizma and Anata is not prevented by the proposed neighborhood, nor would it be precluded by a string of neighborhoods connecting Ma’aleh Adumim to Jerusalem.”
In an official editorial today, Dec. 4, ‘Israel-Palestine: Concreting over the solution,’ the Guardian repeats Sherwood’s erroneous claim that the E-1 construction “would sever the Palestinian state from its capital in East Jerusalem” and takes the false charge even further, arguing thus:
“Having spun the line that European governments had misunderstood Israel‘s plan to create a settlement that would cut the West Bank in two and separate it from East Jerusalem, the prime minister’s office vowed that nothing would alter their decision.” [emphasis added]
The Guardian was under no obligation to consult Israel before making allegations that the proposed construction would cut the West Bank in two, but when making a specific geographical claim it does seem reasonable that (as “journalists”) they consult a map which could empirically prove or disprove their assertion.
So, would construction connecting Jerusalem to Ma’aleh Adumim cut the West Bank in two:
No.
Here’s a map created by HonestReporting completely disproving the Guardian’s allegation:
As HR observed:
“The Palestinian waistline — between Ma’ale Adumim and the Dead Sea, is roughly 15 km wide. That’s a corridor no different than the Israeli waistline. Indeed, that has never caused a problem of Israeli territorial contiguity.”
We will be in contact with Guardian readers’ editor Chris Elliott over this egregious error, and we suggest that you consider doing the same.
Visit CifWatch.com.
tell a friendAbout the Author: Adam Levick serves as Managing Editor of CiF Watch, an affiliate of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), and is a member of the Online Antisemitism Working Group for the Global Forum to Combat Antisemitism. Adam made Aliyah from Philadelphia in 2009 and lives with his wife in Modi'in.
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2 Responses to “Does the Guardian Own a Map? More Claims that E-1 Cuts the ‘West Bank’ in Two”
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correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t dividing the enemies of God and Israel a good thing?
They do not care about what is good and true–they are about promoting anti-Semitism!