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Written by: Morgana Adby

Two NDP MP’s are in twitter controversy, following MP Charlie Angus’s tweet sharing a Guardian article. MP Leah Gazan also shared the article in a separate tweet. B’nai Brith Canada and the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), both condemned the alleged misinformation within. Further, the CIJA said Angus’s post was, “Amateurish. Lamentable and shameful display of poor judgement.”

Angus chose to caption the article with, “This is appalling. #ApartheidState,” while Gazan wrote a longer caption about the equal value of life. The article alleged that Palestinians in occupied territory will need to wait months for vaccines, even as Israelis in the same locations are receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine en masse.

B’nai Brith Canada called out both MP’s tweets, saying that elected officials should do more to check information before posting.

What exactly is the alleged misinformation?

B’nai Brith Canada tweeted, “In the article that you both linked to, it was made clear that the Palestinian Authority never requested vaccines from Israel. It has been reported that they are set to receive Sputnik V and AstraZeneca vaccines in February.”

In the article, it reads, “Despite the delay, the authority has not officially asked for help from Israel. Coordination between the two sides halted last year after the Palestinian president cut off security ties for several months.” B’nai Brith Canada also accurately described the timeline for Palestinian vaccinations, as the Guardian references.

CIJA linked multiple online sources that allege misinformation within. In this tweet they caption, “Twitter accounts...have been spreading the libel that Israel, the world leader in vaccinating its population against COVID-19, is intentionally leaving the Palestinians to languish in the middle of a pandemic.”

So, we have two slightly different claims. B’nai Brith Canada appear to be concerned that the title is misleading, as they agree the information within is accurate. For a title to say someone is “excluded,” there is an implicit judgement that the excluded group are entitled to or otherwise want inclusion. Since B’nai Brith Canada holds the position there is no desire or entitlement to be included in vaccine rollout, the position follows.

There may be more to their position, but since the criticism was brief this is all we have to go off of. To what extent one believes the above concern counts as misinformation is subjective- B’nai Brith Canada’s criticism is about slant, not literal falsehoods.

MP Angus has since responded in this tweet, where he linked a Washington Post article reporting on the same alleged vaccine access discrepancies. Ohad Nakash Kaynar, a diplomat to Canada, fired back that Angus’s conduct is anti-Semitic by the IHRA’s anti-Palestinian solidarity definition. While this claim may be accurate, the IHRA threshold is heavily challenged. As an example, Michael Bueckert, Vice President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME), claims that Kaynar is using the definition to silence “factual,” criticism.

Advocacy group, Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) released a statement endorsing the two MPs that, “denounced Israel's discriminatory COVID-19 vaccination program.” Further, the statement includes a letter to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, where the group endorses Angus’s and Gazan’s advocacy. This statement reflects the fact that an occupying power is responsible for discrepancies in vaccine access. They refer to Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention among other international obligations, arguing these obligations superseded the Oslo Accords.

CIJA encouraged the MPs to read various analysis sources challenging the Guardian article. The most in depth reply is this thread reader from researcher Shany Mor. Mor points out that there are already separate healthcare systems, and that the Guardian article notes the Palestinian Authority did not ask for help. Arab Israelis are as entitled to the vaccine as any other citizen of Israel. Mor accurately points out there is no evidence of Israel taking further action to impede vaccine distribution for Palestinians, and that the Sputnik vaccine delivery was delayed for independent reasons.

While Mor’s claims are accurate, there is little recognition of status quo mobility restrictions in Israel’s occupied territories. Here, we see a key issue: those that value the Guardian's report understand it to be a description of vaccine distribution in occupied territories. Critics, like CIJA, understand the report as a call to action, a report of discrimination in need of remedy, at the malice of Israel. These two understandings are ultimately incompatible and need reconciling in the subjective world. With that in mind, the CIJA’s claim that the article spreads outright misinformation is false.

Mor interprets the Guardian article as an attack on Israel’s national character, claiming, “The Palestinians are just props for a projection of anxieties and racist fantasies about Jews.” Further, Mor says that the story should not have been reported on, because Palestine is not struggling with COVID-19 to the extent Israel is.

Is the alleged misinformation accurate or inaccurate?

It is accurate to say that MP Angus and Gazan did not spread misinformation about Israel's vaccine rollout.

The idea from Mor this should not have been reported is odd. Palestinians in Israel’s occupied territories frequently have issues with logistics, procurement and access to services. It makes sense to report on discrepancies for vaccine procurement in the region, for the public to understand why those discrepancies or delays are happening.

As for the level of crisis, Israel may be struggling with more COVID-19 cases. Still, Palestinian health care providers are facing unique challenges. The IJV has been releasing it’s own COVID-19 dispatches from occupied territories. As further explained in this correspondence with the Lanclet, Israel is an occupying power that has maintained a blockade during a global health crisis. That blockade complicates public health. Because there was not sufficient equipment in occupied territories before the pandemic, health care providers say they are in a difficult spot.

Even though it is true the PA has not asked for vaccine help, these actual impacts on the healthcare system still exist. Further, no MP or writer of the Guardian article said the PA was asking for help. Many Healthcare professionals and advocates for peace want a coordinated response.

In this reply to the Lanclet correspondence piece, these health professionals expressly condemn the PA’s lack of cooperation. They also explain, that while many Israeli physicians would love to work together, the current political climate and divisions of power across communities make it formally impossible.

“As we have previously urged our Palestinian medical colleagues. ‘Let us use our privileged position and gift as health professionals to establish productive discourse and interaction, with health and dignity as a bridge to peace, so that ultimately both peoples, Israelis and Palestinians, can live side by side, with the ultimate security that comes from abiding peace.’ Sadly, the Correspondence by Moss and Majadle brings us no closer to this worthy goal.”

In short, the MPs Angus and Gazan spread factually accurate information with some subjective slant. As politicians use slant in most communications, the degree of slant here is within a relatively common threshold.

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