CiF Watch prompts another UK media correction to ‘fired’ Arab workers claim

As we noted in a post yesterday, CiF Watch recently prompted a correction to a Dec. 1st Times of London article (Israel poised to vote on law for ‘Jewish state’) which alleged that the mayor of the Israeli city of Ashkelon barred Palestinian construction workers from city schools.  We demonstrated that Mayor Shimshoni, per multiple press reports over the last week, at first did announced his intention to prevent Arab workers from working at city kindergartens, but later rescinded his order following criticism from across the Israeli political spectrum.

Shortly after that post, editors at The Independent also agreed – after communication with our office – to amend their misleading report on the actions of the Ashkelon Mayor.
The original Indy article, published on Nov. 25th, included the following passage:

After a deadly assault that killed five last week at a Jerusalem synagogue, the mayor of the coastal city of Ashkelon, Itamar Shimoni, suspended 30 Israeli Arab municipality workers, citing “security” reasons. He was widely condemned.

 Following the revision, it now accurately reflects the fact that the initial decision to fire Arab workers was rescinded. 

After a deadly assault that killed five last week at a Jerusalem synagogue, the mayor of the coastal city of Ashkelon, Itamar Shimoni, suspended 30 Israeli Arab municipality workers, citing “security” reasons. He was widely condemned and subsequently reversed his decision.

This is not a small correction.  
It was the widespread public criticism over the initial racist decision by Mayor Itamar Shimshoni to fire Arabs – for no reason other than the fact that they are Arab – which prompted his eventual reversal.  
The errors in both the Indy and Times of London represent an apt illustration of how the media – in their rush to weave in the desired narrative of ‘racist Israel’ – fails to report on the vitality of the nation’s democracy, and the fact that the broad Israeli centre (despite amplified, marginal voices on either extreme) continues to hold.  
We commend Indy editors on their decision to revise the misleading passage.

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