Summary of complaint
We received complaints from readers that the earliest versions of our article Al-Aqsa mosque: Violence as Israeli police raid Jerusalem holy site were biased against the Palestinians.
Our response
You may since have become aware that we made a number of amendments to the article that morning, including removing a reference to “Jerusalem's contested holy site” to instead refer to “…al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem”.
The article also initially referred to “c±ô˛ą˛őłó±đ˛ő” between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers, which was amended to say violent scenes as Israeli police raided the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, in recognition that “c±ô˛ą˛őłó±đ˛ő” was not a suitable word when we could be more specific and so more clearly describe to readers what had taken place, namely an Israeli police raid.
Some readers also objected that the article initially included video footage released by Israeli Police and not footage from the Palestinians inside.
Although the earliest versions of our article did explain that Another video appears to show Israeli police beating Palestinians with sticks, we subsequently updated this video to lead with the footage of police using weapons to beat people on the ground.
We also updated the article’s text to refer directly to this footage:
“Other footage posted on social media appeared to show an officer using a rifle butt and others using sticks to beat Palestinians on the floor amid shouts and screams.”
Although we consider these changes to have addressed your complaints about the earliest versions of the article, please be assured that we have discussed your concerns directly with senior editors at the site.