Belgian TV Channel Admits Error After Israeli Ambassador Protests False Report
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Belgian TV channel VTM admitted an error after Israel's Ambassador to Belgium, David Saranga, protested a false report claiming 7.5 million Palestinians could not vote in Israeli elections. Saranga explained that Arab citizens of Israel vote, while West Bank and Gaza residents are not Israeli citizens. VTM will issue a correction, acknowledging the number was wrong and exaggerated, and intended to refer to non-citizen residents.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Belgian TV channel VTM admitted error after Israeli Ambassador protested false report on Palestinian voting rights.
- Ambassador David Saranga stated Israeli Arab citizens vote, while West Bank/Gaza residents are not Israeli citizens.
- VTM's report claimed 7.5 million Palestinians could not vote in Israeli Knesset elections.
- The channel will issue a correction, admitting the number was wrong and exaggerated.
- Ambassador Saranga also criticized the Palestinian Authority for delaying elections since 2006.
Belgian television channel VTM has admitted to an error in its reporting on the Israeli elections after a strong protest from Israel's Ambassador to Belgium, David Saranga. The channel initially broadcast a headline stating that "7.5 million Palestinians remain without the right to vote" in the Knesset elections. Ambassador Saranga, who recently assumed his post, sent a forceful open letter to the station's news management, calling the report a severe misrepresentation. He clarified that if the figure included Israel's approximately 2 million Arab citizens, it was a complete falsehood, as they possess full voting rights and are represented in the Knesset. If the report intended to refer to residents of Gaza and the West Bank, it omitted the crucial fact that they are not citizens of Israel and therefore do not participate in its elections.
Saranga used an analogy to highlight the absurdity, stating, "By the same logic, 18 million Dutch citizens do not vote in Belgium, but no one would claim they are discriminated against or denied their rights. They simply don't vote here because they are not citizens of the country." He questioned why this basic distinction disappears in reporting on Israel.
Furthermore, the ambassador pointed to the Palestinian Authority, noting that the last Palestinian parliamentary elections were held in 2006. He mentioned that Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas has again postponed elections until September 2027, despite international commitments, including to France, which relied on this promise when recognizing a Palestinian state.
Following the ambassador's intervention and public outcry, VTM acknowledged the reporting mistake. The station's representatives stated they would issue a correction in their upcoming broadcast, explaining their intention was to refer to residents of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem who do not hold Israeli passports. However, they admitted the number displayed on screen was incorrect and exaggerated.