Time ‘Updates’ Article That Inaccurately Portrayed Palestinian Terrorist as Victim
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Time magazine updated an article criticized by Israel for depicting a Palestinian assailant who killed three Israelis, including an American-Israeli teacher, as a victim of Israeli security forces.
Israel’s Government Press Office issued a statement on March 17 about the Oct. 15 article titled “The desperation driving young Palestinians to violence.” The article spotlights Bahaa Allyan, one of two Palestinians who attacked an Israeli bus in Jerusalem, killing three people, including American-Israeli Richard Lakin.
Allyan, who was killed by police during the shooting and stabbing attack, is described in the article as a “graphic designer” who was “killed by Israeli security forces after allegedly trying to carry out an attack in Jerusalem.” The original article did not mention the three deaths.
The updated article, which was fixed on Friday, states that Allyan was carrying out an attack on a Jerusalem bus and says that three people, including the U.S.-born teacher, died as a result of the attack. A statement added at the end of the article tells readers that: “This story has been updated to give a fuller account of the attack.”
The notice that the story was updated did not include an apology.
The government press office said it had reached out shortly after the article was published and repeatedly to the Time correspondent, Rebecca Collard, and a Time International editor in an effort to get the language changed.
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