Wall Street Journal faces scrutiny over unconfirmed UNRWA-Hamas allegations: Semaphore
LONDON: The Wall Street Journal has been unable to confirm claims in a January report that there were links between officials from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the Hamas terrorist group.
As reported by US news website Semafor, a senior editor at the WSJ overseeing standards has privately admitted that the allegations, which are based on reports from Israeli intelligence, may not be substantiated.
Senior news editor Elena Cherney acknowledged in an email seen by Semafor that Israel's claims lacked hard evidence, but insisted the initial reporting was not inaccurate or misleading.
“The fact that Israel’s claims are not supported by hard evidence does not mean that our reporting was inaccurate or misleading, or that we have retracted or corrected that report,” Cherney wrote in an email.
A January report, described as one of the “biggest and most impactful stories about the war,” claimed that 12 UNRWA staff members participated in an October 7 attack on Israel. Of the agency’s 12,000 personnel in Gaza, 10 percent have links to Hamas.
The story, which is based on Israeli intelligence, has been challenged by several international organizations and the United Nations itself following an independent investigation.
The story has had a devastating impact, including a devastating psychological toll on UNRWA staff and the suspension of $450 million in aid from countries at a crucial time for Gaza, which is facing the threat of famine.
Semafor reported that WSJ reporters tried and failed to verify the 10 percent claim, which is a key part of the story, raising concerns about the story’s likely pro-Israel content.
“Our coverage of UNRWA is part of a longer-term coverage effort on the war in Gaza that has involved staff from across the newsroom,” a WSJ spokesperson said, adding that the paper stood by its January story and subsequent reporting.
The incident highlights conflicts within the WSJ newsroom since the conflict began, including concerns about the leadership of Shayndi Raice, deputy Middle East bureau chief, and the controversial social media activities of Carrie Keller-Lynn, the story's author.
The WSJ has also faced scrutiny over its uneven reporting on events in Gaza, with former Standards editor Richard Boudreaux admitting the paper “over-referenced Israeli voices and failed to include enough Arab perspectives or expert sources.”
