The Honest Report

It's a truism that Israel rarely gets a fair shake in the news media. Whether by omission or outright misinformation, the truth often takes a back seat to cliches and oversimplification. But what about book publishing? Does the truth about Israel have a better chance in books, or is the truth just as often sacrificed as it is in the news media? In this edition of The Honest Report podcast, we sit...

Antisemitism has been called the world's oldest hatred, and even in modern times, it manifests throughout society: on social media, on campuses, and even in the news media. But how can antisemitism be distinguished from legitimate criticism of Israel, and when overt antisemitism rears its head in the news media, what can be done about it? In this edition of The Honest Report, we are joined by Gide...

In early February, Amnesty International published a 280 page report, accusing Israel of Apartheid. Despite Amnesty's longstanding anti-Israel obsession, the report was pounced on as authoritative by news media outlets around the world. But what is wrong with Amnesty's report, and what will it take for the news media to tell an accurate story about Israel? In this edition of The Honest Report, we...

As the old adage goes, where there's Jews, there's news. Israel is frequently a target of misinformation and propaganda, including accusations of Apartheid and ethnic cleansing. Not only are these allegations false, they purposely ignore the rampant human rights violations committed by the Palestinian Authority (PA).  Why does the news media largely ignore these human rights violations, and w...

Few people know the ins and outs of the Canadian media landscape like Barbara Kay. A longtime columnist and reporter, she has been a voice of moral clarity for decades. In an era of fake news, anti-Israel misinformation and propaganda, are Canadians closer to getting more factual coverage about Israel, or is the situation getting worse? In this episode of The Honest Report, we sit down with Barbar...

Last spring, when the 11 day Hamas war against Israel ended with a ceasefire, eyes were already looking to the future, and asking: what else does Hamas have up its sleeve, and what plans does it have for a future war? In this week's edition of The Honest Report, we welcome Col (ret) Grisha Yakubovich, former head of the civil department for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territor...

Last May's Gaza war, launched by Hamas against Israel, made headlines around the world. But while news stories typically portrayed the conflict as merely the latest episode in the longstanding conflict between Hamas and Israel, the reality is that Hamas launched the war with specific strategic goals in mind. That's the assertion of Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President for Research at the F...

Israel's growing relationships with the Arab world are making headlines every day. But for every story published, there are many more which take place away from the media's focus, but which nonetheless are a microcosm of a changing Middle East.  David Ha'Ivri, a Councilman on the Shomrom Regional Council, is active building relationships between Arabs and Jews, not only in Judea & Samaria...

Jerusalem is probably the most famous city in the world, but much of it is for the wrong reasons. This past May, when Hamas launched a terror war against Israel, Jerusalem was at centre stage, thanks to anti-Israel propaganda which was being spread around the world.  But Jerusalem is more than a city under the siege of misinformation; it is also the 3,000 year old home of the Jewish People, a...

The Dead Sea is more than just the lowest point on Earth; it represents one of Israel's best chances to build relationships with the wider Arab world. That's the view of Noam Bedein, founder & director, The Dead Sea Revival Project, who has spent the better part of the last two years educating the world about the Dead Sea & how Israel's efforts to protect the body of water can reap benefit...

It's a common trope in the western news media: Hamas is the extremist arm of the Palestinian leadership, while the Palestinian Authority (PA) is the preferred, moderate peace partner. But that simplification ignores a deep-seated problem with the PA: despite their promises, it continues to foster hatred against not just Israel, but Jews in general. In this episode of The Honest Report podcast, we...

Mohammad Kabiya has become one of the most outspoken pro-Israel voices in the world today. He is a young Israeli Bedouin from northern Israel who enlisted in the IDF voluntarily in order to give back to his country. But Mohammad wasn't satisfied yet. He became an international lecturer, speaking to groups around the world, helping to dispel the most common anti-Israel claims, and with his first-ha...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a burgeoning regional powerhouse in the Middle East, and it has found significant strategic value in partnerships with Israel. But what exactly does that mean for the Middle East, and what can we expect in the future? This week, we sit down with Adam Hummel, a member of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Jewish Diplomatic Corps, who recently returned from a WJC missi...

Hebron is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, if not the oldest, but to see much of the news media describe things, Israelis who live in this ancient city are little more than extremist settlers living in a land not their own. If it's frustrating to read and hear news media which misrepresents things in Hebron, imagine being the spokesperson for the Jewish community there, and seein...

Israeli politics are famously unstable, with Prime Ministers and coalitions coming and going regularly. But while Israelis know the instability is the price of democracy, far too often, world media outlets characterize Israel's vibrant democracy as a liability. Additionally, Israel's new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, is frequently described as an extremist by world media. But is it accurate? In...

Three years ago, on October 27, 2018, a gunman entered the Eitz Chaim synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and murdered 11 Jews at prayer, in the worst attack on Jews in the United States ever. The next year, a man brandishing a machete had attacked a Chanukkah celebration in New York, murdering a rabbi, and in April 2019, a worshipper was murdered at a Chabad synagogue near San Diego. In the at...

Around the world, BDS activists try and portray Israel as a villainous abuser of human rights, and paint the country in as simple terms as possible. Many arguments are used to combat their misinformation, but one man knows the shallowness of the BDS arguments first-hand: Ishmael Khaldi. He is Israel's first Bedouin diplomat, and is an advocate not just for Israel on the international stage, but fo...

If one judged Israel's trajectory just by news media coverage, they would assume Israel is on the cusp of losing its Jewish majority forever. But in reality, Israel is both a democracy and a Jewish-majority state, and in no risk of losing either title. In this week's edition of the Honest Report podcast, we are joined by Yoram Ettinger, an Israeli researcher, diplomat, writer, lecturer and consult...

Israel has been called the Start-Up Nation, a country which has taken technological innovation to the next level. But Israel's technological boom has meant more than just a growing economy for Israel; it has helped pave the way for peace between Israel and a growing number of its Arab neighbours. To help understand how technology has break down barriers, we are joined by Hillel Fuld, Israel's fore...

By a large margin, Facebook is the world's largest social media platform, with about two billion users around the world - that's one in four human beings alive today. Unfortunately, Facebook is also home to an enormous amount of hatred and disinformation. And while governments around the world have struggled with how to manage Facebook, Israel - as always - is at the forefront. In recent days, Isr...

Whether it's the LGBTQ cause, Black Lives Matter, or more recently, the indigenous and native rights causes, anti-Israel activists are somehow always there, pushing their own narrow agenda. How have these groups had the success that they have, and is there any hope at all for a return to a time when liberals and conservatives alike could look to Israel as a reflection of their values - and not as...

It's a well-known trope: the Palestinians are the world's largest refugee population, numbering in the millions, and more than 70 years stateless. And while the facts don't back up those extravagant claims, why are they still being repeated? The biggest reason is because of the voices and organizations pushing and promoting this refugee claim, including UNRWA. In this week's edition of the Honest...

The 2021 Canadian federal election has come and gone, and the results are virtually identical to the 2019 election results. But that doesn't mean the issues aren't new. Antisemitism on the campaign trail and against Green Party leader Annamie Paul, the case of Jenica Atwin, the Green-turned-Liberal MP who changed parties due to her views on Israel, all made the news. But what were other issues rel...

This summer, Iran installed a new president, Ebrahim Raisi. What does Iran's new president mean for the Iranian nuclear deal, Israel and wider prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East? And is the news media covering this incredibly important issue with a critical eye? In this week's edition of the Honest Report podcast, we were joined by Meir Javedanfar, a world-renowned expert in Iran...

Less than two weeks ago, 13 Afghan civilians were accidentally killed in a US air strike in the capital city of Kabul. The dead - half of whom were children - were killed by a US drone, likely mistaking them for a target related to the Islamic State. Despite the tragedy, media coverage of the incident was limited. Meanwhile, during Israel's most recent conflict with Hamas, the Jewish State faced i...