Italy calls for release of five activists held by Israel in West Bank

Findings are available in the analysis below.1 finding

MILAN, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Italy has called for the immediate release of five Italian activists, all women, held by Israeli forces in the West Bank, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday. Italian foreign ministry sources said the women were detained on Thursday by Israeli police in Kiryat Arba along with other international activists, while seeking to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest. "What happened is unacceptable, they were not committing any crime," Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of an international summit in Istanbul, adding he hoped they would be released in a matter of hours.

Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture

The article says the activists were "seeking to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest" but never says from whom. Al-Monitor's own report the same day said militant settlers had stepped up attacks on Palestinians during the olive harvest, killing at least three. Without this, a reader does not learn why international activists were in the groves, or that the threat to the farmers comes from settlers.

How we know

Al-Monitor wrote earlier“Militant settlers have stepped up their attacks on Palestinians in recent weeks during the territory's annual olive harvest, killing at least three Palestinians”Palestinian gunmen kill two Israeli soldiers; Israel threatens new West Bank offensive (opens in a new tab)

The women were expected to be transferred to Israel's immigration authority on Friday pending expulsion and repatriation procedures, Israeli authorities told Italian diplomats earlier in the day, according to the sources. (Claudia Cristoferi, editing by Gavin Jones)

Read the original article on al-monitor.com

What we found (1)

Al-Monitor runs a short Reuters report on Italy's call for the release of five Italian women detained by Israeli police while accompanying Palestinian olive farmers. The report attributes its facts clearly, but it never says what the farmers needed protecting from, though Al-Monitor's own report that day tied the harvest to rising settler attacks.

Leaves out what changes the picture
Minor
What is missing
The article says the activists were "seeking to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest" but never says from whom. Al-Monitor's own report the same day said militant settlers had stepped up attacks on Palestinians during the olive harvest, killing at least three. Without this, a reader does not learn why international activists were in the groves, or that the threat to the farmers comes from settlers.
How we know
- Al-Monitor wrote earlier“Militant settlers have stepped up their attacks on Palestinians in recent weeks during the territory's annual olive harvest, killing at least three Palestinians”Palestinian gunmen kill two Israeli soldiers; Israel threatens new West Bank offensive (opens in a new tab)
Show where it belongs

What it gets right

“while seeking to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest”
It states what the detained women were doing, so the detention is not left unexplained or framed as a security matter.
“"What happened is unacceptable, they were not committing any crime,"”
It gives the Italian minister's direct challenge to the detention in his own words, rather than leaving Israel's account unanswered.
“Israeli authorities told Italian diplomats earlier in the day, according to the sources”
It attributes the expulsion plan to its source rather than stating it in the outlet's own voice.

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