International journalists slam US media for 'obscuring Israeli apartheid'

Hundreds of journalists called out US media outlets this week over their biased coverage of Palestine and Israel.

Journalists working at outlets including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal signed the open letter accusing US media of "journalistic malpractice".

"Finding truth and holding the powerful to account are core principles of journalism. Yet for decades, our news industry has abandoned those values in coverage of Israel and Palestine," read the letter, which was published on Thursday.

It went on to accuse US media of "obscuring... Israel’s military occupation and its system of apartheid".

The letter took attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem as an example. Referring to the expulsion attempts as "evictions" has "sanitised" what has been described as a potential war crime, the letter said.

Journalists must instead acknowledge that Israel has allegedly committed crimes against humanity, the signatories added, referring to a recent Human Rights Watch report.

"Finding truth and holding the powerful to account are core principles of journalism. Yet for decades, our news industry has abandoned those values in coverage of Israel and Palestine," the letter said.

Signatories also including current and former journalists for The Associated Press, The Nation, The Intercept, CNN and The New York Times, some of whom declined to be named publicly. 

The fierce condemnation of US media coverage comes after 254 Palestinians including 67 children were killed by Israeli air strikes and shelling of the Gaza Strip last month.