DayofPal– CNN is facing growing criticism following the appointment of Tal Shalev as a senior reporter in its bureau in occupied Jerusalem.
The announcement, made on September 3, has sparked controversy over Shalev’s past public statements and social media activity, which many say reveal a strong pro-Israel bias.
Shalev, a former armored corps instructor in the Israeli military, has openly expressed support for Israeli forces and military operations in Gaza. In one widely circulated photograph, she is seen posing with an Israeli tank, captioning the image: “Weak Spot for tanks.”
On social media, she praised an Israeli women’s armored unit that took part in the genocide in Gaza, describing the soldiers as “heroines” and lauding their actions along the Philadelphi Route.
“They got on the Philadelphi Route toward the envelope, driving the tanks for kilometers along the southern border, reached the envelope area, ran over, shot, and eliminated dozens of terrorists with shells and machine guns!” she wrote.
Shalev has also publicly applauded Israelis preparing to join military reserve units in Gaza and highlighted her personal ties to the military, referring to herself as a “proud former semi-permanent armored corps instructor.”
The appointment has fueled concerns about CNN’s journalistic neutrality, particularly in its coverage of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza. Critics argue that Shalev’s vocal support for Israeli military atrocities calls into question the network’s credibility and impartiality.
Since October 7, Israel has reportedly killed 246 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, claiming they were linked to resistance groups. However, no evidence has been publicly provided to support these claims. A report by +972 Magazine revealed that a special Israeli military unit is tasked with seeking any links between journalists and resistance groups to justify targeting them.
CNN has previously come under fire for its coverage of the war in Gaza. The network was among the first to circulate the unverified and later debunked claim that Hamas militants had beheaded 40 babies.
CNN has also been criticized for reporting inconsistent Israeli figures regarding deaths on October 7, many of whom were later confirmed to be soldiers, and for failing to question the role of Israel’s own Hannibal Directive, which evidence suggests contributed to the killing of its own civilians.
Human rights groups have accused CNN of helping to legitimize Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. According to Palestinian health ministry, more than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the majority of them women and children.
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