Does The Guardian Actually Dig for the Truth?

The Guardian’s Olive Holmes simply mouthpieced a report from the EU the other day. (Here’s the TOI story)

Its essence:

Israel using tourism to legitimise settlements, says EU report

Exclusive: European Union Heads of Mission warn 

‘touristic settlements’ are being used as a political tool

I am going to guess, without any inside knowledge that Emek Shaveh was central to this.  A bit nasty they are.

In any case, as we know with archaeology in the Holy Land, Israel’s archaeologists preserve all finds no matter from who, even of Arabs who occupied the Jewish homeland in 638 CE

That includes Canaanites, Philistines, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Muslims, Crusaders, Mamelukes, Ottomans…and even prehistoric civilizations.

Israel also protects the finds from those who steal, deface and destroy them (guess who).

But that is but one side to this story’s unprofessional journalism.

No Israeli archaeologist is asked for a reaction.

No response from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

No quotations from a government representative like…the Minister of Toruism.

Was a “settler,” aka Jewish resident, asked? From City of David or Ancient Shiloh?

Was this a balanced report?

Fair?

Objective?

Factual?

After all, the report’s underlying theme is astounding:

Archaeology and tourism development by government institutions as well as private settler organisations established what it said was a “narrative based on historic continuity of the Jewish presence in the area at the expense of other religions and cultures”.

That is a flat-out lie.  Holmes had not the sense to realize that and work a bit harder to include a riposte?

Shameful, really.  (UK MediaWatch post)

P.S. Leaking a report is actually playing to the media and therefore Holmes should have been a bit more circumspect.