Middle East expert Professor Hilde H. Waage gave direct fake information in Aftenposten April 8th  on the Gaza conflict.

Three errors appeared in one  single sentence: “The Palestinians on the Gaza Strip have lived in an Israeli-controlled hermetically sealed prison since 2005.”

Error # 1: “Israeli-ruled”. Israel ordered all its inhabitants to leave Gaza in 2005, and since then the Palestinians have ruled.

Error # 2: “hermetically sealed”: Israel delivers over 400 trucks filled  with goods every working day. Israel controls the content. A UN report has established that such a “blockade” is legal.

Error No. 3: “Prison”: From the 2014 war to February 2016 – in a year and a half – Israel issued more than 100,000 entry permits for Palestinians in Gaza into Israel. The purposes were trade, medical treatment and prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The journalist did not come up with one single critical question; Did he take Waage’s claims for “good fish”?*  Here the reputation of both the newspaper and professor are at stake. “Aftenposten” should educate  journalists better and at the same time find a Middle East expert who responds professionally and not with disinformation.

*  ‘To take something as/for good fish’ is a Norwegian expression meaning that you believe what is said, without questioning, while it is quite obvious that it is not true.   

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