Daily Mail pays $150,000 and apologises to Palestine aid group over false allegations
Anti-Daily Mail protest
Middle East Eye reports
The publisher of the UK’s Daily Mail and MailOnline has been forced to pay more than $150,000 and apologise to a Palestinian aid group for publishing “false terror and extremism allegations”.
In a court settlement disclosed on Thursday, Associated Newspapers admitted to publishing two articles that included libelous claims against Interpal, a British group that provides aid to Palestinians.
The publisher agreed to pay about $152,000 (£120,000) in libel damages to the trustees of Interpal, as well as the charity’s legal costs.
The articles falsely inferred that Interpal was a terrorist organisation, and that it “had supported a ‘hate festival’ in Gaza in which children acted out the murder of Jewish people”, the law firm representing the charity, Carter-Ruck, said in a statement.
Interpal welcomed the legal settlement, saying its “timing and amount … are particularly noteworthy within the context of the ongoing wider agenda to politicise humanitarian aid to Palestinians”.
“We hope that this significant successwill encourage commentators and others to take seriously their responsibility for reporting unbiased, accurate information to the general public and service providers,” said Ibrahim Hewitt, chairman of Interpal’s trustees.