OTTAWA: Canadian pop star Justin Bieber is under fire for sharing a post in support of Israel using a photo of destruction in Gaza.
The 29-year-old singer initially posted an Instagram story with the words “Praying for Israel” superimposed on a photo of a damaged Gaza neighbourhood. Bieber later deleted the post within an hour, reposting the same message but without the background image.
According to Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking website Alt News, the picture used by Bieber was an aerial view of a building in Gaza destroyed by Israeli air strikes on May 22, 2021.
Canadian singer @justinbieber had shared an image on his Instagram story with the words "Praying for Israel" by using an image from Gaza, Palastine. He later realised and deleted/replaced the image. pic.twitter.com/VaLAXVSLWP
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) October 11, 2023
Bieber is not the sole celebrity facing backlash for sharing misleading images. American actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared a photo of frightened children, claiming they were Israelis seeking shelter from Hamas rockets.
A few days back, Jamie Lee Curtis@jamieleecurtis had shared an image from Gaza with a caption "Terror from the sky's 🇮🇱" pic.twitter.com/6euGOVnL8Q
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) October 11, 2023
Fact-checkers revealed that the image, taken by the New York Times, actually depicted Palestinian children scared by the sounds of Israeli bombings, seeking refuge in UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip with their families.
The spread of misinformation and deliberate disinformation has been widespread in the wake of the ongoing violence. In another instance, the White House retracted a statement from US President Joe Biden, who had claimed to have seen pictures of Israeli children beheaded by Hamas militants.
A spokesperson later clarified to The Washington Post that the president had not received photographs and relied on reports from Israeli media. The Israeli army also denied having confirmation that Hamas was involved in such atrocities.
