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The Media’s Role in the Bil’in Protests

For my internship I have been researching the way the media covered the death of Bil’in resident Jawaher Abu Rahmah. It is a lot of information to process so I figured here would be a good spot to sort out my thoughts. In 2005 the village of Bil’in was divided by the construction of the fence. Many residents were separated from their lands where they rely on the agriculture for a living. Weekly protests now occur at the fence, often ending violently. On January 1, 2011 at the weekly protest the army tried to disperse the crowd by administering CS teargas. Abu Rahmah was not at the protest, but nearby and inhaled the gas causing her to go unconscious. She was taken to a hospital in Ramallah where medical treatment failed and she died. The medical treatment was sub-par, for she was given lethal amounts of atropine. Some people still dispute the details of her death, but after many altering stories this widely accepted as the final one.

Keshev monitored the four major Israeli dailies, Ha’aretz, Yedioth Aharonot, Ma’ariv, and Israel Hayom along with Israeli Channel 1, 2, and 10. Several problematic patterns of journalism arose. The first was the unequivocal adoption of the army’s account of events. What transpired on January 1, 2011 was disputed by supporters of the Palestinian version and the Israeli army’s version. Many Israeli media outlets adopted the army’s version which claimed it was not responsible for Abu Rahmah’s death. Although the army eventually did say that the teargas triggered Abu Rahmah’s unconsciousness, the media ignored this statement of partial responsibility.

By focusing on the media battle over Abu Rahma’s death, the larger questions that needed to be addressed were swept under the rug. For example, the harmful effects of CS teargas are known and yet the Israeli army continues to use it for dispersing anti-fence protests in Bil’in. Although the High Court of Justice has already ruled that the placement of the fence was illegal in Bil’in, no action has been taken to move it. This prompts questions regarding why the army forcefully disperses protests against something that was already ruled illegal. In addition, why hasn’t the security establishment carried out the High Court of Justice ruling from 2007? Putting Abu Rahmah’s death in the larger context of these questions did not occur. Overall, the media did not challenge the army’s conduct and marginalized any other narratives. This reflects the media’s failure to provide the public with accurate information and leaves the public with the typical narrative – that the Palestinians are systematically lying in order to delegitimize Israel. Notions such as this are dangerous because they present the Palestinian side as one rejecting all gestures of peace and reconciliation and further damage Israel’s international status. The research revealed that Israeli coverage of the incident tended to blame the Palestinian side as responsible for violence and its escalation. Meanwhile, the Israeli narrative is usually not portrayed as bearing any responsibility for the deterioration of the conflict.

 

Nick

July 19th, 2012 | Category: Uncategorized

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