The BBC, background and context

A report appearing on the Middle East page of the BBC News website on July 2nd 2013 relates to the death of a Palestinian man during violent disturbances in the village of Dura (11 kms south-west of Hebron) in the early hours of that day. 

This is the original version of the report:

Hebron Palestinian dies

This is the version currently appearing on the website, after having been amended some two hours later:

Sharawna Dura

The incident is still under investigation, but both Palestinian and Israeli sources report that the “teenager”, as he is described by the BBC, was a cadet at the Palestinian Authority’s military academy in Jericho.

Of course the crucial element missing from this report – and particularly its photo caption – is the context of the daily incidents of potentially lethal stone-throwing, fire-bombings and shootings in Judea and Samaria and the resulting necessity for counter-terrorism operations.  As we have frequently noted in the past, the BBC habitually fails to report those incidents, with its attention only turning to the area when a fatality occurs.

Here are just some of the incidents – unreported by the BBC – which took place in the days surrounding the event which it did choose to write about.

On June 27th a cache of illegal weapons was seized in Nablus (Schem), three members of the Palestinian Security forces appeared in court in connection with the murder of an Israeli civilian in 2011 and it was announced that suspects connected to the PFLP were arrested in connection with a shooting attack on civilians in May in Wadi Qelt. 

IDF Spox 1

On June 28th weapons – including two sniper rifles – were found in a Palestinian vehicle.

IDF Spox 2

IDF Spox 3

On June 30th weapons were found near Nablus (Schem). 

IDF Spox 4

IDF Spox 5

IDF Spox 6

IDF Spox 7

On July 3rd it was reported that arrests had been made in connection with a drive-by shooting attack near Kdumim in March in which an Israeli civilian was injured.

Whilst it is not expected of the BBC to produce a separate article for each incident such as those mentioned above, it is obviously also not appropriate for the BBC to ignore them completely, thus denying its audiences knowledge of that vital context to the events it does elect to report. 

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