BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – November 2015

The Israel Security Agency’s report on terror attacks during November 2015 shows that throughout the month a total of 326 incidents took place: 265 in Judea & Samaria, 52 in Jerusalem, 5 inside the ‘green line’ and 4 incidents in the Gaza Strip, including two missile attacks and one mortar attack.

The agency recorded 249 attacks with petrol bombs, ten shooting attacks, 38 attacks using explosive devices, eight vehicular attacks and 17 stabbing attacks.

Ten people were killed in those attacks (nine Israelis and one Palestinian citizen). Five of the fatalities were the result of shooting attacks, four occurred in stabbing attacks and one in a vehicular attack. Fifty-eight people were wounded: 12 in shooting attacks, 22 in stabbing attacks and 24 in vehicular attacks.

The first BBC News website reporting of any incidents came on November 8th and it followed a hiatus in coverage which had in fact begun in the latter part of the previous month.

Among at least ten attacks ignored by the BBC during the first week of November was a vehicular attack which took place on November 4th at Halhul junction. Those wounded in that attack included St. Sgt. Binyamin Yakobovitch who succumbed to his injuries four days later. There was no BBC News coverage of the attack itself or of St.Sgt Yakobovitch’s later death.

In a report relating to another topic which appeared on the BBC News website’s US & Canada page on November 9th brief, vague and inaccurate references were made to four attacks which took place on November 8th and 9th.

“Six Israelis were wounded in knife attacks by Palestinians on Sunday. A Palestinian who drew a knife on Israeli guards was shot dead on Monday. […]

On Monday morning a Palestinian woman was shot dead when she ignored warnings to stop after approaching security guards with a knife at a crossroads in the West Bank, Israeli officials said.

In the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, four Israelis were struck by a car driven by a Palestinian man, who was then killed by security forces.”

An article appearing on the BBC News website’s Middle East page on November 10th documented three attacks which took place on that day.

The murders of Rabbi Ya’akov Litman and his son Netanel near Otniel on November 13th were reported in an article titled “Israelis killed in West Bank as Palestinians shot dead“.

The murders of Rabbi Aharon Yesayev and Reuven Aviram in Tel Aviv on November 19th and the murders of  Ezra SchwartzYaakov Don, and Shadi Arafa at Alon Shvut junction on the same day were reported in an article titled “Palestinian attacks in Israel and West Bank kill five” although none of the victims were named.

An attack in Kiryat Gat on November 21st in which four people were wounded was reported and on the next day the BBC News website reported three incidents, including the stabbing attack at Gush Etzion junction in which Hadar Buchris was murdered.

On November 23rd the BBC News website announced “Fresh deaths in Jerusalem and West Bank violence“. Three of four incidents which took place on that day were reported, including the murder of Cpl. Ziv Mizrahi at a petrol station on Route 443.

Terror attacks which took place between November 25th and November 30th inclusive did not receive any coverage on the BBC News website.

In all, the BBC News website reported seventeen of the total 326 attacks which took place during November. Nine of the ten fatalities were reported although fewer than half were identified by name.

Missiles fired from the Gaza Strip on November 17th and November 23rd and two additional incidents in that location did not receive any BBC News website coverage.

Table Nov 15

As of the end of November 2015, the BBC had reported on 3.25% of the terror attacks which took place since the beginning of the year. Coverage of Israeli fatalities stood at 78% whilst 100% of Palestinian fatalities and 100% of foreign national fatalities had been reported.

Related Articles:

BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – October 2015 – part one

BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – October 2015 – part two

BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – September 2015 & Q3 2015

 

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