As noted in part one of this post, between April 1st and June 30th 2017, seventy reports relating to Israel and/or the Palestinians appeared on the BBC News website’s Middle East page, some of which were cross posted from other sections of the website and one of which was carried over from the previous quarter. 7.14% of those reports covered stories relating to security/terrorism.
The remaining 92.86% of those articles can be grouped into a number of categories. (The dates in brackets represent the period of time in which each report was available to visitors to the website’s Middle East page.)
Nine reports (12.86% of the total) related to historical subject matter, including the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War:
The Holocaust: Who are the missing million? Raffi Berg (24/4/17 to 1/5/17)
How the Six Day War brought elation and despair Tom Bateman (4/6/17 to 7/6/17) discussed here
Six Day War Israeli veteran: ‘Occupation risked suffocation’ (4/6/17 to 7/6/17)
Six Day War Israeli veteran: ‘I saw a miracle’ (4/6/17 to 6/6/17)
Six Day War: ‘We were completely defeated’ (4/6/17 to 6/6/17)
1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East Jeremy Bowen (5/6/17 to 7/6/17) discussed here
Six Day War: What happened – in 60 seconds (5/6/17 to 7/6/17) discussed here
Six Day War: Six ways the conflict still matters Paul Adams (9/6/17 to 12/6/17) discussed here
Uncovering a story of ill-fated romance and tragic death (11/6/17 to 13/6/17)
Four reports can be categorised as miscellaneous:
Israeli comic novel up for International Booker Prize (21/4/17)
Christianity’s most important church? BBC Travel (6/5/17 to 9/5/17)
Why isn’t there more ‘Jewish food’ in Israel? BBC Travel (15/6/17 to 16/6/17) discussed here
Man Booker International Prize: David Grossman wins for stand-up comic novel (15/6/17 to 16/6/17)
21 reports (30%) related to Israeli diplomatic/international relations and/or political aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict with nine of those relating to the visit to Israel by the US president.
Israel approves first new West Bank settlement in 20 years (31/3/17 to 3/4/17) discussed here
Israel’s Netanyahu scraps talks with German minister over rights groups (25/4/17 to 27/4/17) discussed here
UK should not back US Middle-East policy, say peers (2/5/17)
Trump tells Abbas ‘very good chance’ of Mid-East peace deal (3/5/17 to 4/5/17) discussed here and here
Trump to visit Israel, Vatican and Saudi Arabia in first foreign trip (4/5/17 to 8/5/17)
Archbishop of Canterbury to meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders Yolande Knell (8/5/17 to 9/5/17) discussed here
Time for Middle East peace efforts, says Justin Welby Yolande Knell (10/5/17 to 12/5/17) discussed here
Israel says ties with US unaffected after Trump-Lavrov accusations (17/5/17 to 18/5/17)
Trump tells Israel Iran will never have nuclear weapons (22/5/17)
Trump’s visit to Israel and Palestinians: What are key issues? (22/5/17)
Donald Trump: A rare opportunity to bring peace (22/5/17 to 25/5/17)
Trump visits Western Wall in Jerusalem (22/5/17 to 30/5/17)
So, just what did Trump’s note in the Western Wall say? (22/5/17 to 23/5/17)
Trump ‘to do everything’ for Middle East peace (23/5/17 to 24/5/17)
Trump in Middle East: Symbols but little substance Jeremy Bowen (23/5/17 to 1/6/17) discussed here
Trump: ‘I never mentioned the word Israel’ to the Russians (24/5/17 to 31/5/17)
Wonder Woman banned by Lebanon over Israeli lead Gal Gadot (31/5/17 to 6/6/17) discussed here
Trump delays moving US embassy to Jerusalem (1/6/17 to 6/6/17) discussed here
US warning over its UN Human Rights Council role (6/6/17 to 7/6/17) discussed here
Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim visits West Bank Yolande Knell (13/6/17 to 22/6/17) discussed here
Israel starts work on first new West Bank settlement in 20 years (20/6/17 to 22/6/17) discussed here
Eleven reports (15.7%) related to Palestinian affairs:
Hamas executes three ‘Israel collaborators’ in Gaza (6/4/17 to 10/4/17)
Gaza power cuts: Man shares his tricks (18/4/17 to 20/4/17) discussed here
Palestinian Authority ‘stops paying Israel for Gaza electricity’ (27/4/17 to 1/5/17) discussed here
New Hamas policy document ‘aims to soften image’ (1/5/17 to 3/5/17) discussed here
How much of a shift is the new Hamas policy document? Yolande Knell (2/5/17 to 8/5/17) discussed here
The ancient path through Palestine BBC Travel (2/5/17 to 3/5/17 and 6/5/17)
Hamas chooses Ismail Haniya as new leader (6/5/17 to 9/5/17) discussed here
Gaza residents left in the dark amid Palestinian power struggle Yolande Knell (18/5/17 to 21/5/17) discussed here
Gaza Palestinians: Hamas kills three ‘collaborators’ (25/5/17 to 28/5/17)
Qatar Gulf row threatens cash crisis for Gaza Yolande Knell (20/6/17 to 22/6/17) discussed here
Gaza’s only power plant resumes after Egypt fuel delivery (22/6/17 to 24/6/17)
The 20 reports (28.57% of the total) concerning Israeli affairs can be divided into sub categories including:
a) reports relating to legal and/or criminal issues, with the majority (7) relating to a ‘hunger strike’ led by convicted terrorists in Israeli prisons:
Palestinians in Israeli jails hold mass hunger strike (17/4/17 to 18/4/17) discussed here and here
Palestinians clash with Israeli forces in support of prisoners (17/4/17 to 18/4/17) discussed here
Israel rules out talks with Palestinian hunger striking inmates (18/4/17 to 19/4/17) discussed here
Palestinian anger at Israeli refusal to talk to hunger striking inmates (19/4/17 to 20/4/17) discussed here
US-Israeli man, 18, in court over threats against Jewish centres (24/4/17 to 26/4/17)
Palestinian hunger strike leader Barghouti ‘filmed eating’ (8/5/17 to 10/5/17) discussed here
Arabs call for Pizza Hut boycott after prisoner ad (10/5/17 to 11/5/17) discussed here
Palestinians in Israeli jails end 40-day hunger strike (27/5/17 to 30/5/17) discussed here
Netanyahus win libel case over car row in convoy story (11/6/17 to 14/6/17)
Israeli airline El Al banned from asking women to switch seats (22/6/17 to 24/6/17)
Ehud Olmert, Israel’s jailed ex-PM, to be released early (29/6/17 to 2/7/16)
b) society:
Israel boy, 14, ‘kept at home since birth’ (11/5/17 to 15/5/17) discussed here
The deafblind actors of Jaffa (21/5/17 to 23/5/17) discussed here
Missing babies: Israel’s Yemenite children affair Yolande Knell (21/6/17 to 22/6/17) discussed here
c) domestic news/politics:
Israeli news presenter gets tearful reporting own show’s cancellation 10/5/17 to 16/5/17 discussed here
Israeli TV channel’s sudden closure shocks staff 10/5/17 to 11/5/17 discussed here
Jewish group cancels Netanyahu dinner over Western Wall decision (26/6/17 to 28/6/17) discussed here
d) science and technology:
Smartphones that charge in five minutes ‘could arrive next year’ BBC Technology (12/5/17 to 15/5/17)
Open Sesame: Science centre unveiled in Jordan BBC Science (16/5/17 to 17/5/17)
Sesame project opens in Jordan BBC Science (16/5/17 to 19/5/17)
As was the case throughout 2016 and in the first quarter of 2017, (see ‘related articles’ below) Israeli domestic affairs once again received greater coverage (28.57%) than did Palestinian affairs (15.7%) in the second quarter of 2017 although the gap in coverage was narrowed in Q2.
During the first half of 2017 security related reports accounted for 9.9% of the BBC News website’s articles pertaining to Israel and/or the Palestinians. 31.7% of the coverage related to Israeli affairs while internal Palestinian affairs were the topic of just 9.3% of the articles. The subject most frequently covered in BBC reporting continues to be international relations and conflict politics.
Related Articles:
Reviewing BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians in Q2 2017 – part one
Reviewing BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians in Q1 2017 – part one
Reviewing BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians in Q1 2017 – part two
Reviewing BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians in Q4 2016 – part two (includes links to previous reports)
