Throughout the month of January 2020, twenty-eight written or filmed reports relating to Israel and/or the Palestinians appeared on the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page, three of which were carried over from the previous month and some of which also appeared on other pages.
(dates in brackets indicate the time period during which the item was available on the ‘Middle East’ page)
One report concerned external security issues:
Qasem Soleimani: ‘Trump deserves all the credit’ – Netanyahu (3/1/20 to 6/1/20)
Eleven items related to the US Administration’s ‘Peace to Prosperity’ proposal (discussed here):
Trump’s Middle East peace plan: ‘Deal of the century’ is huge gamble Jeremy Bowen (27/1/20 to 7/2/20)
Netanyahu: Trump Middle East peace plan ‘deal of the century’ (28/1/20 to present)
Trump outlines Middle East peace plan (28/1/20 to present)
Abbas on Trump peace plan: ‘Conspiracy deal won’t pass’ (28/1/20 to present)
Trump releases long-awaited Middle-East peace plan (28/1/20 to 29/1/20)
Trump’s Middle East peace plan: Smiles and sorrow on the ground Tom Bateman (28/1/20 to present) discussed here
What does Trump’s Middle East plan say on key issues? (29/1/20 to 10/2/20)
Trump Middle East plan: What he gets out of it Aleem Maqbool (29/1/20 to present)
Why Trump’s Middle East plan is so divisive Jeremy Bowen (29/1/20 to 3/2/20 and 7/2/20 to present)
Trump Middle East plan: Palestinians reject ‘conspiracy’ (29/1/20 to 3/2/20)
Palestinian PM defends stance on Trump Middle East plan Orla Guerin (30/1/20 to 3/2/20)
Six items related to a ceremony held in Jerusalem to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Holocaust row seethes as leaders gather in Israel Tom Bateman (22/1/20 to 29/1/20) discussed here
Macron orders Israeli security to ‘go outside’ at Jerusalem church (24/1/20 to 28/1/20)
‘Go outside’: France’s Macron berates Israeli police at Jerusalem church (23/1/20 to 24/1/20) discussed here
Yad Vashem: Why Poland won’t be attending Holocaust memorial (23/1/20 to 24/1/20)
Holocaust forum: Netanyahu urges world to unite to confront Iran (23/1/20 to 28/1/20) discussed here
Prince Charles visits grandmother’s tomb on Jerusalem visit (24/1/20 to 25/1/20)
While no reporting on internal Palestinian affairs was published in January, audiences did find a report carried over from the BBC’s Christmas coverage and an interactive feature relating to archaeology in the Gaza Strip.
The Christians helping Bethlehem shepherd families give birth safely (25/12/19 to 3/1/20) discussed here
Treasure Hunters (24/1/20 to 25/1/20)
Of the eight items relating to internal Israeli internal affairs, seven reports concerned legal/criminal cases, of which two related to a case in Cyprus in which Israelis had been released without charge in July 2019, yet the BBC continues to publish reports on the website’s ‘Middle East’ page:
Ayia Napa: Foreign Office ‘concerned’ over Briton found guilty over rape claim (31/12/19 to 2/1/20 and 4/1/20)
Ayia Napa Briton sentenced over false rape claim (7/1/20 to 9/1/20)
Benjamin Netanyahu asks for immunity from prosecution (1/1/20 to 7/1/20 and 9/1/20)
Israel releases two Syrian prisoners in ‘goodwill gesture’ (10/1/20 to 12/1/20)
Jerusalem rabbi arrested for ‘holding women in slavery’ (13/1/20 to 14/1/20)
Netanyahu indicted in court on corruption charges after dropping immunity bid (28/1/20 to 30/1/20)
Naama Issachar: US-Israeli woman released from Russian prison (29/1/20 to 1/2/20)
One report concerned social issues:
How Beitar Jerusalem’s football club owner took on racism and won Alex Capstick (20/12/19 to 1/1/20) discussed here
As noted above, the BBC News website did not produce any reporting on internal Palestinian affairs throughout January and neither did it produce any coverage of Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis. As we see, almost 40% of the reporting appearing on the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page throughout January concerned the US administration’s ‘Peace to Prosperity’ proposal.
Related Articles:
Summary of BBC News website portrayal of Israel and the Palestinians – December 2019
Reviewing BBC News website coverage of the US ‘Peace to Prosperity’ plan
Reviewing BBC News website coverage of Palestinian affairs in 2019
BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – January 2020
