BBC NEWS COVERAGE OF TERRORISM IN ISRAEL

The Israel Security Agency’s report on terror attacks (Hebrew) during August 2020 shows that throughout the month a total of 120 incidents took place: 67 in Judea & Samaria, 39 in Jerusalem and inside the ‘green line’ and 14 in the Gaza Strip sector.

In Judea & Samaria and Jerusalem the agency recorded 85 attacks with petrol bombs, six attacks using pipe bombs, two shooting attacks, eight arson attacks, three stabbings and two rock-throwing attacks. In the Gaza Strip sector five shooting attacks, one IED attack and eight separate rocket attacks (during which 25 missiles were launched) were recorded.

One civilian was murdered during August and six people (two civilians and four members of the security forces) were wounded.

The BBC News website reported the fatal stabbing attack in Petah Tikva on August 26^th but did not cover the stabbing attacks in Rosh HaAiyn on August 15^th and in Jerusalem on August 17^th.

On the evening of August 21^st the BBC News website reported that:

“Overnight, militants fired 12 rockets towards Israel and Israeli warplanes conducted three rounds of air strikes.

Since last week, a number of rockets have been launched from Gaza along with hundreds of balloons with explosives and incendiary devices attached that have caused dozens of fires in southern Israel.”

The “number of rockets” mentioned by the BBC included one on August 2^nd, two on August 16^th and one on August 18^th which were not reported when those attacks took place. After the publication of that BBC report mentioning the twelve rockets launched in two incidents late on August 20^th and early on August 21^st, another rocket attack took place and on August 28^th a further six rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip. Neither of those attacks received coverage on the BBC News website.

In other words, BBC audiences learned of less than half of the 25 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip during August that were recorded by the ISA.

Since the beginning of the year visitors to the BBC News website have seen coverage of 5.2% of the terror attacks against Israelis which actually took place and reporting of 50% of the resulting fatalities. BBC coverage of rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip in 2020 stands at 14.8% as of the end of August. Six of the first eight months of 2020 saw no BBC reporting on Palestinian terrorism at all.