BBC NEWS COVERAGE OF TERRORISM IN ISRAEL – DECEMBER 2021 & YEAR END SUMMARY

The Israel Security Agency’s report on terror attacks (Hebrew) during December 2021 shows that throughout the month a total of 137 incidents took place: 113 in Judea & Samaria, 23 in Jerusalem and inside the ‘green line’ and one attack in the Gaza Strip sector.

In Judea & Samaria, Jerusalem and inside the ‘green line’ the agency recorded 94 attacks with petrol bombs, eleven attacks using pipe bombs, five stabbing attacks, six shooting attacks, two vehicular attacks and 17 arson attacks. In the Gaza Strip sector one shooting attack took place.

One civilian was killed and six people were wounded in attacks throughout December.

The BBC reported the murder of Yehuda Dimentman and the wounding of two other civilians a day after the shooting attack near Homesh had taken place.

The same report (and a follow-up report) made brief references to two earlier attacks in which civilians were wounded: a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City on December 4^th and a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood on December 8^th.

A vehicular attack on December 6^th in which a member of the security forces was injured and a stabbing attack in Hebron on December 18^th in which a civilian was wounded were not reported by the BBC.

A shooting attack at the Gaza Strip border likewise received no BBC coverage, despite local BBC staff being aware of the incident.

As can be seen in the table below, the vast majority of the BBC News website’s reporting on Palestinian terror attacks in 2021 came in May, during Operation Guardian of the Walls. In all, 58% of the attacks against Israelis throughout the year were reported. Of the 1,581 attacks which did not take place in May, forty-seven (2.97%) received coverage or mention on the BBC News website. All the fatalities resulting from terror attacks were reported in 2021 (for the first time since 2016) while just two of the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip which did not take place in May were mentioned.