Throughout the month of May 2022, thirty-three written or filmed reports relating to Israel and/or the Palestinians appeared on the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page, some of which were also published on other pages and seven of which were carried over from the previous month.
(dates in brackets indicate the time period during which the item was available on the ‘Middle East’ page)
Four reports concerned terrorism and counterterrorism:
Elad attack: Three dead in central Israeli city (5/5/22 to 6/5/22) discussed here
Israel hunts Palestinian axe attackers who killed three (6/5/22 to 8/5/22) discussed here
Two held in manhunt for axe attackers who killed three Israelis (8/5/22 to 12/5/22)
Israel says Hamas plot to kill prominent politician in Jerusalem thwarted Raffi Berg (24/5/22 to 27/5/22) discussed here
One item concerned the release of a Japanese terrorist:
Japanese Red Army founder Shigenobu freed after 20 years (28/5/22 to 2/6/22) discussed here
Three items related to a diplomatic spat:
Israel outrage at Sergei Lavrov’s claim that Hitler was part Jewish (2/5/22 to 5/5/22)
Russia accuses Israeli minister of ‘anti-historical statements’ as war of words grows (3/5/22 to 10/5/22)
Putin sorry for Lavrov’s claim Hitler was part Jewish – Israel PM (5/5/22 to 12/5/22)
Two reports concerned Iran:
Iran vows revenge after Revolutionary Guards colonel is assassinated David Gritten (23/5/22 to 26/5/22)
Iran lied about banned nuclear activity using stolen documents – Israel Raffi Berg (31/5/22 to present)
Nine items related to the death of an Al Jazeera journalist:
Al Jazeera reporter killed during Israeli raid in West Bank (11/5/22 to 12/5/22) discussed here
Doucet: Killed Al Jazeera reporter was an ‘inspiration’ to a generation of journalists (11/5/22 to 23/5/22)
Shireen Abu Aqla: face and voice of war and peace Lyse Doucet (11/5/22 to 16/5/22)
Shireen Abu Aqla: Palestinians to refer journalist’s killing to ICC (12/5/22 to 18/5/22)
Violence at Al Jazeera journalist’s funeral procession (13/5/22 to 26/5/22)
Shireen Abu Aqla: Violence at Al Jazeera reporter’s funeral in Jerusalem Raffi Berg (13/5/22 to 16/5/22) discussed here
Shireen Abu Aqla: UN condemns killing of Al Jazeera reporter (14/5/22 to 19/5/22) discussed here
Shireen Abu Aqla: Christian leaders condemn violence at reporter’s funeral Tom Bateman (16/5/22 to 20/5/22) discussed here
Palestinian report says Israel deliberately killed Al Jazeera’s Shireen Abu Aqla Raffi Berg (26/5/22 to 31/5/22) discussed here
One item – initially published in March – concerned Palestinian health care:
The Palestinian cancer centre that can’t take patients Yolande Knell (27/3/22 to 20/4/22 and 22/4/22 to 5/5/22) discussed here
Two items – one of which was carried over from the previous month – were linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
Ukraine war: Jewish children airlifted to Israel (19/3/22 to 9/5/22) discussed here
Ukraine war: From fighting the Nazis with the Soviets, to fleeing from Putin’s war Anastassia Zlatopolskai & Melanie Marshall (9/5/22 to 20/5/22)
One item carried over from the previous month concerned archaeology:
Gaza farmer finds 4,500-year-old statue of Canaanite goddess Yolande Knell (26/4/22 to 1/5/22) discussed here
One item carried over from the previous month concerned a study of antisemitism:
Anti-Semitism: Dramatic rise in 2021, Israeli report says (27/4/22 to 3/5/22)
Of nine reports relating to Israeli affairs, three (one of which was carried over from the previous month) were about politics:
Naftali Bennett: Israeli PM to pay for family’s food after criticism first appeared in updates, then on ME page (27/4/22 to 3/5/22)
Israeli coalition government in crisis as MP quits Raffi Berg (19/5/22 to 23/5/22) discussed here
Israeli Arab MP Zoabi returns to coalition after crisis Raffi Berg (23/5/22 to 25/5/22) discussed here
One item concerned accusations against the police:
Israeli police accused of violence towards shot Palestinian’s family Tom Bateman (21/5/22 to 24/5/22) discussed here
Three items – one of which was carried over from the previous month – concerned events in the Israeli calendar:
Sirens ring out in Israel to honour Holocaust victims (28/4/22 to 14/5/22)
Jerusalem Flag March: Israeli nationalists stream through Muslim Quarter Raffi Berg (29/5/22 to present) discussed here
Jerusalem Flag March: Israeli nationalists stream towards Muslim Quarter Yolande Knell (29/5/22 to present)
Two reports – one carried over from the previous month – concerned events at Israel’s main airport:
Israel airport chaos as family brings unexploded shell (29/4/22 to 5/5/22)
Israel: Turkish flight aborted as passengers get plane crash pics Raffi Berg (10/5/22 to 13/5/22)
In addition – not included in our count – four items appeared in the ‘updates’ section underneath the ‘Middle East’ page but not on the page itself:
‘It gives us hope conflict can be resolved’ Robbie Meredith (11/5/22)
Violence breaks out at Shireen Abu Aqla’s funeral in Jerusalem (13/5/22)
Shireen Abu Aqla: NI journalists condemn killing (14/5/22) discussed here
Monkeypox: Israel, Switzerland and Austria confirm cases Joseph Lee (22/5/22)
BBC audiences saw no new reporting whatsoever on Palestinian internal affairs throughout May. Stories the BBC apparently did not consider newsworthy included a Hamas victory in student elections, the PA president’s pledge to continue funding terrorists, an arrest in Ramallah, deaths in Hebron and the release of detainees connected to a story the BBC previously covered widely.
Related Articles:
SUMMARY OF BBC NEWS WEBSITE PORTRAYAL OF ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIANS – APRIL 2022
EIGHTEEN TERROR VICTIMS AND ONE JOURNALIST ON THE BBC NEWS WEBSITE
Seems that a marginal improvement in the BBC’s antisemitic and anti-israel reporting may be taking place since the arrival of the new (Jewish) Chairman.
Still completely OCD though, more reports about Israel than the war taking place in Europe. Time to cull some of the aged BBC reporters #defundthebbc