First parallel research by IPCC and Keshev

The research deals with the coverage of Jawaher Abu Rahma's death following the inhalation of teargas during a protest against the separation fence in Bil'in, in the Israeli and Palestinian media

This research is a product of a joint media monitoring project by the Israeli organization Keshev and the Palestinian International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPPC). The project is unique for two reasons: (a) it is based on cooperation between two organizations from both sides of an ongoing national conflict and (b) it uses original methodological tools, which are aimed at changing problematic patterns of media coverage of the conflict in both the Israeli and the Palestinian media outlets.

This joint effort is intended to encourage the media on both sides to exhibit restraint and fairness, and to tone down tendencies such as bias, incitement, de-humanization, and de-legitimization of the other side.

Precisely because of the current crisis in Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the lack of symmetry between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and between the Israeli and Palestinian media, we are proud of our ability to produce this joint research. We view this research, which points to a number of basic failures in the way the media covers the conflict, as a significant achievement in our struggle to create a more supportive, peaceful and trustful environment in the region.

The story of Jawaher Abu Rahma is just one example from a chain of incidents where innocent Palestinian citizens died, causing a controversy between the Israeli army and the Palestinians as to who is to blame for their death.

The Israeli media
Such incidents, where the battle over the public opinion becomes the major issue, serve as fascinating test cases as to the conduct of the Israeli media. They cast a heavy shadow over the Israeli narrative that portrays the Israeli army as "the most moral in the world" and the Palestinians as solely responsible for the violence.

Keshev's research shows that in similar incidents in the past the Israeli media tended to take an active part in protecting the allegedly good reputation of Israel and its army, while casting aside professional journalistic standards. As was the case in similar incidents in the past, the media outlets presented the Israeli army's version of the events as fact, in spite of substantial contradictions as well as doubts regarding the credibility of this version, raised by sources within the Israeli defense establishment.

Furthermore, the media coverage of Abu Rahma's death and other similar incidents ignored the wider context of the story and the responsibility Israel bears for the ongoing conflict. Instead it focused solely on whether the Palestinians were lying and on the contradicting versions. Many important questions were practically missing from the media coverage. the Israeli public was not presented with the context of the Bil'in protests, such as the reasons behind them, the impact the fence had on the Palestinians' lives, the unwillingness of the Israeli government to comply with the 2007 ruling of the Israeli High Court of Justice (as of the time of Abu Rahma's death) to move the fence, and other critical questions regarding riot control measures employed extensively by the Israeli army in the West Bank.

>> The Bil'in Libel? The coverage of Jawaher Abu Rahma's death in the Israeli media

The Palestinian Media
The examination of the media coverage of Abu Rahma's death points to problematic patterns of coverage on the Palestinian side as well. In this case, as in many others in the past, the personal tragedy was used to advance political goals. The victim's personal story was missing from the media coverage, which focused mainly on the comments made by senior Palestinian Authority officials about the incident.

Two of the three newspapers examined in this study didn't even publish Abu Rahma's picture and the one paper that did – published a picture of her coffin, draped in the Palestinian flag, an image intended to emphasize the national significance of her death, neglecting the personal and human aspects. This kind of coverage reflects a tendency of de-humanization of Palestinians in the Palestinian media.

The coverage of this incident also pointed to the lack of professionalism on the part of Palestinian journalists and editors. The Palestinian journalists did not bother to go to where the incident had occurred, in spite of its proximity to the newspapers' offices located in Ramallah. The journalists also neglected to interview the victim's family or check basic facts regarding her death. As a result, the Palestinian readers were presented with partial and disorganized factual information that did not deal adequately with the claims raised by the Israeli army.

>> Jawaher Abu-Rahmeh: martyr or human? Critical reading of the Palestinian media

Summary
The study's findings show that both the Israeli and Palestinian media outlets operate under powerful social and psychological influences. Jawaher Abu Rahma's death is notable because it was used by both sides as a tool in the never ending battle for local and international public opinion.

We hope that our joint activity in analyzing the coverage of Jawaher Abu Rahma's death will encourage Israeli and Palestinian media consumers to exercise critical thinking and reading, and inspire Israeli and Palestinian journalists to cover future events more fairly.

We believe that a factual, complete coverage will allow people on both sides to better deal with the complex realities of the conflict, which will in turn enable them to form intelligent opinions about it and about the other side.