KESHEV Calls for Fair and Responsible Media Coverage of Events in SILWAN;

Appeals to the media in the wake of incomplete - and at times biased - coverage of events in the East Jerusalem neighborhood - Silwan.

June 2010

In light of the explosive situation, Keshev calls on media outlets to be professional, responsible and fair in covering the issue and demands that they present as full a picture as possible, showing its complexity and significance.

On Sunday, June 27, 2010, violent confrontations broke out in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. Dozens of Palestinian residents of the neighborhood, six Border Patrol policemen and four of the settlers' private security guards were injured in the clashes.

The clashes broke out following plans by the Jerusalem municipality to demolish 22 homes of Palestinian residents of the neighborhood, which were built without authorization from the municipality, in order to build an archaeological park.

Until now, coverage of the events in the neighborhood has been incomplete and at times biased, as Giora Rosen, the ombudsman for Israel's Second Authority for Television and Radio, has admitted (see link in Hebrew(.

In light of the explosive situation, Keshev calls on media outlets to be professional, responsible and fair in covering the issue and demands that they present as full a picture as possible, showing its complexity and significance. Keshev maintains that media coverage of the events in Silwan must address the following aspects:

The ramifications that establishing an archaeological park and a Jewish settlement in Silwan and demolishing Palestinian homes will have for a political solution in Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem municipality's policies – and their ramifications – regarding building permits for Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, and its policies regarding Jewish settlement in the same neighborhoods.

The conduct of the police and the security forces in violent confrontations.

The links between settlers' non-profit associations and the municipality and other government institutions.

Fair representation of the positions and actions of the various parties involved, including Palestinian residents of the neighborhood, civilian protesters, human rights and civil rights organizations, the Jewish settlers in the neighborhood, the Jerusalem municipality and the police and security forces.

This publication is made possible by the generous support of theAmerican people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are theresponsibility of Keshev and do not necessarily reflect theviews of USAID or the United States Government.