Hamas has ended its ‘truce’ with Israel, after the latest round of attacks. Last night Ashkelon was hit by rockets, and one man was killed and four more people seriously injured in an attack on Be’er Sheva. Many have also been killed in attacks on Gaza. Although most of the dead seem to have been militants, three of the victims were children.
As usual, much UK media coverage of these events seems less than sympathetic to Israel. It has been pointed out in the comments that this headline depersonalises the initial attacks, glossing over the loss of life. This piece on CifWatch offers an interesting analysis of the way the Guardian uses pictures of Israeli combatants to illustrate the attacks on Eilat, whereas accounts of the airstrikes on Gaza are accompanied by pictures of distraught civilians.
Worst of the lot perhaps is this headline from yesterday’s Independent: ‘Israel mourns its dead – and takes revenge on Palestinians’. The story includes a photograph of a Gazan man carrying the body of his dead son. Although the names and circumstances of the Israeli deaths are also duly noted, the picture, combined with the word ‘revenge’, steer the reader’s response. The relevant information is there – the article does confirm that ten militants were killed – but that doesn’t cancel out the initial implication that this was an action as brutal and random as the attacks in Eilat.
Update There is more on the issue of media bias over on Anne’s Opinions.
