The Electronic Intifada 2 May 2001
1. THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP ARE NOT PARTS OF ISRAEL
Although CNN’s report begins the report (see SOURCE below) with a reference to “violence in Israel,” all of the events documented took place in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Coupled with a disturbing trend previously noted in CNN reporting, of presenting the Israeli occupation as merely a Palestinian point of view, it is clear that CNN needs to be more careful about its language use.
2. SINCE OUR PREVIOUS ACTION ITEM, YET ANOTHER INSTANCE OF THE OCCUPATION AS A PALESTINIAN POINT OF VIEW
Following our April 12th Action Item #11, CNN yet again portrayed the Israeli occupation as a Palestinian point of view, in a April 26th report titled, “Israel celebrates independence, Palestinians mourn deaths”:
“But the Palestinians blame Israel for the violence, saying they employ heavy-handed methods to control Palestinian protesters — and that the presence of Israeli troops in the West Bank and Gaza amounts to an occupation of Palestinian territory.”
It should be noted that, following a letter to CNN about the April 26th report, the problematic text of the report was changed.
SOLUTION
Write to CNN’s editors via Community@cnn.com:
- Citing the report, “Many More Dead in Israel as Peace Talks Continue,” from 1 May 2001.
- Encouraging CNN to be more careful about how it defines regions and areas in Israel/Palestine, pointing out that all of the violence described in the report as taking place “in Israel” in fact took place in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
- Suggesting that CNN always terms the occupied West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza as “Israeli-occupied”, so that viewers are honestly informed about the international status of these areas.
- Please write an original letter and do not simply copy & paste the information above. As always, be brief, polite, quote accurately, and include your name, address, and telephone number (which most publications require to ensure publication). Send copies of any responses or printing of your letter (including the original, if it was edited) to info@electronicIntifada.net. Please forward a copy of any letter you send to info@electronicIntifada.net.
SOURCE
1 May 2001
HEADLINE: Many More Dead in Israel as Peace Talks Continue
SHOW: CNN AHEAD OF THE CURVE 05:00
SHOW-TYPE: LIVE REPORT
BYLINE: Linda Stouffer, Jerrold Kessel
HIGHLIGHT: Retaliations seem to have claimed many more lives, in several separate incidents of violence in Israel, even as officials are taking a more optimistic tone in peace talks.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: In the news right now, the deadly game of retaliation has claimed at least four more lives in the Middle East, even as Israeli officials are taking a more optimistic tone in peace talks.
CNN’s Jerrold Kessel joins us live, from Jerusalem, with an update from there.
Hello — Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Linda.
Hovering in the background, a talk between Israelis and Palestinians to reach a truce, a cease-fire, an end of hostilities — call it what you will. The talk is being promoted mainly by Israel’s Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who’s now in the United States. He’ll be meeting with Colin Powell and with President Bush over the next day or two.
But here in the area, it’s a catalog of hostilities and of more death and violence, which holds sway. Six Palestinians were killed late last night and today, and an Israeli was motorist shot and killed this morning.
In the latest incident down in Gaza, a heavy gun battle raged near the border between Gaza and Egypt, between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen. One Palestinian was shot and killed, report the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Earlier in Gaza yesterday, two Hamas activists were killed when a car blew up in a mysterious explosion. Hamas are blaming Israeli agents for planting it there. Israel denies responsibility.
And late last night, a blast leveled a two-story apartment block in the heart of the West Bank town Ramallah, near Yasser Arafat’s headquarters. Three Palestinians were killed there, including a three-year old girl and her seven-year old brother.
Also, a Palestinian activist in the Fatah movement of Yasser Arafat, a known wanted man on Israel’s wanted list, was killed. The man was wanted for luring a young Israeli to his death in Ramallah a couple of months ago. Israeli denies responsibility for that incident, but the Palestinians charge that Israel is behind it. Marwan, a leading member of Mr. Arafat’s Fatah movement, is making that charge against Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARWAN BARGHOUTI, FATAH ACTIVIST: This is more crime from the Israeli government against the Palestinian people. And the Palestinians will continue to escalate this intifada and to fear these terrorist attacks against the civilian Palestinians in their houses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: Hamas, the radical Islamic group, at the funeral for those two men yesterday, claimed responsibility for this morning’s attack on the West Bank road, which killed a 31-year-old Jewish settler. As he drove his van, he came under a hail of bullets. He crashed into the side of the road and was killed there. They say the man’s father had himself been killed in a similar ambush on the West Bank roads a couple of months ago.
There was another ambush on an Israeli motorist further north in the West Bank. He was lightly wounded. A Palestinian was apprehended there. Hamas claimed responsibility for that killing of the Israeli motorist, saying that they will avenge in a further way. Israel puts the blame firmly on the Palestinian side for this latest violence from the Palestinian side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DORE GOLD, SHARON ADVISER: Israel was willing to work with an Egyptian-Jordanian initiative to bring an end to the violence that Yasser Arafat initiated several months ago. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the response today on our roads in Israel and in the West Bank, when an innocent Israeli civilian was shot dead passing by terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: There was also a series of mortar bombardments reported by Israel in Gaza against Israeli military positions and Jewish settlements there. The Israelis say there were no casualties. Palestinians report a number of people were hurt in return Israeli fire for those mortar bombardments.
The hostilities hold sway, and despite their talk of the possibility of a truce, with the hostilities raging as they are, with the hostile rhetoric raging in both directions, the prospect for reaching such a truce and for it being able to hold for any length of time seem at this stage very much like mission impossible — Linda.
STOUFFER: Very much so.
Jerrold Kessel, with the latest from Jerusalem, thank you very much for that.
