De-legitimization of Media Mechanisms

This article examines and compares Israeli print media coverage of the respective Palestinian populations in Israel and in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip during the Al Aqsa Intifada. Historically, the Israeli media have behaved in a ‘mobilized’ manner during periods of heightened conflict. They also play a central role in delegitimizing Palestinian protest, thereby helping to reproduce existing divisions between Jews and Palestinians. This article attempts to provide a comprehensive inventory of the ‘delegitimization mechanisms’ at work during the news production process in Israel – a state in external conflict with the Palestinians in the occupied territories and with significant internal tension between its Jewish and Palestinian citizens.