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Rhetoric of Victimization: An Analysis of the Coverage of Intifada El-Aqsa in the Israeli Press

NCJ Number
214810
Journal
International Review of Victimology Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: 2005 Pages: 235-245
Author(s)
Gerald Cromer
Date Published
2005
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined Israeli newspapers' reporting on the Intifada El-Aqsa, a campaign of Palestinian attacks on Israelis that began after Ariel Sharon, the then leader of the opposition Likud Party in Israel, visited the Temple Mount in September 2000.
Abstract
Findings show that the coverage of each terrorist attack contained the number of people killed and injured. Initial reports were followed by others on the changing fortunes of the victims, and the numbers in each category of victimization were updated. At all stages of the coverage, special reference was made to the number of women and children involved. The press also emphasized the severity of Intifada El-Aqsa attacks, comparing them to other terrorist campaigns. The coverage noted that victims were attacked for no other reason than that they were Jews, implying that all Jews are vulnerable to attack from Palestinians. The stories detailed the most horrible aspects of each attack, with attention to the personal lives of selected victims. The coverage of the nature and extent of the suffering caused by these attacks was accompanied by rallying cries that suffering would not intimidate nor defeat Israel or its people. Victory over Israel's enemies would come, so that Israelis would eventually live in "peace and security." The author advises that such coverage reduces the chances of breaking the mutual cycle of victimization that has characterized the relations between Israelis and Palestinians, as each group fosters the concept of victimization of its own people and the need to retaliate against their attackers. The concept of mutual victimization must be emphasized and addressed through cooperative efforts by responsible leaders on both sides in order to reduce the suffering of all parties who have a common wish for "peace and security." 7 notes and 22 references