The use of language by Western media in reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reveals significant biases, shaping public perceptions in favor of Israel while dehumanizing Palestinians. A comprehensive analysis of major media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, illustrates how linguistic framing drastically differs when reporting on Israeli versus Palestinian deaths.
A study by The Intercept shows that terms like “slaughter,” “massacre,” and “horrific” are frequently used to describe the deaths of Israelis, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, while the killings of Palestinians are often downplayed with passive language. This manipulation of language creates an implicit hierarchy of victimhood, where Israeli lives are deemed more tragic, and Palestinian deaths are diminished or cast into doubt by qualifiers such as “reportedly” or “according to Hamas.”
A glaring example of this bias is the way media outlets cover the deaths of four 19-year-old Israeli soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone strike. Reports describe these soldiers as “teenage victims” and frame their deaths as an unjust tragedy, with Sky News solemnly reciting their names and emphasizing their age to elicit sympathy. By contrast, the tragic death of Sha’ban al-Dalou, a 19-year-old Palestinian civilian burned alive in a hospital bed during an Israeli airstrike, is almost entirely ignored by mainstream Western outlets. In the few reports that do mention him, he is anonymized as “a man” or “a person,” without the same level of humanity and emotional resonance granted to the Israeli soldiers.
This disparity reveals a systemic bias in how the Western media frames the deaths of Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli soldiers, even in active combat, are portrayed as innocent victims, while Palestinians, even when they are civilians, are depicted as faceless statistics. This media practice aligns with the political interests of Western powers, particularly the US and its allies, who have a vested interest in supporting Israel.
The portrayal of Israel as a perpetual victim of unprovoked aggression, while Palestinians are viewed as either perpetrators or collateral damage, shapes the narrative of the conflict. It also dehumanizes Palestinians, reducing their suffering to a mere footnote in the broader geopolitical narrative.
Lina Mounzer, a Lebanese writer, poignantly captures this sentiment: “Ask any Arab what the most painful realization of the last year has been, and it is this: that we have discovered the extent of our dehumanization to such a degree that it’s impossible to function in the world in the same way.”
The Western media’s propagandistic use of language reinforces this dehumanization, ensuring that Palestinian suffering remains invisible while Israeli deaths are foregrounded as tragedies. As the conflict continues, the need for balanced and humane reporting grows ever more urgent.
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