A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Biased Role of Western Media in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Ahmad Hamad Kareem
University of Kirkuk/ College of Education for Humanities
Yaseen Mahmood Najm
University of Kirkuk/ College of Education for Humanities
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.8.6.12
Keywords: critical discourse analysis, ideology, policy, the israeli-palestinian conflict, and western media
Abstract
This paper utilizes a critical discourse analysis approach to examine the role of Western media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It uses an analytical method to investigate the influence of Western media in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The study aims to analyze the biased role of Western media in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing on how its coverage disproportionately highlights specific aspects like the killing of Palestinian civilians, leading to perceptions of partiality and skewed narratives. The study is achieved using Van Dijk's notion of "ideological square", categorized by Us vs. their dichotomies using qualitative and quantitative procedures. The analyzed texts are chosen from various YouTube channels, such as Now This Impact and Middle East Eye and analyzed ideologically and linguistically. The present study debates that Western media plays a major role in constructing and perpetuating biased reporting and framing pro-Israeli sympathy and attitude. It is hoped that this research will illuminate on the intricacies and biases of Western media reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian ongoing conflict, with a particular focus on the latest war in Gaza. This research shows that Palestinian representations in Western newspapers are unequivocally negative, often depicting them explicitly or implicitly as combatants, suicide bombers, Islamic militants, and terrorists, underscoring a perceived threat in contrast to Israelis. The findings demonstrate that newspapers shared comparable perspectives on Palestinians and employ nearly identical terminology to characterize them. Also, Western media is biased towards the Israeli side, depicting the Palestinian struggle as aggression while the Israeli attacks as defense and reaction.
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