A rare BBC News report on internal Palestinian affairs

As we have periodically noted on these pages, the BBC’s Middle East reporting rarely includes stand-alone coverage of Palestinian affairs.

“Insight into internal Palestinian politics which would enhance audiences’ comprehension of Palestinian society (as well as the conflict) is relatively rare in BBC coverage. Reporting on social and human rights issues within Palestinian society is even more scarce and thus BBC audiences see a blinkered and largely one-dimensional view of Palestinian life.”

It was therefore encouraging to see a factual report on a recent incident involving the Palestinian Authority security forces published on the BBC News website’s Middle East page on August 23rd under the headline “Palestinian suspect in police killings ‘beaten to death’“.PA lynch art

“The Palestinian Authority (PA) says it has launched an investigation after a man was apparently beaten to death in a jail in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Nablus Governor Akram Rajoub said Ahmed Halawa had been assaulted by Palestinian security forces at Junaid prison after shouting insults at them.

Mr Halawa was the alleged ringleader of an attack that led to the killing of two policemen in the area last week.

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah described his death as an “irregular incident”.

However, human rights activists have in the past been extremely critical of the treatment of prisoners in Palestinian jails. They say that torture is common, and committed with impunity.”

More than seven years have passed since BBC audiences last saw any serious reporting on that topic in the English language.

Towards the end of the report BBC audiences were finally informed that municipal elections are scheduled to take place in the PA controlled areas and the Gaza Strip in October.

“The two factions are preparing for local elections across the Palestinian territories in October.”

The article closes with a brief mention of a different story:

“In a separate development on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had dismantled a Palestinian weapons-making and smuggling network in the West Bank.

Troops found more than 20 arms-manufacturing machines at several sites in the Bethlehem and Hebron areas overnight, it added. Two traffickers were arrested.”

Unfortunately, BBC audiences were not provided with the context to that information.

“Though this is by no means the first operation of its kind in 2016, it is the largest to date. Since 2016, the IDF has shut down 49 weapons manufacturing machines and seized over 300 firearms. Over 140 weapons dealers and manufacturers have been arrested. […]

Firearms have accounted for over 25% of terror attacks since the beginning of 2016, resulting in over 30 shooting attacks. Operations like the one undertaken last night, which target Palestinian violence at its source, have resulted in a 30% drop in terror attacks in the past several months.”

Hopefully this report signals the advent of a new era of BBC reporting and Palestinian internal affairs will begin to receive the more comprehensive coverage which audiences have to date been denied.  

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