A Political Discourse Analysis of the Language Used to Describe the Ongoing Genocide in Palestine in Arab and Foreign Media Outlets

Abstract

The paper will tackle the difference in the language used to describe the current genocide in Palestine that has been ongoing for the past seven months, including the Holy month in Islam; Ramadan. Highlighting the difference and the reasons behind the phrasing of language between Arab based media outlets such as “Quds News Network,” “Al Jazeera English,” as well as “Times of Gaza,” and additionally; relevant online blogs, such as “Eye on Palestine,” as well as other Arab media outlets.

On the other side, the foreign media outlets utilize different portrayals to report the ongoing Genocide in Palestine, mainly the western news outlets such as “Fox News,” “CNN,” “BBC,” “The Washington Post,” and “The Wall Street Journal,” in addition to the Israeli occupation’s news outlets, including but not limited to; “The Times of Israel”, “Ynet News”, “Haaretz”, as well as the official media account of Israel on “X” (Formerly known as “Twitter”) under the handle “@Israel”.

The language used in media outlets to describe what’s happening in Palestine can shift greatly, depending on the source and their viewpoint on the war. Some outlets may utilize neutral language to simply report on the events, whereas others may utilize emotive language to persuade the viewer to their own point of view.

As a quick example; when reporting on Israeli military actions in Gaza, some outlets may use terms like "security operation" or "defence action," while others may describe them as "bombing campaigns" or "aggression."

Why do media outlets use varying language to describe events and conflicts in Palestine, and how does this language impact public perception and understanding of the situation?

This research will compare how both the Arab and foreign media

outlets use language and the strategies implemented in dealing with news covering the war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation’s army in Palestine, especially Gaza, aiming to shed light on the reason why news headlines use specific descriptions to report on what is happening in Palestine, and the stark distinction between how different media outlets portray the Israeli occupation’s actions.