Enemies, fellow victims, or the forgotten? News coverage of Israeli Arabs in the 21st century

This study examined Israeli-Arab citizensʹ representation in Israeli news media as of 2000, when fundamental changes occurred in the political and social realities of both Arab and Jewish citizens. The present examination paid particular attention to coverage of four momentous events – namely, the protests in October 2000, the announcement of a competitive bid for Channel 2 during 2003-4, the Second Lebanon War, and the publication of Future of the Arab Palestinians in Israel at the end of 2006 by the National Committee for the heads of Arab local authorities – by the national television channels and two newspapers. Qualitative and quantitative textual analyses revealed that Arab citizens are mostly symbolically annihilated, but when presented they are identified chiefly as enemies and very seldom as equal citizens.