A secret property acquisition operation in the Jericho area was revealed on Wednesday, as Jewish families moved into eight homes purchased in the area. The operation involved transactions to purchase the eight houses, alongside preparations to accommodate the families and provide security for them. The move was kept secret until the moment the families entered the properties, with teams responsible for the move-in and security making advance preparations for the operation, which culminated on Wednesday.
According to those leading the initiative, the eight houses are located on state land within the jurisdiction of the Binyamin Regional Council. Some are situated on the outskirts of Jericho, near the archaeological site of the Hasmonean Palaces and below the Hasmonean Palaces Farm. The organizers emphasized that the homes were purchased at full price and that the transactions are supported by ownership documents.
Arutz Sheva reports that Jewish families secretly moved into eight homes near Jericho and never says the homes are in the occupied West Bank, never uses the word settlement, and never mentions the ICJ's findings that the occupation is unlawful and the settlements illegal. Its headline tells the move as families moving into homes, and every source in the report is the people behind the move.
Hedges the documented record
Severe
“in the Jericho area”
Why this matters
Arutz Sheva places the operation "in the Jericho area" and nowhere says the area is the occupied West Bank.
The impression it gives
A reader with no other knowledge believes this is an ordinary place where anyone may buy a home and move in.
The context
The International Court of Justice found Israel's occupation of the West Bank unlawful and its settlements there illegal under international law. The article turns on Israelis moving into homes in that territory, and it never states that legal status.
How we know
On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem unlawful.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “occupied”, “occupation”, “West Bank”, “illegal” and “settlement”.
“within the jurisdiction of the Binyamin Regional Council”
Why this matters
The outlet passes on, with nothing added, the organisers' account that the homes fall under an Israeli regional council.
The impression it gives
A reader takes the homes to sit inside settled Israeli administration, with no legal question attached to them.
The context
The ICJ found that Israel's settlements in the West Bank are illegal and that its occupation is unlawful. The article gives the Israeli administrative claim and leaves out the ruling that governs the territory.
How we know
On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem unlawful.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
Israeli settlers moved into eight homes near Jericho in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, in an operation kept secret until they entered. The International Court of Justice has found Israel's settlements in the West Bank illegal and its occupation unlawful.
Tells the event as something else
Minor
“Jewish families move into homes”
Why this matters
The headline turns a settlement move into occupied territory into a story of families moving house.
The impression it gives
A reader believes this is a domestic housing event that ends a long wait ("After years").
The context
The body describes a "secret property acquisition operation" with security teams, in territory the ICJ has found Israel occupies unlawfully. The outlet never calls the families settlers or the homes a settlement.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“A secret property acquisition operation”
Elsewhere in the article“teams responsible for the move-in and security”
On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
“preparations to accommodate the families and provide security for them”
Why this matters
The outlet describes the logistics of the operation as care for families, and never says who they need security from or why.
The impression it gives
A reader sees a family relocation that needed some protection, with no people already living there.
The context
The homes are on the outskirts of Jericho, a Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank. The article never mentions Palestinians at all, so the reader cannot see whose city this is.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“situated on the outskirts of Jericho”
On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “Palestinian”.
“The organizers emphasized that the homes were purchased at full price and that the transactions are supported by ownership documents.”
Why this matters
Arutz Sheva ends the report on the organisers' assurances about price and paperwork. Every source in the article is the people behind the move.
The impression it gives
A reader takes the purchases as settled and uncontroversial, because no one else is asked.
The context
No Palestinian resident of Jericho, no Palestinian official and no one outside the initiative is quoted. The only sources are "those leading the initiative" and "the organizers".
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“According to those leading the initiative”
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “Palestinian”.