IDF claims entry of settlers into homes in Jericho not coordinated with army
The IDF says that the entry of several dozen settlers into homes in the city of Jericho, aimed at setting up an outpost, was done without prior coordination with the army and without permission, although a settler municipal authority said earlier that IDF soldiers secured the settlers who moved into the buildings.
The Binyamin Regional Council and the Nachala settlement organization announced earlier that they had secretly purchased eight homes in the suburbs of Jericho and that settlers moved in today to take up residence.
A spokesman for the regional council said earlier that IDF forces secured the entry of the settlers into the buildings.
“The acquisition process and the security implications stemming from it are currently being examined by the relevant authorities,” the IDF says in its response to the incident.
The Times of Israel tells the settler takeover of eight homes in Jericho as a coordination dispute between the army and settler bodies, and never says the homes were Palestinian or that residents fled. It reports the aim of setting up an outpost without saying that settlements are illegal or that the West Bank is occupied. It quotes only the army and the settler council, and no Palestinian at all.
Leaves out what changes the picture
Serious
“the entry of several dozen settlers into homes in the city of Jericho”
Why this matters
The words "the entry of several dozen settlers into homes" present the event as people going into buildings. The article never says whose homes they were or what happened to the people living in them.
The impression it gives
A reader believes settlers moved into empty, purchased houses, and that the only question is whether the army was told in advance.
The context
Haaretz reported the same day that the homes were in a Palestinian neighbourhood and that residents reportedly fled. The UN later said the settlers assaulted residents and forced dozens of people to flee. The word Palestinian appears nowhere in the article.
The article gives the settler groups' account of a secret purchase as the only explanation of how the settlers came to be in the homes. It sets nothing against it.
The impression it gives
A reader believes the homes were lawfully bought and that no one disputes the sale.
The context
The Palestinian governor of the Jericho region says the land belongs to the Palestinian Authority and cannot be sold. The article carries no Palestinian response to the purchase claim.
Several dozen Israeli settlers took over eight Palestinian homes on the outskirts of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, and residents reportedly fled. The settler groups say they bought the homes, while the Palestinian governor says the land cannot be sold.
Hedges the documented record
Minor
“aimed at setting up an outpost”
Why this matters
The article reports that the purpose of the takeover is to set up an outpost. It never says that the West Bank is occupied or that settlements there are illegal.
The impression it gives
A reader takes the outpost as an ordinary development whose only problem is a lack of army coordination and permission.
The context
The International Court of Justice ruled in July 2024 that the occupation is unlawful and the settlements are illegal under international law. The article turns on setting up a new settlement outpost and leaves that status out entirely. It does not even name the West Bank.
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”, “illegal” and “West Bank”.
“A spokesman for the regional council said earlier that IDF forces secured the entry of the settlers into the buildings.”
Why this matters
The article quotes the settler regional council here, and the army in S1 and S4. Every voice in the piece is an army or settler voice.
The impression it gives
A reader hears only the army and the settlers, and takes the story to be a disagreement between them.
The context
Palestinian officials spoke about the takeover. The Jericho governor disputed that the land could be sold, and no Palestinian resident or official is quoted.