Three ATV riders were lightly injured Friday after allegedly being ambushed by a group of 30 to 40 Palestinians and foreign activists on their way to Ein Amasha in Samaria. The hikers said they were attacked with clubs and stones, while foreign activists filmed the incident without intervening. The three fled on foot, leaving their ATVs behind, which were subsequently vandalized. One of the injured hikers, identified only as M., said the group had been waiting for them along the road.
“We were on our way to Ein Amasha. Between 30 and 40 Arabs and anarchists were waiting for us in an ambush," he said. “Arabs attacked us with stones and clubs, while the anarchists stood there filming and made no effort to hide their delight." Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan spoke with the hikers after the incident and called on the security establishment to arrest those involved and deport the foreign activists who allegedly filmed the attack.
“This was a serious attack on hikers who were on their way to a spring," Dagan said. “I expect the government, the IDF and the security establishment to act with full force and a firm hand against the terrorists who harmed the hikers." Dagan also criticized the foreign activists, accusing them of coming to the area to provoke tensions and filming as the hikers were attacked. “We demand that the foreign anarchists who come to Samaria to create provocations be deported from Israel," he said.
At the same time, Dagan stressed that the authority to use force rests solely with the security forces. “We trust the IDF and expect a forceful response and the deportation of the foreign anarchists from Israel. We expect the IDF and the security establishment to do their job. Only the IDF and the security establishment are authorized to use force," he said. Dagan added that Samaria residents stand behind the security forces and expect a firm response to the incident.
Arutz Sheva places the incident in "Samaria" in its own voice and never says it happened in the occupied West Bank. After one anonymous rider's account, the article hands the rest of its space to the settler council head Yossi Dagan. It carries no Palestinian, activist, police or army account.
Uses the occupation's words
Serious
“Hikers attacked in Samaria”
Why this matters
The headline names the place "Samaria" in the outlet's own voice.
The impression it gives
A reader takes the area as Israeli land with a Hebrew biblical name, not as occupied Palestinian territory.
The context
The area is the occupied West Bank. The ICJ found the occupation unlawful. The article never uses the words occupied or 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)
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “occupied” and “West Bank”.
The body repeats "in Samaria" as a plain place name in the outlet's voice and sets the spring inside that name.
The impression it gives
A reader believes the spring sits in an Israeli region the riders had every right to travel to.
The context
Ein Amasha is in the occupied West Bank, under an occupation the ICJ ruled unlawful. The article gives no legal status for the land at all.
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)
“Samaria residents stand behind the security forces”
Why this matters
In reported speech the outlet calls the people Dagan speaks for "Samaria residents".
The impression it gives
A reader takes the area's residents as one Israeli community backing the forces.
The context
Dagan heads a settlement council. The people he speaks for are settlers in settlements the ICJ found illegal. The Palestinians who live there are written out of the word "residents".
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)
Elsewhere in the article“Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan”
Three Israeli ATV riders said they were attacked on Friday by Palestinians on their way to the Ein Amasha spring in the occupied West Bank.
One side gets the space
Minor
“Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan spoke with the hikers after the incident”
Why this matters
After one anonymous rider's account, the outlet hands the rest of the article to the settler council head. S8 to S17 are all his words or paraphrase of them.
The impression it gives
A reader gets only the riders' and the settler leader's version, including Dagan's "terrorists" label and his claim that the activists came to provoke.
The context
The article gives no account from the Palestinians or the foreign activists it accuses. It carries no police or army statement on what happened, and no word on whether anyone has confirmed the riders' account.
How we know
Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “police”.
Elsewhere in the article“against the terrorists who harmed the hikers”