As Israelis headed to the polls on Tuesday, security forces launched an operation in the Nablus area. According to the IDF, troops working alongside the Border Police's West Bank units and the Shin Bet security agency are conducting counterterrorism operations as part of a broader campaign planned for the coming days. The military said the operation would include the arrest of wanted terror suspects, searches of buildings where intelligence indicates weapons may be stored and the demolition of memorials honoring terrorists.
At this stage, the operation does not involve evacuating residents of Nablus or surrounding villages, as was done in Hebron following last week's terrorist attack that killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem. However, the operation is expected to continue for several days. Meanwhile, Palestinians report that IDF forces have already demolished 10 memorials commemorating terrorists, including in the villages of Rujeib, Azmut, Madama and Iraq Burin, as well as the town of Beit Furik.
The operation was launched as troops from the Paratroopers Brigade and the Maglan commando unit continue their operations in Hebron. The IDF aims to maintain a presence on the ground and prevent terrorist infrastructure from becoming established. Ahead of the election, security officials are concerned about attempts to carry out additional attacks. ynet military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai reported that a disagreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the continuation of the Hebron operation is among the factors behind the tensions between the two in recent days.
Ynet calls the people commemorated by the demolished memorials "terrorists" in its own voice, with only the army's statement as a basis, and even puts the label into a Palestinian report. It calls the mass displacement of thousands of Hebron residents "evacuating", and it gives the army's account the space while Palestinians appear only as the source of a demolition count.
Labels people on one side's word
Serious
“memorials commemorating terrorists”
Why this matters
Ynet attributes the demolition count to Palestinian reports, but it puts the army's label "terrorists" into that Palestinian account.
The impression it gives
A reader believes that even Palestinian sources describe the people commemorated in Rujeib, Azmut, Madama, Iraq Burin and Beit Furik as terrorists.
The context
The only source for the label in the article is the military's statement. The people commemorated are never named, so the label rests on the army's word alone.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“the demolition of memorials honoring terrorists”
IOF began demolishing Palestinian memorials near Nablus, which the army says honour people it calls terrorists. Palestinians report that 10 memorials have been destroyed in Rujeib, Azmut, Madama, Iraq Burin and Beit Furik.
Uses the occupation's words
Serious
“evacuating residents of Nablus or surrounding villages, as was done in Hebron”
Why this matters
Ynet calls what the army did to Hebron residents "evacuating", a word that suggests a protective removal.
The impression it gives
A reader believes Hebron residents were moved for their own safety in an orderly, temporary measure.
The context
Reuters and the Jerusalem Post report that the operation "has displaced thousands of residents", and Al Jazeera calls it "a mass displacement operation". Neither the scale nor the forced nature appears anywhere in the article.
Unlike in Hebron, where the army's operation has displaced thousands of residents from their neighbourhood, IOF have not so far forced residents of Nablus or nearby villages from their homes.
One side gets the space
Minor
“The military said the operation would include the arrest of wanted terror suspects”
Why this matters
Ynet builds the report on the army's statements and Israeli security officials. Palestinians appear only as the source of a count of demolished memorials.
The impression it gives
A reader hears only the army's account of a multi-day operation in Palestinian towns and villages.
The context
Same-day coverage quotes Palestinians affected by the operations, such as a displaced Hebron resident who struggled to get medical treatment because of the closures.