Arutz Sheva / Israel National News, on West Bank, 26 October 2026

Arutz Sheva calls three detained men "terrorists" in its own voice in the opening sentence, then describes the same men only as suspects held "on suspicion of" weapons offences, so the label rests on a police and army account alone. Throughout, the outlet writes the occupied West Bank as "Judea and Samaria" and never tells the reader that the police and soldiers it describes are operating in occupied territory, which the ICJ has ruled unlawful.

8.7

Severe

out of 10

What we found

  1. Labels people on one side's word

    Severe

    “Three terrorists were arrested”

    What the words do
    The outlet brands three detained men "terrorists" in its own voice in the first words of the report.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That three people confirmed to be terrorists have been caught.
    What is actually the case
    The rest of the article describes the same men only as suspects, detained "on suspicion of carrying or possessing weapons", with no charge, no attack and no finding of any court. The word "terrorists" rests on a police and army account alone.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“on suspicion of carrying or possessing weapons”
    • Elsewhere in the article“A suspect believed to have been in possession”

    Show it in the article

    “Three terror suspects arrested”

    What the words do
    The headline fixes the men to terrorism before a single fact is given.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the arrests were terrorism arrests.
    What is actually the case
    The only grounds the article gives are suspected possession of two hunting rifles, ammunition and army uniforms, plus unspecified "intelligence" about one man. Nothing in the article names an offence of terrorism.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“unlawfully possessing military equipment”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Israeli police and soldiers arrested three Palestinians in raids in Bethlehem and Hebron in the occupied West Bank, seizing two hunting rifles, ammunition and army uniforms. Police say the men are held on suspicion of weapons and military equipment offences.

  2. Uses the occupation's words

    Serious

    “police operations at several locations in Judea and Samaria”

    What the words do
    Repeats the term in the body and presents Israeli policing of Bethlehem as ordinary domestic law enforcement.
    What a reader comes away believing
    That Israeli police hold normal jurisdiction over Bethlehem and Hebron.
    What is actually the case
    Bethlehem and Hebron are in the occupied West Bank, where Israel's presence is an occupation the ICJ has found unlawful; the article never says so, and S3 shows the raid was carried out with occupation forces alongside police.

    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)
    • Elsewhere in the article“together with IDF soldiers from the Etzion Brigade”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Israeli police and occupation forces raided homes in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, where the ICJ has ruled Israel's occupation unlawful.

  3. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “the Hamas terrorist organization”

    What the words do
    Attaches the outlet's own verdict to Hamas inside a sentence that is otherwise attributed to unnamed "intelligence".
    What a reader comes away believing
    That the detainee's alleged link is to a body the article has established as terrorist, rather than a designation held by some states.
    What is actually the case
    The article gives no source for the designation and no source for the claimed tie beyond "intelligence indicated"; the man is held on suspicion only.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“taken for questioning at the Maaleh Adumim police station”

    Show it in the article

  4. Leaves out what changes the picture

    Minor

    What is missing

    The article presents the Hebron seizure as the work of "detectives from the Hebron police station" acting alone. It does not say that Israeli forces have been running a mass sweep of Hebron in which, as this outlet reported the day before, more than 500 locations were searched and about 50 people arrested, and that the recovered weaponry was already drawing criticism as meagre. Without this a reader believes one hunting rifle was the product of targeted detective work rather than one find inside a city-wide operation.

    How we know

    Show where it belongs

Every underline is part of a finding. Press one to see why.

in Judea and Samaria weapons raids

during , during which two hunting rifles, ammunition, and military equipment were seized. Two of the suspects were arrested in Bethlehem after intelligence indicated that one had ties to , while the other was suspected of possessing weapons. The operation in Bethlehem was carried out by the Gilad District Crime Fighting Unit of the Judea and Samaria Police District, together with IDF soldiers from the Etzion Brigade. The forces searched several locations throughout the city, including the homes of the two suspects. During the raids, officers discovered and seized a hunting rifle loaded with ammunition, IDF uniforms, and additional technological equipment. The two suspects, both residents of Bethlehem, were arrested and taken for questioning at the Maaleh Adumim police station on suspicion of carrying or possessing weapons and unlawfully possessing military equipment. Meanwhile, during a separate operation conducted by detectives from the Hebron police station, officers seized another hunting rifle and a large quantity of ammunition. A suspect believed to have been in possession of the weapon and ammunition was arrested and taken for questioning.

Read the original article on israelnationalnews.com (opens in a new tab)

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