Independent headline
Independent headlineScreenshot

The BBC recently drew considerable ire for its coverage of deadly Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel, bizarrely opting to portray the attacks as victims in its headlines, though the corporation backtracked over the most egregious instance following an official complaint by the Israeli Government Press Office.

But it appears the BBC is far from alone in this regard. Apart from a similar stunt by Al Jazeera - who recently issued an apology for their biased coverage - British news editors appear grimly determined to portray Palestinians as victims in spite of the evidence.

One particularly galling headline appeared on Saturday in Britain's Independent. Reporting on a stabbing attack by 16-year-old Arab terrorist, who wounded two Jewish civilians before being shot and killed by police.

The headline? "Israeli security forces kill boy, 16, after stabbing in Jerusalem as violence continues".

The article begins: "A 16-year-old boy has become the seventh Palestinian shot dead by Israeli security forces in just 24 hours as a wave of violence continues." Only in the next paragraph is the following, rather crucial context thrown in: "He had launched a stabbing attack near Damascus Gate, in Jerusalem's Old City, and then tried to attack officers on Saturday morning, according to police."

Another article published just one day after covered Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, following the firing of rockets at Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists, was headlined in a similar fashion.

IAF jets targeted Hamas sites, but two civilians were reported killed by Hamas medical sources as a result of collateral damage.

Again, the Independent's headline left a lot to be desired - 'Israel kills pregnant mother and her baby in retaliatory attacks' - perversely suggesting the woman was deliberately targeted.

Media watchdog Honest Reporting has highlighted several other instances of media bias in reporting the recent wave of Arab violence across Israel.

Late last week, Reuter's Jerusalem bureau chief Luke Baker claimed Israeli undercover forces "instigated" Palestinian youths to riot, based on an AFP video which merely shows agents joining rioters before dispersing them. Baker seemingly plucked the accusation out of thin air after even AFP's correspondent at the site made no such claims herself.