Media monitoring organization Just Journalism has released a report documenting how The Guardian’s external commentaries reflect the paper’s editorial line that goes beyond simply endorsing the end of Israeli occupation and the creation of a Palestinian state.
The report shows how The Guardian instinctively promotes the views of those who oppose the very concept of two states for two peoples. According to the Executive Summary:
- The Guardian published more op-eds by Palestinians than by Israelis during the first half of 2011, with eleven comment pieces by nine Palestinian contributors in comparison with six by four Israelis
- Three of the Palestinians who contributed op-eds during this period were either members of Hamas or strongly affiliated with it, and have endorsed terrorist attacks
- Four further Palestinians were secular nationalists who also reject Israel’s legitimacy and endorse policies that would turn it into an Arab majority state
- All of the Israelis given op-eds are associated with the left-wing of Israeli politics that supports the concessions needed to create a Palestinian state in order to facilitate two states for two peoples
- The majority of comment pieces by Israeli contributors dealt with the repercussions of the Arab Spring, rather than directly with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict itself.
For the full report as a PDF file, Click Here.