Palestinians are all too often subjected by the media to the soft bigotry of low expectations. Instead of giving Palestinians agency or holding them responsible for their own actions, some media can only frame their stories through the prism of “occupation.”
That’s how, for example, Israel has previously been blamed for Palestinian men beating their wives. Rather than holding the perpetrator responsible for committing an immoral and criminal act, excuses and justifications are used to deflect blame onto Israel.
And so it is with the BBC’s disturbing story “Palestinian mayor backtracks after dead dog reward outrage“:
A Palestinian mayor whose offer of a bounty for killing stray dogs caused outrage among animal-lovers has backtracked, saying he was joking.
Hebron Mayor Tayseer Abu Sneineh had said those who killed strays in his city could get 20 shekels ($5.8; 5.7 euros) per dog.
Stills and videos were then widely shared on social media which apparently showed dogs being killed or abused.
Another mayor then encouraged people to also shoot dogs in his city.
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That the Palestinian mayor backtracked was a result of the negative publicity once the story spread beyond Israeli and Palestinian circles. Despite the Palestinians “owning” the story, the BBC couldn’t help insert Israel into the narrative:
Sometimes, strays – a mixture of what Palestinians call baladi (local) dogs and cross-breeds – gather in large packs and scavenge for food. Some can become aggressive and there are frequent complaints to Palestinian councils who often poison and shoot the dogs.
With most of the occupied West Bank under full Israeli military and administrative control, there is no joined-up strategy for dealing with the problem.
Yet again the “occupation” is wheeled out as a means to excuse Palestinians from taking control of their own internal problems.
It’s time the BBC recognizes that not all stories about Palestinians have to be “balanced” with a dig at Israel.
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