Hebrew University researchers studying thousands of news articles found that Israel’s image in the MSM deteriorated after the Gaza disengagement:
Although Israel’s leadership expressed an expectation that Israel’s unilateral disengagement would improve Israel’s image as an occupier and an oppressor, and would decrease demands by the international community for major territorial concessions to the Palestinians, it appears that the opposite is in fact the case.
The research, conducted by Dr. Tamir Sheafer and Itai Gabai from the Departments of Politics and Communications & Journalism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found that in Britain and the United States, Israel was represented in a more negative light after the disengagement in comparison to the period that preceded it. . . .
However, the findings show that Israel’s image in the American and British media improved only during the period of the disengagement itself, and decreased immediately after it to an even lower level than it was prior to the disengagement.
”We found that one of the main reasons for this phenomenon is that Israel continues to be viewed by the world as a conquering state,” explains Sheafer. ”We also found that the demands from Israel to territorial concessions in the Territories not only were not lessened following the disengagement, but actually became stronger.”
Related reading: Disengagement Coverage Splintered by Factional Views Online. See also Disengaged.
