The Suppression of Guilt : The Israeli Media and the Reoccupation of the West Bank

Is Israeli society losing touch with the rest of the world -- and with the reality of the on-going conflict with the Palestinians in the course of the Intifada? Israeli scholar Daniel Dor measures the breach between Israel's collective consciousness and international public opinion, and concludes that Israeli society has dangerously withdrawn into a sense of isolation and victimization -- in very large part because of the role played by the Israeli media during the reoccupation. Dor examines the ways in which the major Israeli media not only reported on events (or failed to do so) but played a key part in shaping opinion, setting the agenda and waging the propaganda war that accompanied the military offensives on the ground. Originally published in Hebrew, this English-language version is revised, updated and recontextualised for non-Hebrew readers who might be less familiar with the minutiae of the Israeli media. Dor's study offers a damning indictment of the varied ways in which journalists and broadcasters abandoned any attempt at impartiality or so-called objectivity in their reportage, preferring instead to comply with an ideological imperative which in effect rules out any prospect of peace, justice or mutual understanding. 'Daniel Dor analyses how Israeli press and television cover the conflict with the Palestinians. He argues that investigative reporting and dissent are routinely marginalised. Although the media are certainly not uniform, he finds that the stories they tell reflect their emotional identification with their readers and viewers.' Philip Schlesinger, Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of Stirling 'Dor's book gives ample evidence of how the Israeli free press easily turned into an instrument of propaganda. ... Personally, the book helped me get over the frustration of seeing the reality I described totally marginalised in print.' Amira Hass, journalist for the Israeli daily Ha'aretz 'Daniel Dor is a brave and non-conventional Israeli reader of his country's media in wartime. He is neither misled by state propaganda nor affected psychologically by Palestinian terrorism. He critically reviews Israeli media reports, exploring the way that they often adopt a siege mentality that combines victimhood with a collective demonisation of the Palestinians.' Dr. Menachem Klein, author of The Jerusalem The Struggle for Permanent Status In the three years that have passed since Operation Defensive Shield - three years marked by denial, deceit, rage and resentment - one fact remains never, until the operation, had there been such a wide breach between the Israeli collective consciousness and international public opinion. Israeli scholar Daniel Dor measures this gap and concludes that Israeli society has withdrawn into an unprecedented sense of isolation and victimization - largely because of the role played by the Israeli media. Different media outlets provided their readers and viewers with significantly different perspectives on the operation, but they all shared a certain emotional attitude, not vis--vis the operation itself, but in relations to the global discourse of blame against Is In the three years since Operation Defensive Shield - three years marked by denial, deceit, rage and resentment - one fact remains uncontroversial: never, until the operation, had there been such a wide breach between the Israeli collective consciousness and international public opinion. Israeli scholar Daniel Dor measures this gap and concludes that Israeli society has withdrawn into an unprecedented sense of isolation and victimization - largely because of the role played by the Israeli media. Different media outlets provided their readers and viewers with significantly different perspectives on the operation, but they all shared a certain emotional attitude, not vis-à-vis the operation itself, but in relations to the global discourse of blame against Israel: they all projected an urgent, desperate, almost obsessive urge to suppress, to dismiss, to fend off guilt. Basing his arguments on detailed analyses of media reports, Dor explores how the Israeli media work within the context of the global media and world opinion, rather than within the classic context of the nation-state - and what it means for the future of the country. Between The Hague And Jerusalem: An Introduction -- Objective Reality And Intertextual Analysis: The Definition Of Bias -- Commitment, Despair And Confusion: The Newspapers -- Live From The Jenin Area: The Television News Broadcasts -- The Problem With Sharon's Plans: The Suppression Of Intention -- Manufacturing Identity: Remarks Towards A Conclusion. Daniel Dor. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 107-113) And Index. Is Israeli society losing touch with the rest of the world and with the reality of the conflict with the Palestinians? The author measures the breach between Israel's consciousness and public opinion, and concludes that Israeli society has withdrawn into a sense of isolation and victimization because of the role played by the Israeli media Building on the success of 'Bad News from Israel', this is a groundbreaking new study of the Israeli media and its role in shaping public opinion on the conflict. Written by a well-regarded author, this controversial and timely book will be of interest to students of Media Studies and the Middle East