The historical context in the media narratives in search of a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict: A comparative study of BBC and Al Jazeera

The chapter engages in a critical discourse analysis of the language used in the media reporting of the most recent prime ministerial elections in Israel, in 2019. It draws on the tradition of Cultural-Historical and Activity theory to highlight the impact of the wider historical context of the Israel-Palestine conflict in the media reporting of events in the region. It is a comparative study of the BBC’s and Al Jazeera’s reporting of the elections, examining a period from August 2019 (a pre-election period) through to October 2019 (an immediate post-election period). The data collected consists of six and nine on-line reports by the BBC and Al Jazeera, respectively. An overriding aim is an examination of the impact and the role of the history of the region in reporting on significant events. The work aims to contribute to other studies on the Israel-Palestine conflict which have argued that media is a contested space, and the news is not a neutral product.