Spinning the occupation: Israel and the media

Media, Israel, Palestine, Jerusalem, Battle for Jerusalem
Israel is facing a global image problem - and once again, the state is blaming the media.

Over the past month, the Knesset has summoned foreign journalists to defend themselves against accusations of bias, particularly around their coverage of the protracted violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

For the domestic media, there has also been a tightening of controls since Ariel Ben Avraham was appointed the new chief military censor. Avraham recently issued a directive ordering news organisations, digital outlets, bloggers and even certain Facebook users to run stories about national security past military censors before publishing or posting.

All of this is happening while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubles up as the communications minister, showing how the Likud Party sees the control of the media narrative as critical to the wellbeing of its government.