Western Media definitions and rules book:

The following were provided by Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh and Maad
Abu-Ghazalah.
It is a handy dictionary/rules book for anyone writing on the Middle
East issues in the mainstream western media.

Crossfire: (n.) When Israeli gunmen target innocent Palestinian
civilians.

Caught in the Crossfire: 45 minutes worth of bullets fired by a sniper
at a cowering, defenseless child.

 Retaliation: (n.) When Israeli army or settlers kill Palestinians.
Escalation (synonym/can be used interchangeably with Provocation): Any
act of violence or resistance by the Palestinians.

 Terrorism: (n.) Any act of resistance by the Palestinians.
Self-defense: Any act of violence by Israelis.

 Siege: (n.) You are under siege when you blockade a civilian population

and bombard them with anti-tank missiles.

 Under siege: Again terms for use by the Israelis as in Palestinians
have put Israelis under siege. Exact meaning
depends on the circumstances.  Never use for Palestinian towns or
villages.  In order to be truly under siege, your
own population must be virtually isolated from any violence, and must
continue to work and play as normal while the
population that is besieging you must be cut off from all phones,
electricity, gas and other amenities, and have their
population picked off one by one by snipers (the snipers thereby being
"under siege").

 Reservist: (n.) A person who is paid to infiltrate civilian populations

and execute individuals in cold blood...as long as he is not dressed
in fatigues.

Gunman: (n.) a 10 year old boy walking to school.

Settler: (n.) a person who steals land, kills it's occupants and burns
their olive trees...all in the name of God.

Clash: (v.) encounters in which sniper shoot at children who retaliate
by attacking the bullets with their bodies.

 Murdered: When Israeli Civilians are killed.

Attacker: (n.) Any Palestinian engaging in any form of resistance
(violent or not). Also, see terrorist.

 Brutal / cowardly / ghastly: adjectives describing attacks on Israelis
(see below for nouns to attach it to)

 Attack/bombing/murder: Acts the Palestinians commit when directed at
Israelis.

Victims: (n.) Any Jewish Israeli.

 Targets: Palestinian buildings, homes, offices, ambulances or any
vehicle operated by a Palestinian (Always carries a
Blue license Plate) - What the Israeli military designates as military
targets.

 Measures (e.g. Economic measures, security measures): Any acts the
Israelis commit (blockades, collective punishment, shelling
neighborhoods, starving a population etc.)

 Security: Anything the Israeli government chooses to do. This can
include land confiscation, extra-judicial killings,
home demolitions, destruction of groves, uprooting trees, blockades etc.

 (The term security is reserved for use only
with the word Israel or Israeli and must never be applied to
Palestinians.)

 Civilians: Armed Israeli settlers are civilians when killed. Try to
avoid using this term for Palestinians.

 Neighborhoods: Areas inhabited by Israeli settlers especially if
targeted by shooting (light guns)

Positions: Any Palestinian towns and villages especially when bombed by
helicopter gunships.

 Middle East Expert: (n.) Israeli who can speak English without an
accent.

Israeli Right: (n.) Israelis who want all Arabs to fly away.

Israeli Left: (n.) Israelis who want Arabs to stay and do the dishes.

Headline: (n.) Anything uttered by an Israeli official, (e.g. Three Lost

Israeli Reservists Lynched by Palestinian
Mob)

Opposition Leader: (n.) War criminal.

Arab Governments: (n.) Chicken feed.

 U.S. Media: (n.) Material considered too hawkish for Israeli media.

 Footnote: (n.) Anything stated by eyewitnesses, usually appearing in
the last paragraph of a long article, e.g.
"...Palestinians claim that the reservists were actually part of a death

squad and claim that it would be impossible for
a person to end up in the middle of Ramallah by accident since that
would require crossing an Israeli checkpoint, a
Palestinian checkpoint, and traversing about 20 cross streets."

Honest Broker: (n.) A country that provides $4.5 Billion in aide to one
side, and admits having a "special relationship" with that side.

Rules ..
When to use Passive voice:
 If the violent action is committed by Israelis (e.g. 2 Palestinians
were killed, one of them a 9 year old).

 When to use active voice:
If the action is committed by Palestinians, (e.g. Palestinians killed
a Jewish child -give name-, Palestinians kills teenager -give name-).

 Names must be included for any Jewish victims. Try to avoid names for
Muslim or Christian victims but use numbers instead (remember in the
passive voice, e.g. 2 Palestinians died in clashes).

 When an Israeli is killed, it is important to note his or her
profession, where he/she is from and was going, whether
or not he/she is religious, and whether or not he/she is an immigrant
from the U.S. or Russia. If the dead person is
survived by a spouse and children, this should be noted. If the victim
is a youngster, the school they attended should
be mentioned, and their friends' feelings should be noted. In general,
people who knew the dead person should
testify to their humanity.

 When a Palestinian is killed, they should not be personalized in any
way.

 When an Israeli is killed, it is useful to include graphic descriptions

of the death scene - the covered body, the
fragments of flesh, the path of flowing blood, etc.

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Source: 'Palestinian Diary' "Palestinian_Diary"
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