While Arab Media Watch mourns the loss of any civilian life in the Arab-Israeli conflict, we express deep concern at the media's portrayal of the August 31 suicide bombings in Beersheba as a shattering of "relative calm".

This ignores the fact that between these suicide bombings and the one that preceded them on March 14 this year, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Israel killed 436 Palestinians and injured 2,221. Israel also continued its house demolitions, settlement expansion, arrests, military attacks, barrier construction and land expropriation.

During that time, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry, 30 Israeli Jews were killed and 57 injured, almost all of them soldiers or settlers in the occupied territories.

AMW also urges the media not to link the latest suicide bombings with the construction of the barrier, as Israel has yet to provide any reasonable explanation for its route, which cuts deep into occupied Palestinian land rather than being built on Israel's internationally recognised borders - the basis for the International Court of Justice's ruling that it is illegal and should be dismantled.

Many media reports have pointed out that the barrier has not been completed around Hebron, the closest Palestinian town to Beersheba. However, no mention has been made of the large swathes of Hebron land that the barrier will effectively annex to Israel.

The PRCS chart of Palestinian fatalities and injuries between March 14 and August 31 is at:

http://www.palestinercs.org/Database/Date/mf.pl?moin=03&yin=2004&mout=08&yout=2004

The list of Israeli fatalities and injuries is at:

http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/terrorism-%20obstacle%20to%20peace/palestinian%20terror%20since%202000/Victims%20of%20Palestinian%20Violence%20and%20Terrorism%20sinc

In future, AMW urges the media to refer to the PRCS website for updates on Palestinian dead and injured, which allows one to enter date ranges:

http://www.palestinercs.org/Database/Date/

Providing such context does not excuse suicide bombings - it is a journalistic duty of balance and objectivity, of informing the public of daily, ongoing injustices faced by Palestinians under the longest military occupation in modern history, rather than falsely and simplistically portraying the conflict as Palestinian action, Israeli reaction.

The only journalist in the British national newspapers to attempt to provide such context as of September 1 is The Guardian's Middle East editor Brian Whitaker.

Extracts from the British media:

16 killed in bus blasts as Hamas reignites conflict
By Patrick Bishop, Daily Telegraph 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/01/wmid01.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/01/ixnewstop.html

A lull in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was shattered yesterday when two suicide bombers blew themselves up on buses in the southern Israeli town of Beersheva.

Deaths are proof for Israel that barrier must be finished quickly
By Patrick Bishop

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/01/wmid101.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/01/ixnewstop.html

A sort of peace has hung over Israel and Palestine for much of the summer.

Violence returns to Israel as Hamas suicide bombers kill at least 16 in double bus blasts
By Eric Silver, The Independent

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=557041

'15 killed' as blasts hit Israel buses
By Steve Gutkin, Associated Press 

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=556960

The barrier, about one-quarter complete, has not reached the area near Hebron.

Israel shaken by return of the suicide bombers
By Conal Urquhart, The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1294663,00.html

At least 16 people were killed and almost 100 injured after Israel's five-month period of relative peace was shattered yesterday with a double suicide bombing on two buses in the southern town of Beersheba.

Beersheba is about 10 miles south of Hebron, in a part of the West Bank where the Israeli army has yet to construct its security barrier.

Delayed attack likely to backfire
By Ewan MacAskill, diplomatic editor, The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1294652,00.html

The more recent construction of the Israeli barrier along its border with the West Bank has made it harder for Palestinians to mount attacks from there.

Barrier protecting Israeli, army claimed before last attack
By Brian Whitaker, Middle East editor, The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1294645,00.html

In the meantime, the killing of Palestinians continues unabated, with 2004 set to become the second worst since the uprising began.

I knew my bus was next
By Charles Rae, The Sun

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004402120,00.html

Palestinian terror group Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombings, which shattered a five-month lull in suicide attacks.

Israel put the period of calm down to a huge barrier it is controversially building in the West Bank.

12 killed in Israel bus blasts
Daily Mail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=316104&in_page_id=1811&ct=5

The lull in attacks inside Israel since March has been one of the longest since the start of the uprising.