Ethnicity, Violence and Binary oppositions: Frames of the Wadi Salib Events in the Israeli Press from a Postcolonial Perspective

Abstract

AbstractThis article analyzes the frames of the Wadi Salib events in the postcolonial perspective. The aim of this article is to show how to take historic events and analyze them according to a new perspective in media research. The events of Wadi Salib were a series of street demonstrations and riots that took place in 1959 in the Wadi Salib neighborhood of Haifa at Israel. The events were a social revolt against ethnic and socio‐economic discrimination. This article uses the grounded theory method and the framing method in order to examine the coverage techniques used by three major newspapers—Yedioth Aharonoth, Haaretz, and Maariv.The findings show three main frames. The first was the assignment of blame. The second was the frame of ethnicity. The third framing pointed to binary oppositions. The conclusion is that these frames pointed that the demonstrators are dangerous felons with criminal records who will use any means to subvert the foundations of society, while the police and the government are the defenders of the public against those insurgents.