Media Bias- Pastiche

Rationale: 

The following pastiche will examine an article from Fox News regarding the Palestine-Israel conflict. This specific article shows clear favoring of the Israeli side and antagonizes the Palestinian side significantly. The pastiche will rewrite the article and change the bias to favor the Palestinian side. There will be vague information about the Israeli side and will only highlight and present the Palestinian side in a good light. The pictures in the two articles are also completely different seeing as the one on Fox News shows the Palestinian side as an evil side and the one on the pastiche shows the Israeli side as the bad side.

Original Article: 

From Fox News about Israel and Palestine- clearly favoring the Israeli side. 

Israel's parliament has passed a law toughening penalties against Palestinians for throwing rocks at soldiers, after a nearly two-month wave of violence that has seen almost daily Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.

The law places a minimum sentence of three years on offenders and strips rock-throwers of their social security benefits, a punishment that applies to Palestinians in east Jerusalem. The parents of minors convicted of rock-throwing could also have their social security benefits annulled during the period of the offender's sentence.

Israel's parliament, the Knesset, announced passage of the law on its website Tuesday. The legislation was first introduced months ago, before the current unrest began.

On Wednesday, Israel police say a Palestinian was shot and killed after he rammed his vehicle into an officer in the West Bank. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri says the officer was seriously wounded in the attack.

The violence began with clashes at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site and quickly spread across Israel and into the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Eleven Israelis have died, mostly in stabbing attacks, while 70 Palestinians have been killed, including 44 people labeled by Israel as attackers.

"A minimum punishment is necessary to create a deterrent and uproot the assumption that `it's just a stone,"' said lawmaker Nissan Slomiansky, who sponsored the legislation. He said that "throwing a rock is an attempt to murder and there should at least be a minimum punishment."

Arab lawmaker Jamal Zahalka condemned the law, saying that "fires cannot be put out with gas, and this law is throwing gas on a fire."

The first fatality in the current round of violence was a 64-year-old Israeli who died after his car was pelted with rocks in Jerusalem as he drove home during the Jewish New Year.

Israeli leaders have accused Palestinian political and religious leaders of inciting the violence. The Palestinians say it is the result of frustration after nearly 50 years of Israeli occupation.

Modified Article: 

As the Palestinian side continues to defend itself against incoming attacks from soldiers, Israel’s parliament passed yet more penalties against Palestinians, after nearly two months of Palestinian defense against Israeli attacks.

The law takes away rights of the citizens by stripping the fighters of their social security benefits. Young and helpless children could also be punished because the parents will be penalized.

The Knesset, a parliament, announced the law on Tuesday. Even though the legislation was introduced months ago, Palestinians have only recently been facing heavy and unnecessary attacks that require self-defense.

A Palestinian was brutally shot and murdered on Wednesday. The Israeli police involved dealt with minor injuries.

The violence escalated at Palestines holy site, Jerusalem and quickly spread to further occupied territories. 70 Palestinians were murdered, 44 of them killed because they were defending themselves. Some Israelis also died.

 “We will defend ourselves against these unrightful laws designed to strip our people of their rights” said spokesman Mohammad Khalid. He also said that “rock throwing is one of the few ways the Palestinians can defend themselves”

Israeli lawmaker condemned the law and said that, “fire needs to be put out with water, and this law only throws water on fire”.

In this escalating violence, an old Israeli man died after his car interacted with several Palestinian fighters. On the other hand, 12 Palestinians died the same day from incoming fire from the Israeli offense.

Palestinian leaders have accused Israeli extremists and Zionists of inciting the violence and that this is self-defense against more than 60 years of violence. The Israelis say that the rocks are frustrating them.