From ‘Operation Cast lead” to “Operation Swords of Iron”: A case study of naming and framing in “The Question of Palestine. | ||||
| CDELT Occasional Papers in the Development of English Education | ||||
| Article 4, Volume 87, Issue 1, July 2024, Page 103-133 PDF (877.14 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/opde.2024.384366 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Author | ||||
| Nihal Nagi Sarhan | ||||
| Associate Professor of Linguistics Department: Department of English, Faculty of Al-Alsun University: Ain Shams University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study explores the ideological embedding of the UN position on the enduring Palestinian-Israeli conflict, referred to on the UN website as “The Question of Palestine”. It specifically examines press releases issued by two consecutive Secretary Generals in response to four major Israeli attacks on Gaza strip; namely: Operation Cast Lead (2008), Operation Pillar of Defense (2012), Operation Protective Edge (2014), and Operation Swords of Iron (2023). Those press releases are sampled because they are carefully phrased to frame perspective and stance. Employing a qualitative, descriptive approach, the study scrutinizes how those press releases articulate the UN value systems, via lexical, syntactic, and discourse choices. The analysis is anchored in Wodak's (2015) Discourse Historical Approach (DHA), specifically how naming, predication and framing unveil the ideological assumptions of the international organization. The findings highlight the frequent use of generic nouns, and nominalization to obscure agency as prevalent nomination strategies. Predication strategies indicate an asymmetrical stance towards the conflicting parties, with more emotionally charged modifiers applied to one side over the other. Additionally, the texts of the press releases frame the international organization as one that prioritizes upholding order and international laws over efforts to stop violence, restrain the aggressor, or denounce the attacker. This study sheds light on the underlying ideologies within the international organization, offering insights into subsequent UN resolutions and actions. Furthermore, it contributes to the literature on this highly polarized issue, providing a deeper understanding of the dynamics at play in the international discourse surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Question of Palestine; UN ideologies; press releases; discourse historical approach | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 166 PDF Download: 248 |
||||
