Reframing Narratives: Intertextuality and Discursive Practices in Al-Jazeera English and the New York Times’ Coverage of the Zionist –Palestinian Conflict

This study examines how Al Jazeera English (AJE) and The New York Times (NYT) employ intertextual references and implicit language strategies to cover the Zionist-Palestinian conflict from October 2023 to October 2024. Through a mixed-methods approach combining Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with corpus-based techniques, the research analyzed 200 articles (100 from each outlet) to investigate how these media organizations use intertextuality and implicitness to shape narratives and reinforce ideological stances. The findings reveal distinct patterns: AJE consistently employs intertextual references and implicit language to emphasize Palestinian suffering and resistance against historical injustices, while the NYT, despite appearing neutral, subtly favors a Zionist perspective through careful linguistic choices and strategic omissions. The study demonstrates how AJE challenges dominant Western narratives by centering Palestinian voices, while the NYT's coverage inadvertently reinforces existing power structures by minimizing Palestinian suffering and justifying Zionist actions through implicit bias. The research contributes to understanding how media discourse shapes public perception of complex geopolitical conflicts through subtle linguistic and discursive strategies. The findings highlight the importance of critical media literacy in navigating different representations of the Zionist-Palestinian conflict in global news coverage.