Want a laugh? Compare how BBC reports Israel/Gaza with UK/Afghanistan

Try comparing the language and perspectives of the way the BBC and the mainstream UK press is reporting the Israeli campaign in Gaza with their reports on the British Army campaign in Afghanistan.

No, you won't find references to "the Church of England state" like the many and repeated references to "the Jewish state". You won't find lengthy interviews with Taleban supporters claiming there's a British massacre of Afghanis and explaining how they're going to send the British Army to early graves. And you won't find endless questioning of the real motives of the UK, or attribution of cynical bad faith to the reasons for particular military actions happening at particular times.

In fact, when it comes to the BBC reporting on British army attacks in Afghanistan, you'll find them obligingly offering up whatever the Defence Department has told them. You'll find extended descriptions of British soldiers' self-evaluations in suitably heroic language:

Operation Sond Chara - Pashto for Red Dagger - was named after 3 Commando Brigade's shoulder badge.

It aimed to provide better security in the provincial capital Lashkar Gah following Taleban attacks in October and to pave the way for a forthcoming voter registration programme.
Troops have been revealing details of the gruelling offensive, which involved some marines trudging more than 60km through mud while fighting insurgents at close quarters.
Capt Dave Glendenning, commander of the marines' artillery support team, said: "Almost every day we were involved in intense fire-fights ranging from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms 'shoot-and-scoots' to four-hour battles with the enemy forces as close as 30 metres."

It's true that the BBC does allow for some dissent and questioning of the British role in Afghanistan. But that's always on a side panel set against an upbeat and supportive main panel report of whatever the Ministry of Defence and the Army spokesmen offer, alongside cosy personal-story detail that adds to the humanization of the British soldiers' image.