Studies show that US coverage is Israeli-centric. The main bureaus for CNN, Associated Press, Time, etc. are located in Israel and often staffed by Israelis. The son of the NY Times bureau chief is in the Israeli army;"pundit" Jeffrey Goldberg served in the IDF; Wolf Blitzer worked for AIPAC. Because the U.S. gives Israel over $8 million/day - more than to any other nation - we feel it is essential that we be fully informed on this region. Below are news reports to augment mainstream coverage.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Poll: Palestinians support peace, believe Hamas leader does too

Ma'an
n overwhelming majority of Palestinians believe Hamas leader in exile Khalid Mash’al has recognized Israel’s right to exist following his June speech where he expressed support for a two-state solution, a recent poll found.

...Trust was not high in any party, with only 38% expressing confidence in Fatah, 11% in Hamas and 5% in other factions. Similar numbers came out for trust in the leaders of each movement, with 37% saying they trusted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 12% for de facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. A majority of 51% do not have trust in either leader.

...Two thirds of Palestinians support a peace settlement with Israel, 77%, and 70% would agree to disarm all factions and leave security in the hands of the Palestinian Authority security services.

Pessimism reigned over prospects that US President Barack Obama would seriously pursue the halt of settlement construction, with 64% of respondents saying he was unlikely or would not push the goal. While most were for a peace deal, 92% supported President Abbas’ decision to halt peace talks until settlement construction is frozen.

Full Article
at 7/21/2009 04:53:00 PM