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.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Barak under heavy guard following settler threats

Ma'an
Israel has put Defense Minister Ehud Barak under heavy security out of concern that right-wing Jewish settlers could attempt to harm him...

...over his role in enforcing the a partial moratorium on construction in West Bank settlements... The minister recieved a threatening letter similar to those to Israeli Police Commissioner David Cohen last week.

The Israeli government declared the 10-month freeze, which does not apply to the greater Jerusalem area or construction that began earlier, in a gesture to the US, which wants renewed peace talks.

....The director of Israel’s Shin Bet security service was quoted in the Channel 2 news report saying that settler extremists would try to sow chaos in order to disrupt enforcement of the freeze.

Earlier on Tuesday, a settler shot and injured a Palestinian shepherd near the settlement of Bat Ayin, north of Hebron. Witnesses and the Israeli military confirmed the incident.

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Shin Bet was also investigating the source of a number of threats made against Police Commissioner David Cohen in recent days. Police believe that the threatening letters were sent to Cohen by angry settler activists.

"You have been marked for death," said a letter sent to Cohen, according to the newspaper. "Your day of judgment is near." Full story