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, April 13, 2010

Palestinain journalist strip-searched at Allenby crossing

Ma'an – A woman, journalist and former prisoner in Israel, was strip-searched by an Israeli soldier Monday as she returned from Jordan via the Allenby Bridge crossing, she told the Detainees' Society.

Isra Al-Amarneh was detained for two hours upon returning from a ten-day trip to Saudi Arabia where she performed the Umrah pilgrimage.

The former detainee told the society that she was taken to a room filled with cameras and that she was initially being checked by a male soldier, before requesting a female soldier carry out the inspection. In the room, she said, "a female soldier took me and searched me naked."

In addition to an intensive check of her belongings, Al-Amarneh said she was verbally assaulted by the soldiers performing searches.

Following her arrest, Al-Amarneh was released from Israeli custody in December 2008 and is currently a student at the Palestine Polytechnic University, where she studies graphic design. Ma'an
at 4/13/2010 11:20:00 AM