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, January 11, 2011

Israel defiant in face of US criticism

CommonDreams- Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying Jews have a right to live anywhere in Jerusalem, defended today a settlement project that drew criticism from US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

[The United States and the Palestinians have slammed Israel's bulldozing of an east Jerusalem hotel to make way for settler homes, saying it undermines Middle East peace efforts. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli) ]The United States and the Palestinians have slammed Israel's bulldozing of an east Jerusalem hotel to make way for settler homes, saying it undermines Middle East peace efforts. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
Israeli bulldozers cleared the way for 20 new homes for Jews in East Jerusalem, an area captured by Israel in a 1967 war and which Palestinian want as the capital of a future state, by demolishing a derelict hotel yesterday.

Ms Clinton, in Abu Dhabi on a tour of US Gulf Arab allies, called the Israeli action a "disturbing development" and said it "undermines peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution".

A statement issued by Mr Netanyahu's office made no direct reference to Clinton's criticism, but said "there should be no expectation that the State of Israel will impose a ban on Jews purchasing private property in Jerusalem".

The Shepherd Hotel, torn down as part of a project first announced in 2009, was declared "absentee property" by Israel after it captured and annexed East Jerusalem. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim that is not recognised internationally.

The title of the hotel was transferred to an Israeli firm, which sold it in 1985 to Irving Moskowitz, a US-based patron of Jewish settlers. Read more