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.

Monday, January 17, 2011

US officials boycott Mayor of Bethlehem, a Christian, US citizen, and retired physician

PNN - Dr. Victor Batarseh, mayor of Bethlehem, accused of close ties to the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Islamic Hamas movement, has been boycotted by visiting American and European officials.

A retired physician, Batarseh was elected as the mayor of Bethlehem in 2005 as a candidate of the Bethlehem Brotherhood and Development bloc. By law, the holder of this post must be a Christian. He is a Palestinian Roman Catholic and holds a US passport.

……Batarseh claimed his office it outside of politics altogether, however.

“The municipality is a service provider it has nothing to do with politics," Batarseh told PNN. "There is no reason to boycott me or the city of Bethlehem, and this is Israeli lead boycott simply because I am not Fatah.”  Read more
at 1/17/2011 07:55:00 AM