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.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Israel refuses to allow Muslims to pray at their mosque; Mayor says: 'Muslim prayer is incitement'

IMEMC – The Beersheba Municipality has rejected a petition by the Bedouin Muslims of the Negev to pray in the old mosque of Beersheba.

The Baseiso mosque was built in 1906 by the Ottoman Empire and served as a mosque until 1950. At that time, the Israelis decided to convert the mosque into a Museum for Islamic and Israeli culture.

The High Court of Justice rejected a petition by the Negev’s Muslim Committee and the Bedouin Rights Protection Foundation to convert the museum into a mosque for local Muslims to use it for prayer.

The Municipality stated that, "an active mosque in the heart of a Jewish city is unthinkable." They also claimed that converting the museum back into a mosque for public prayer would threaten the city’s security.

Beersheba Mayor Rubik Danilovich stated that, "the city views Muslim prayer as an element of incitement.”

There remains no active center for the five thousand Muslims remaining in Beersheba, which compels them to pray on the street, in other public places, or not at all.

Since 1948, the population of Beersheba is mostly Jewish with no significant Arab population. [Related video]