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, June 13, 2011

UNRWA says Israeli blockade on Gaza worsened unemployment

Wafa– The United Nations Relief And Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, said in a report published Monday that overall unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip in the second half of 2010 reached 45.2%, the highest unemployment rate in the world.

The report, issued to mark the fifth year of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, said that real wages of employees continued to drop due to the continuous increase of unemployment. Wages dropped by 34.5% since the first half of 2006.

UNRWA spokesman Sami Mushasha said these indicators are disturbing. Refugees who constitute about two-thirds of Gaza’s1.5 million people are the most affected in the period covered by this report, he said.

He added that it was difficult to understand the logic behind the Israeli policy that deliberately works for the impoverishment of hundreds of thousands of refugees who are capable to be productive, sentencing them to a life of destitution. Read more
at 6/13/2011 12:53:00 PM