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, July 1, 2011

Landscape Eco-museum project aims to protect land from Israeli confiscation

AIC- Battir, a village of some 4000 inhabitants in the Bethlehem area, borders Beit Jala, the villages of Husan and Al Walaje and the Green Line in the north. Battir residents received numerous Israeli military orders aimed at seizing Battir's lands for various Israeli purposes. Some 900 dunams of land have been confiscated in the area of the "western countryside villages" for the building of the Separation Wall. Battir is also constantly exposed to the establishment of mobile checkpoints and a new settlement is planned on the hill between Battir and Al Walaje.

The project Battir Landscape Eco-museum: Management and Conservation of Natural and Cultural Resources of Bethlehem Governorate aims to protect the territory from Israeli land confiscation. The establishment of a Landscape Eco-museum is the output of several years of participatory research and planning.

In 2011 the project was awarded “the UNESCO Melina Mercouri International Prize” for protection and management of the cultural landscape in the West Bank.

The team of the Eco-museum Project will discuss with us the challenges of the struggle in Battir, screening photo material and explaining the socio-geographic reality of the area.
at 7/01/2011 12:07:00 PM