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.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee's report does not predict violence in September

Danny Johnes, IMEMC and Agencies -- A report to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee indicates that intelligence officials do not expect Palestinian violence in September. It predicts peaceful protests, but recommends activating reserves as a precaution according to sources at Ynet.

The report, which was presented to the Knesset committee on Wednesday, claims that Palestinians view violence as counter-productive.

Also, it recommends the activation of reserve units because there is concern that one incident of violence could ignite a violent conflict.

The Palestinian Authority plans to seek recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN in September. The resolution is expected to pass in the General Assembly, but because of America’s stated intention to veto it, it is seen as a mostly symbolic.

There has been significant speculation over how the Palestinians will respond to the result of the bid. Israel has dedicated significant resources to preparing for a wide range of outcomes. In addition to intelligence reports and the activation of reserves, Israel has spent 75 million NIS on new and additional non-lethal weapons.
at 8/04/2011 08:32:00 AM