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, September 26, 2011

Two children, 8 and 10, kidnapped by Israeli soldiers

IMEMC – Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Sunday evening, two children, ages 8 and 10, from Al Bustan neighborhood, in occupied East Jerusalem. Clashes took place following the abduction.
File - Soldiers Kidnapping A Child In Silwan
File - Israeli soldiers in Silwan
Local sources reported that the two kidnapped children were identified as Wajd Abu Hlayyil, 8, and Omran Mansour, 10.

Furthermore, soldiers broke into and searched several homes in the neighborhood, and used them as army posts and monitoring towers.

Abdul-Karim Abu Sneina, spokesperson of the Popular Committee to Defend Silwan, called on all national institutions and popular committees to hold a protest in front of the Israeli Central Court in Jerusalem, on Tuesday, to protest a decision by the Jerusalem Municipality to demolish homes in the neighborhood, in preparation to remove the whole Arab neighborhood and to build Jewish-only settlements.

Abu Sneina added that the current changes in the region, and the international political developments, are giving the Jerusalem Municipality the feeling that it has the opportunity to demolish part of the Al Bustan at the current stage, so it can remove the whole neighborhood in later stages.

 Ma'an reports: A report published in July 2011 by Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that since 2005 at least 835 Palestinian minors were arrested and tried in Israeli military courts on charges of stone throwing.

Military legislation grants Palestinian children very few rights and Israeli military legislation dealing with minors does not conform to international and Israeli law, the report added.

Palestinian children are considered adults from the age of 16 years under Israeli military regulations governing the occupied Palestinian territories.

In Israel, children are considered adults from the age of 18.