This is consistent with the way Israelis have always managed to win in the media arena and, somehow, Palestinians are still not able to convey their issues and actual events effectively beyond the local media and news audience.

israeli policies of "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" is leading us only to further bloodletting. End the occupation now!!!!!

It is time that people have to start pressing the bias behavior of media groups especially US based one::and it is time for us to start asking the simple question Why?::

As long as there is no justice the media will continue to be bias and seperate between Isreali humans and Palestinian inhumans. The price of an Israeli is much higher than that of a Palestinian. Who pays more gets the attention and the value. As Palestinians we have no value. We are becoming numbers and sometimes we are not even worth numbers. I am so angry at the injustices of the world.::

The media was never even-handed in covering the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, not to mention addressing the occupation of Palestinian lands.::::The media goes after what is porfitable, and that is war. It is becoming the world's biggest venue for promoting war.::::Humans? The media has nothing to do with humans.::

There were also a few people killed in traffic accidents and those are never covered in the international media. If you say, every one is a human being, then why not people killed in traffic accidents. ::Apart from this, one should distinguish between fighters with a weapon who get killed while defending themselves and obvciously trying to kill the enemy, compared to citizens, not armed and not even near a fighting zone, sitting in a bus and being murdered by intention to murder unarmed civilians. Most of the Palestinians killed in Gaza do not fit into this category and therefore the media relate to them differently

you know mr. urlich it is people like yourself who increase the cycle of violence by establishing double standard approaches when dealing with human lives. Your inability to look at both sides as victims is pathetic.

There is no excuse for this imbalance in reporting, especially in media covered by public service agreements which apply to most broadcast news organisations (prime example - the BBC). ::::There is also the concern that the distortion of 'the story' helps to legitimise distortions and imbalances in actions by governments who, these days, all formulate and calibrate their policies at least partly according to a media strategy.::::The decision by the UK government at this time, to lodge an objection at the international court to the action against the Apartheid Wall, may be a case in point. ::::With the media focus on Israeli victims, and much less on Palestinians, the calculation may have been that this outrageous intervention can be carried off successfully without risk of criticism. ::::Throughout our years developing and discussing the concept of Peace Journalism, we have always called for a parity of esteem for suffering. This is why. ::::Many thanks to Carol Sansour and the Bethlehem Media Centre for helping us make our video documentary (forthcoming), News from the Holy Land - Options and Consequences, where we will try to take on some of these issues. ::::In peace and solidarity ::::Jake Lynch::Annabel McGoldrick::www.reportingtheworld.org.uk

I have just returned from visiting the town and am looking for eye-witness reporting of the arrests made in the last 24 hours. In England we have little information. ::Community TV Trust is running a web-based project in London and has just made a partnership agreement with the ICB via Carol Sansour. I hope that we will find local people using the internet cafes around town to post information about what is happening. It is vital that local people of all ages take part in telling the rest of us how their story is unfolding.::In better circumstances, the arts and creative methods of using IT and video express much - but in the moments when events move at speed, perhaps local internet users in the Bethlehem area could get online. What do others think ?

I’m an Italian and I’m leaving Bethlehem after a four months stay.::I’ve been horrified by victims of both sides and by the international silence about Palestinian victims.::I’m as well horrified by the daily pains: increasing unemployment and poverty, humiliations at check points … and above all by the deep injustice of children’s material and psychological suffering.::I know that the Italian media would rather report blood than life, and this produce more indifference than awareness.::I’ll try to be a witness to your life.::

Yes, the newspapers in Chicago give headlines to the bus bombing in Jerusalem but little else, altho the home demolition in Bethlehem received publicity. Keep the faith, many Americans are becoming more aware. Galen Gockel

To Tony,::believe me that it is not the media, which increase the violence and definitely not people like me. It is simply a fact to life, that the media react according to certain standards. 300 people dead on a ferry in Bangaladesh do not make the same headlines as 5 people killed in a plane crash in europe or USA. I michael Jackson goes to court the entire world wants to know, if you or I are arrested, nobody wants to know. ::::No doubt, that a suicide bomb in a bus in Jerusalem is in fact intended and done to catch the greatest possible headlines. Why not check into those of the el Aksa Brigades or Hamas who decide and themselves talk about wanting to make those headlines. They prove to be right. This has nothing to do with the value of humans but rather with the ability to do spectacular actions so as to catch the intention of the media. ::::Nobody forces these organisations to make such attacks in a time when suicide bombs against civilians are considered worldwide as a high priority media event while arrests, fire fights or car accidents make only shmall or no headline. ::::Maybe Hamas and El Akso Brigades should change their public relations advisers, if they do not like the headlines. On the other hand, I see big demonstrations in Gaza, hailing those attacks, so they do add to the popularity of these organisations. What is then wrong with the headlines.::::PS Maybe not every israeli action gets big headlines but in my country every day every single israeli action is reported in most news papers. Just for your information.

I beleive that Palestinian are not aware of the imporatnce of media, this is why they are not taking advantage of it to affect the whole world

One of the big problems is that the Palestinians have poor spokespeople who don't understand how to use the media. So, we make up excuses for our failure by saying the media is "controlled," or that the media is biased. It is biased, but we often help make it biased by not unifying and working together as a force.::::Until Palestinians stand by each other, no one will respect us, including the media.::::Just a few extra thoughts on my part for an excellent web site that is very informative.::::Ray hanania

This website, as well as others, is an important venue to educate U.S. citizens regardging the occupation. Local Chicago area groups sponsor forums, speakers and meetings which are informed by information we receive from you. For example, in the Chicago area, the Committee for a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine sponsors monthly speakers on, e.g. the wall, daily life in the West Bank, American foreign policy. Also, the Church Network for Education on Palestine provides, among other things, a calendar of events in the Chicago area relating to the occupation. ::::Some of us are also acquainted with the Lutheran schools in, e.g., Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Ramallah, and many Chicago area people have visited them. Keep the faith.::::Galen L. Gockel, Oak Park, Illinois

Web sites like this one are having a positive impact on Americans to get them to see the other side of the story and see Palestinians as human beings rather than just as passing statistics. There is a bias in the American media, but we can fight it if we do it right. This web site provides a lot of good information to contradict many of the ianccuracies and outright lies promoted in the United States against the Palestinians.::::One of the big assets to the Palestinian cause is the issue of the Christian Palestinians -- not to separate Christians from Muslims. But, because America is a "Christian" country, can't we assume that Christians would identify with Christians in palestine and then try to better understand the suffering that they share with Muslims under Israeli occupation? Too many Americans don't even realize that Christians in Palestine are Palestinian. They see all Palestinians, including me, as Muslims. And I am proud to be mistaken for a Muslim as I believe I am Christian by religion and belief, but Muslim by culture.::::Thanks everyone and keep up the good work. Don;t let them silence us.