Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting notes the almost daily bias in the American media against the Palestinians (it’s their fault that they dare call for a settlement freeze in the West Bank?):
Today’s Washington Post (11/2/09) notes the White House’s apparent softening towards the Israeli side in Mideast negotiations (the headline is “Israel Putting Forth ‘Unprecedented’ Concessions, Clinton Says,” a good indication of the current administration stance). The Post tells us that the Palestinian position “appears to have hardened in recent days,” with “little room to negotiate on the key demand for a settlement freeze.”
But the paper’s summary of the Palestinian position does little to explain this “key demand”:
The Palestinians regard the land occupied by about 300,000 West Bank settlers as part of a future Palestinian state, and consider continued settlement activity an effort to influence negotiations.
Israel promised to halt settlements under previous international agreements, and Palestinian officials say they want those promises fulfilled.
The primary Palestinian objection to… Israeli settlements is not that… they are “an effort to influence negotiations,” or because… Israel… has “promised” to do something about them.… These settlements, as colonies established in the wake of a military occupation, are… violations of international law; any attempts to obscure that reality misinform readers.