The US media coverage of what's going on in Palestine and Israel has been atrocious. Denied access to the West Bank and Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces, CNN and the BBC are broadcasting video footage taken by Israeli soldiers. US newspapers are running articles off the wire services by reporters based in London, New York, and Washington DC who call up the Israeli government for quotes and information. And the opinion pieces are being written by Bush administration supporters, most with long records as pro-Israeli hawks: Charles Krauthamer, William Safire, Michael Kelly, William Bennett, and George Will. "Dissenting opinion" is provided by the despicable Thomas Friedman of the New York Times.

As usual, just about any foreign newspaper has better coverage. Several alternative news sources available on the Internet also have excellent information. Here's a list of some good alternative websites and British press sources:

Independent Media Center, www.indymedia.org (click on the links to the Jerusalem and New York sites, which are particularly good, with lots of eyewitness accounts)

AlterNet, www.alternet.org (click on the link to their Middle East page, where they have Robert Fisk's dispatches from Ramallah and a number of other good eyewitness accounts.)

Z Net, www.zmag.org/znet (particularly good for analysis and history of the conflict)

Working For Change, www.workingforchange.com (one of the first sites to post eyewitness accounts, from Geov and others. Also has terrific opinion pieces and media analysis)

Counter Punch, www.counterpunch.org (more news from the West Bank)

The Guardian Unlimited, www.guardian.co.uk

The Independent, www.independent.co.uk

The Irish Times, www.ireland.com, click on "Irish Times" link, then click on "World" link

The London Times (conservative, but better than any US source), www.thetimes.co.uk