After a long absence of Palestinian voices on the op-ed page of The New York Times, Ali Abunimah's viewpoint is provided to readers of Sunday's newspaper 'Hamas, the I.R.A. and Us' (8/29).  As MJ Rosenberg from Media Matters wrote earlier today, "the very fact that a piece like this would appear in the Sunday Times is news in itself." 

Today, the Washington Post published the fifth consecutive George Will op-ed on the Middle East conflict in the last couple of weeks 'In the Mideast, the peace process is only a mirage' (8/26) stemming from his visit to the region.  Will's op-eds have been extremely biased and misinformed -- largely reflecting official Likud talking points on the history of the conflict, a broad security agenda, and Palestinian 'irredentism' while refusing to acknowledge any Israeli wrongdoing or Palestinian rights.  It does not appear that Will consulted with a single Palestinian during his entire Middle East trip.    

During the same period that Will's numerous op-eds appeared, the Post published additional one-sided commentary from the deputy editor Jackson Diehl (8/12), David Makovsky of the Washington Institute (8/23), and the editorial page itself (8/21) -- while failing to print any commentary from Palestinians or views that at least reflect the deep consensus on international law as it applies to the conflict.   

George Bisharat and Nimer Sultany have a very rare op-ed calling for equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel in Sunday's Miami Herald 'Second Class Citizens' (8/15).  The piece is such an unusual development that it's vital to offer support for it with a letter to the editor.

Today, the New York Times has published a powerful opinion piece by Nicholas D. Kristof, 'The Two Sides of a Barbed-Wire Fence' (7/1) in which Kristof slams the Israeli occupation as 'morally repugnant.'   

In the op-ed, Kristof examines how the occupation promotes large disparities between the lives of Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the southern Hebron Hills.  In the Bedouin village of Umm al-Kheir for example, Palestinians lack basic necessities and are subject to severe building restrictions while settlers across a barbed wire fence enjoy lush gardens and air-conditioned homes among other benefits.  In the village of Tuba, Palestinian farmers similarly lack access to adequate drinking water and struggle to earn a living while settlers nearby have no such difficulty.  Kristof also highlights the regular settler harassment of Palestinian elementary schoolchildren from Tuba -- a situation which has required protection of the children by foreign volunteers from Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove.   

Kristof maintains that the growth of settlements may be 'the most odious aspect of the occupation' and does not mince words when he states with conviction that 'Israel, is using American military support to maintain an occupation that is both oppressive and unjust.'