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Israel’s military campaign in Gaza that began Saturday December 27th has triggered global coverage, some of it notably fair and complete and some skewed and misleading. American reporters in the first days produced a number of stories that contained important context for readers and viewers, including in the New York Times (Israelis Say Strikes Against Hamas Will Continue, Dec. 28). On the other hand, the BBC’s World Service, true to form, skewed the story in segments like a Dec 29 one hosted by Claire Bolderson in which two interviewees – one British and one Israeli agree that Israel is wrong. 

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Rev. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, an organization that has issued scant, oblique, and modulated criticism of the incessant rocket attacks against Israel from the Gaza Strip, has found his prophetic voice. In a statement issued on Dec. 29, 2008, Rev. Kobia condemned Israel’s recent bombing of Hamas’ military installations and warned Israel against sending in troops into the Gaza Strip. While Rev. Kobia specifically states the violence against Gaza must stop, he does not offer the same explicit and specific demand regarding ongoing violence against Israel. 

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BRUSSELS/JERUSALEM (EJP)--- "The European Union is determined to develop a closer partnership with Israel. This process needs to be seen in the context of the broad range of our common interests," European Commissioner Jan Figel said on the occasion of the signing of a joint EU-Israel declaration to reinforce cooperation and dialogue in education and training. "I strongly believe that enhancing cooperation and dialogue on education and training is instrumental for improving our mutual understanding and for strengthening our position with regard to the challenges facing us in an ever-globalising knowledge-based society and economy, Figel, who is in charge of education, training, culture and youth, said last month during an official visit to Israel. 

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Brussels -- EU "We lost everything we had, we could not event take our family photos," declared Edwin Shuker, a displaced Jewish refugee from Iraq, at a hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels on July 1. The hearing was the first of its kind and was initiated by "Justice for Jews from Arab countries", an international organization seeking justice for the estimated one million Jews who have been displaced from Arab countries since 1948. 

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On February 14 The Google AdSense Team informed me that they are pulling their advertisement from the Bulgarian version of the blog The Middle East. Below is a copy of the communication between me and the Google AdSense Team. You be the judge. Could these be some of the signs of Google becoming the next Microsoft? You can download the pdf file here. 

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