From: Ali Abunimah
To: morning@npr.org
Subject: Morning Silence

April 13, 2001

Dear NPR News,

Reviewing the news of April 12, the following is an accurate summary of what happened in the occupied territories:

A Palestinian boy aged 14 was shot dead in the occupied Gaza Strip. A 34-year old Palestinian farmer was shot dead in the occupied Gaza Strip. A seven-year old Palestinian school girl was shot in the face with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the occupied West Bank when soldiers gassed and fired at her school. Palestinians foiled an Israeli car bomb plot which apparently attempted to kill a senior aide to Yasir Arafat.

Once Israeli soldier was reported injured on April 12 when a firefight broke out after Israeli forces attempted to enter the "Area A" village of Beit Jala.

As for as I can tell none of this was reported on Morning Edition today. Let us suppose instead that the previous day an Israeli 14-year old had been killed by Palestinians, or that Palestinian Authority police had attacked an Israeli school and shot a seven-year old Israeli child in the face. Now let us suppose that Israeli police foiled a plot to bomb the car of a senior aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, would NPR have reported the events or ignored them?

If past experience is a guide....

Sincerely,

Ali Abunimah
http://www.abunimah.org