The Washington Post, in its March 9 edition, runs an article by Ruth Eglash with a headline that reads “Israel tears down Palestinian homes in Jordan Valley.”  The demolition of half a dozen illegal structures belonging to a Palestinian herder gets the full emotional, up-close and personal treatment. Buried farther down in Eglash’s piece is an eventual Israeli explanation that Palestinians can build in the Jordan Valley if they can prove land ownership and gain building permits.  Israel also, it turns out, is drafting plans for new Palestinian communities in the region, with five already announced. Farther on in Eglash’s piece is an additional explanation that, under the Oslo Agreements, the West Bank is divided into some areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, Areas A and B, and in Area C which is under Israel’s full control. The herder’s illegal structures were built in Areas C. None of these explanations makes it...(Read Full Post)