The Dec. 2 edition of the New York Times features a lengthy article ("Dividing the West Bank, And Deepening a Rift -- Israeli Housing Could Hamper Peace" page 14, front section.) by Jerusalem bureau chief Jodi Rudoren about Israeli plans to develop a largely empty area east of Jerusalem so as to link the capital with Maale Adumim, a nearby Jewish town in the West Bank with a population of 36,000. Even though the article appears in the news section, a clearly opinionated Rudoren is fiercely opposed to developing the area, known as E-1, predicting dire consequences for the peace process if Israel proceeds with its plans. Playing the role of doomsday prophetess, Rudoren tells readers in paragraph 4 that "construction in E-1 would connect the large Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem, dividing the West Bank in two. The Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem would be cut off from the capital, making the contiguous Palestinian state endorsed by the United Nations last week...(Read Full Post)