Media Monitors Network (MMN)

"George Bush's attempts to purchase Jewish votes have been paid for with Palestinian blood. He bears some of the moral guilt for the Taba killings. But we are all afraid to say so. Instead, we pretend that "terrorists" committed these acts, when terrorism has become endemic to the modern world."

"A Palestinian with no hope for the future, whose house and life have been bulldozed, who has suffered the death of one or more of his loved ones, is a ticking human bomb. He has nothing more to lose."

"If the US is serious about the effort to see a thriving and effective independent media, it must supplement any programming efforts on the ground with an articulate public approach that reflects the issues called for by Arab journalists themselves and the freedom-seeking Arab population as a whole. Otherwise, this latest effort will be a waste of money and yet another lost opportunity."

"Karzai and Bush have proclaimed that the reported registration of more than 10.5 million Afghans to cast ballots in the presidential elections is evidence of their success in bringing democracy to Afghanistan. This number, according to an Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) report in September 2004, may "well exceed 11.5 million -- roughly half the estimated population of Afghanistan" once the registration of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran is completed."

"There is widespread cynicism about the possibility of the elections taking place as scheduled, considering the conditions in the country."