A journalist covering the State Dept. called Palestinian Authority residents “peasants” and cited “settler violence” without mentioning Arab terrorism and vandalism against Jews. The State Department did not challenge the terms.

A reporter at the State Dept. daily press briefing Tuesday asked spokeswoman Olivia Nuland, “Are you aware of increased assaults by the settlers on the Palestinian peasants, destroying their crops and in fact injuring them, shooting them – one is in a very serious condition. Are you aware of these activities?”

He apparently was referring to recently-released and heavily edited videos by the left-wing B’Tselem group that showed what appeared to be Jewish attacks on Arabs. Subsequent videos revealed that the Jews were responding to arson and attacks and vandalism on property within their communities.

Nuland told the journalist, “I didn’t have any new information today, but I think you know where we’ve traditionally been on these issues.”

Although the questioner referred to “peasants,” a word defined by Websters-Merriam dictionary as a “usually uneducated person of low social status, many if not most of people at disturbances in Judea and Samaria are Arab and left-wing activists.

Arutz Sheva has learned from official sources that some of the “protesters” at clashes with Jews and the IDF are paid by left- wing groups.

Hundreds of attacks on Jewish farmers have been reported by Arutz Sheva the past several years, but almost none are reported by foreign mainstream media. The attacks have included dozens of proven arsons of Jewish farms and homes and the destruction of tens of thousands saplings.

The State Dept. still is promoting the “peace process” although is not certain of what is happening.

Asked at the daily briefing about the “status of U.S. mediator David Hale, Nuland said, “I think I had mentioned that I thought he was going to travel this week. It now looks like it will be probably another ten days.

“But he is continuing to work with the Quartet members. He’s continuing to work with the parties on the phone and remaining in touch and trying to build on, as I said, this exchange of letters that the President and prime minister have had.” (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 05/30/12)