News Highlights:
- On May 22nd, Rafah residents came out of their homes to survey the huge damage caused by Israel’s Operation Rainbow, which caused 54 Palestinian deaths and the destruction of at least 90 Palestinian homes.
- Israeli army chief denies preventing food supplies from reaching Rafah; apologizes for firing missile at peaceful demonstrators bringing food and medicine, killing 11.
- Israel’s justice minister Yosef Lapid says the destruction in Rafah reminds him of his family’s suffering during the Holocaust; he also states the Israeli military is planning to demolish another 2000 homes.
- On May 24th, Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinian kids in Nablus, one 12 and one 16, during an attack on the Balata refugee camp.
- Marwan Bargouthi, Palestinian leader and member of parliament, found guilty in Israeli court; Bargouthi had refused to take part in the trial.
Feature:
An interview with Johanna from the International Solidarity Movement-Vancouver about a local picket on May 21st at Stephen Owen’s office to protest the destruction in Rafah. Owen is a federal cabinet minister and a member of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel, and has been vocal is his support for Israeli war crimes. Owen came out of his office to talk with the picketers and pledged to bring their concerns to cabinet. An in-studio discussion followed about the upcoming federal elections and the best way to make Canada’s position on the Palestinian situation an election issue.
Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of a statement from a Jewish-American with dual Israeli citizenship who burned his Israeli military deferral papers at a protest in Washington, D.C. against the Rafah atrocities. He explained how this action showed his opposition to Israeli government policies and demonstrated his intention to never serve in an army of occupation.