News Highlights:
- Feb. 27th – Israel continues its siege on the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, hindering the movement of ambulances and emergency medical staff; Israeli troops have killed 9 Palestinians during the siege, including 2 children, and wounded 55, including journalists and one doctor.
- The final section of the Israeli apartheid wall around Bethlehem is almost complete; Bethlehem’s mayor issues statement warning that extremist Israeli settlers have begun construction on an illegal settlement in the heart of Bethlehem.
- Israel says it will not hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas; meanwhile, EU ministers approve sending aid to the Palestinian government.
- James Wolfensohn warns the Palestinian Authority is on the verge of financial collapse.
Feature:
VOP was unable to reach Splitting the Sky, an indigenous activist, about the open letter sent to the Assembly of First Nations regarding their recent trip to Israel. The letter was sent by the Canada Palestine Association and endorsed by many groups and individuals and pointed out to the AFN that they were allying themselves with the oppressors of another indigenous people. Splitting the Sky will be rescheduled for an interview in March.
Excerpts of an article in the Palestine Chronicle about the illegality of Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian tax revenues were also presented.
Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of a Feb. 28th, 2006 article in the Israeli Haaretz newspaper about a ruling by the Israeli High Court branding an Israeli government plan for investment in education in “areas of national priority” as “racially based”.
Here is an audio file of this show: