News Highlights:
- Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, says Christmas in Palestine is difficult this year, and criticizes the internal Palestinian clashes; Bethlehem’s mayor also highlights the impact of the separation wall and the economic siege.
- Israel is building a new settlement in the Jordan Valley to bring in former Gaza settlers.
- Israeli military step up checkpoints near Tulkarem and continue arrests in Bethlehem, destroying any Christmas or Eid Al Adha festivities.
- Israeli military offered to “transfer” two Palestinian villages near the route of the apartheid wall.
- Israeli cluster bombs left behind in Lebanon wound five people, including two children; at least 28 Lebanese have died in such cluster bomb and landmine explosions since August 2006.
Feature:
A live interview with Montreal activist, Stephan Christoff, currently visiting B.C., who talked about his experiences in Lebanon last summer, where he witnessed the Israeli invasion. He also spoke about the solidarity work in Montreal and around the country, and how pro-Israeli groups are desperately trying to reduce the positive impact of work highlighting the just cause of the Palestinian people. Stephan mentioned the detonating position of the Canadian government vis-à-vis the Middle East and noted the Xmas message that had been sent to Stephen Harper by Hanna Kawas regarding Canadian government support for Israeli war crimes. That message was also read in full at the end of the feature (www.cpavancouver.org ).
Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of the press release issued by groups boycotting Chapters and Indigo due to support of the stores’ majority owners for the Israeli military. (more info at www.caiaweb.org )
Here is an audio file of this show: