News Highlights:
- Ismail Haniyeh says West Bank officials are responsible for the conditions at the Israeli-controlled Al Awja crossing into Gaza which was just opened in a new agreement; reports indicate the crossing is being used to force Palestinians to be collaborators.
- Palestinian teen dies at the Rafah border crossing, waiting to cross into Gaza.
- Britain may seek the extradition of the Israeli troops who killed British cameraman James Miller in 2003.
- Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas meet in Jericho, supposedly to prepare for the U.S.-sponsored summit in November.
- Israeli human rights group Btselem issues new report condemning Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank.
Feature:
Voice of Palestine introduced a new regular feature entitled Palestine We Remember to keep alive the Palestinian history that the world seems so intent on destroying and forgetting. This first one was dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the destruction of the Tel al Zaatar refugee camp in Beirut that was literally razed to the ground after 55 days of siege and shelling. Several renditions of Mahmoud Darweesh’s famous poem Ahmad Zaatar were presented, with the poetry in English, Arabic and set to music. Part of the open letter sent during the siege by the residents of the camp to the Arab foreign ministers was also highlighted. The introduction to the special drew the parallels between this tragic history, and what is happening now, and the international silence at both times.
Focus on Zionism:
Excerpts of a British Times report about a 5-year-old Palestinian girl paralyzed from the neck down by an Israeli missile, whom the Israeli army is now trying to deprive of the specialized medical care she needs.
Here is an audio file of this show: