This week …

News Highlights:

  • 12-year-old Palestinian boy dies in Gaza after Israeli authorities refuse to let him leave for medical treatment.
  • Syria and Saudi Arabia among 40 countries and organizations attending the U.S. Annapolis meeting.
  • Israeli and Palestinian negotiators working on “final document” which may end up with no real content.
  • Israeli PM Ehud Olmert says a freeze on settlement activity is not one of Israel’s obligations under the “roadmap plan”.
  • UNRWA head says news Israeli restrictions in West Bank will hinder services to Palestinian refugees.

Special Feature:

The special was an indepth look at the issues around the upcoming Annapolis summit and what might be expected to come out of it. Excerpts of an article by leading Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery were read, in which he spelled out why the summit was doomed to fail, and why Israeli officials wanted that result. The panel also talked about the scepticism amongst most Palestinians regarding the summit outcome and referred to comments by Dr. Haidar Eid in Gaza criticizing the new demand that Palestinians must recognize Israel as an exclusive Jewish state.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a November 18th, 2007 report from a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement about Israeli harassment of a high school in Azzoun, that villagers say is part of Israeli military strategy to gain court approval for part of the separation wall.

Here is an audio file of this show: