This week …

News Highlights:

  • Ehud Olmert says he will release an undetermined number of Palestinian political detainees before the Annapolis summit and that will be the only “goodwill gesture”.
  • Palestinian police launch attacks on Balata refugee camp next to Nablus and clash with fighters from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades as part of Mahmoud Abbas’ law and order campaign; Israel agreed to the deployment of the Palestinian police and will agree to further deployments if there are “positive effects”.
  • Mahmoud Abbas claims Israel and the U.S. are aiming for a regional peace settlement before George Bush leaves office in 2009.
  • New report says 44 Palestinians were deliberately assassinated by the Israeli army in October, 2007; a further 120 were injured.

Feature:

An interview with Valerie Zink, a member of the Boycott Israeli Apartheid Campaign BIAC, in Vancouver to discuss the international boycott activities against Israel and what is happening locally. Valerie talked about how BIAC was formed and the pickets against Chapters stores in the lower mainland that happen the first three Saturdays of every month from 1-3pm. There was also discussion of how the global boycott movement is growing and the recent statement by the Quebec students federation in support of such actions.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of an October 21st, 2007 article in The Observer about a recent report on the brutality of Israeli soldiers against Palestinians.

Here is an audio file of this show: