News Highlights:
- Israeli officials approve the construction of more settlement housing in occupied East Jerusalem, despite criticism from EU leaders.
- An Israeli military base is also being planned in occupied Jerusalem, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz.
- Top U.S. military commander is dispatched to both Israel and Jordan to reassure them that military ties with the U.S. remain strong after the Egyptian revolution.
- Gazan youth hold a protest, calling on Egyptian military authorities to open the Rafah border.
Feature:
Jase Tanner, a Canadian filmmaker and activist, joined us in the studio to talk about his experiences in Cairo. Jase, who is also on the local committee for the Canadian Boat to Gaza, had been part of a Codepink delegation that was on its way to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. However, due to the closing of the border, he spent time participating in and documenting the protests in Egypt. Jase talked about what he saw in Tahrir Square, and how moved he had been by the Egyptian protestors. There was also discussion of the hardships created by the closing of the Rafah border, both for Palestinians inside Gaza and Gazans abroad, and how the new Egyptian military council had not yet made any move to open the crossing. Jase concluded by talking about upcoming events for the Boat to Gaza project and encouraged listeners to check out their website: www.canadaboatgaza.org.
Focus on Zionism:
Excerpts of a February 14th, 2011 op-ed in The Guardian about how Egyptian workers are not entrusting the transition to democracy to the military generals.
Here is an audio file of this show: