News Highlights:
- Palestinians commemorate Al Nakbah on May 15th, with protest rallies and two minutes of silence across Palestine; they say Israel’s Gaza “disengagement” will not address the right of return.
- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas broadcasts Al Nakbah speech, calling for an independent Palestinian state.
- May 16th – Israeli High Court removed temporary injunctions on construction work of the apartheid wall near the Ariel settlement bloc.
- May 15th – Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports that the illegal sales of Palestinian land by the former and disgraced Greek Orthodox patriarch were financed by settler organizations.
- May 12th – Israeli air force is joining Canadian “Maple Flag” war games in Alberta later this month; Palestinian and Arab Canadians are outraged.
Feature:
A taped interview with Salim Abou Gazaleh, the marketing director of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee. Salim was touring eastern Canada and spoke with Voice of Palestine about the work of PARC, and its efforts to help Palestinian farmers. He spoke about the difficulties Israeli occupation and especially the apartheid wall are placing on the livelihood of Palestinians. Salim also detailed the involvement of women in PARC, and the projects underway to market Palestinian olive oil and related products.
Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of a poem to mark the day of Al Nakbah, written by Abdel Fattah Abu-Srour, the director of a children’s theatre and cultural centre in Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem.