News Highlights:
- Israeli peace activist Neta Golan arrested by Israeli police after going to Gaza on one of the Free Gaza boats.
- The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem prays for an end to Israeli occupation and injustice in his Christmas message, and criticizes the siege on Gaza.
- Israel is implementing a PR campaign internationally to drum up support for an offensive on Gaza.
- Israeli human rights group Btselem says 58% of Ofra settlement, in existence since 1976, is built on Palestinian land even according to Israeli land records; Btselem states it is therefore an illegal outpost and should be evacuated.
Feature:
A live interview from Bethlehem, Palestine with Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh who teaches at Bethlehem University. Mazin talked about Christmas under occupation, the expanding Israeli settlements, and how the Palestinian people are coping under such difficult conditions. He discussed the role of the U.S. and the Arab regimes, and concluded that he felt the two-state solution was no longer a viable option. Mazin is also director of the Rapprochment Centre in Bethlehem and he encouraged people to learn more about the Palestinian situation, to come visit, to get involved and to push for peace with justice.
Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of a Dec. 22th, 2008 Electronic Intifada report by Canadian human rights volunteer Eva Bartlett about the Palestinians killed by Israeli missile strikes in the past few weeks, many of them civilians.
Here is an audio file of this show: