News Highlights:
- As the last Jewish settlement in Gaza is cleared, Ariel Sharon says he will continue expanding West Bank settlements, in specific Ma’ale Adumim, linking it to “Greater Jerusalem”, and annexing the Ariel settlement to Israel.
- Mahmoud Abbas promises that the Gaza airport will soon reopen, despite the lack of agreement by Israel.
- Aug. 20th – Israeli settlers in Hebron attack peace activists from the Israeli group, Women in Black.
- Aug. 20th – Israeli economy is benefiting from the Gaza redeployment, as stock market jumped 5 percent and foreign investment is booming.
- Aug. 22nd – Palestinian leaders condemn the transfer of Gazan settlers to Ariel settlement in the West Bank.
Feature:
An interview with Noah, a Vancouver peace activist, who spent 7 weeks in Palestine, volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement. Noah, a Jewish-Canadian, explained why he had gone to Palestine, to bear witness to the suffering of the Palestinian population. He spoke about the apartheid wall, the checkpoints, and the difficulties of daily life in the places he stayed. He also commented on the Gazan redeployment and how it would not improve peoples’ lives.
Focus on Zionism:
Excerpts of a commentary in the Aug. 19th, 2005 Guardian, entitled “The settlers’ retreat was the theatre of the cynical”. The writer compared the treatment of the Gazan settlers and the overwhelming world coverage, with the treatment of the over 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza whose homes were demolished by the Israeli army in the first 10 months of last year.
Here is an audio file of this show: