News Highlights:
- Palestinians mourn the brutal murder of Italian solidarity activist Vittorio Arrigoni, found dead on April 15 in Gaza City after being kidnapped; Palestinians from all walks of society, both in the occupied territories and in the diaspora, hail Vittorio as a hero for Palestine.
- Activists in Gaza announce the launch of a rights monitoring boat off the coast of Gaza to accompany Gazan fishermen, and to be named Oliva in honor of Vittorio Arrigoni.
- Israeli military announce a ten-day “general closure” of the occupied West Bank for the Jewish Passover holiday, which will restrict Palestinian movement and freedom of worship for Easter.
- Israel’s ambassador to Cairo leaves Egypt, after huge protests in Cairo called for the lifting of the siege on Gaza.
- Security forces in Yemen kill another 4 protestors and wound hundreds, as the UN finally meets to discuss the Yemen situation.
Feature:
The feature was a live interview from Gaza City with Khalil Shaheen from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, about the murder of his friend Vittorio Arrigoni and the work of the PCHR. Khalil talked about the activist work Vittorio had done and there was also discussion about who had committed this heinous killing and who would benefit from it, especially if it discouraged other international activists from coming to support the Palestinian people. Khalil also reminded us of the deteriorating human rights situation in Gaza and the increasingly difficult situation Palestinians there are dealing with.
Focus on Zionism:
Focus was postponed due to the length and importance of the special feature.
Here is an audio file of this show: