News Highlights:
- A new report on Palestinian political detainees shows that 3312 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces in 2011, an average of 9 Palestinians/day.
- Palestinian NGOs in Gaza issue an open letter on the 3rd anniversary of Israel’s military invasion, calling on international civil society to make 2012 the year of a Free Palestine.
- Israeli PM Netanyahu says he will not restart negotiations with any Palestinian government that includes Hamas, after Palestinian groups make some progress towards national reconciliation in recent days.
Feature:
A live interview with Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian writer and activist who teaches at both Bethlehem and BirZeit Universities in the occupied West Bank. Mazin, who had just arrived in New York for a short visit, talked about this year’s Christmas in Bethlehem and what the checkpoints and permit system mean as restrictions on the daily freedom of movement of all Palestinians. He also detailed recent examples of Palestinian popular resistance to the apartheid wall, settlements and land confiscation, subjects on which he has written a book and many articles.
Focus on Zionism:
Excerpts of a personal account by a Palestinian student in Gaza about the first day of the horrific Israeli bombing 3 years ago.
Here is an audio file of this show: