News Highlights:

• Israeli troops attack a peaceful protest in the Palestinian village of al Walaja near Bethlehem and arrest 4 Israeli peace activists who joined the rally; al Walaja is set to lose half of its farming land due to construction of the Israeli apartheid wall.
• Egyptians continue their protest outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo, calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and stopping the gas exports to Israel.
• Israeli army is equipping and training settlers in the occupied West Bank in methods of “dispersing demonstrations”.
• Canada Palestine Association in Vancouver calls for a boycott of all Canadian Tire outlets until the corporation stops carrying Israeli products, including those from illegal settlements.

Feature:

The feature was a live interview with Waziyatawin, an indigenous activist and academic, about her recent trip to Palestine as part of a delegation of indigenous and women of color feminists. She detailed the places the group visited, the Palestinians they met with and her impressions of the oppression and suffering that Palestinians are living under. Waziyatawin, who teaches at University of Victoria, specializes in the history of colonialism and drew the parallels between the struggles of indigenous people here and in Palestine. She concluded by telling us about the statement the delegation issued entitled “A Call to Action”, including an unequivocal endorsement of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of an August 30th, 2011 report about the ongoing Israeli incarceration of Palestinian organizer Bassem Tamimi.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• 4 days of Israeli airstrikes kill at least 15 Palestinians, including a two year old toddler
• Palestinian medical official in Gaza says Israeli forces have been using new and more lethal weapons against the population there
• Israeli human rights groups criticize the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court upholding the route of the separation barrier that cuts off the village of al Walaja from its farming land
• British media report on the involvement of British special operatives in the final assault against Libya’s Gaddafi

Feature:

A live interview with Aaron Lakoff from CKUT radio in Montreal about the recent decision of the National Campus and Community Radio Association in Canada to support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions BDS Movement against Israel. The NCCRA represents 82 radio stations across Canada (of which Vancouver Coop Radio is one) and has a long history of giving voice to the voiceless in struggles around the world. Aaron explained his own history in supporting the Palestinian struggle and also detailed the process in bringing the resolution to the NCCRA general membership for final approval.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of an August 22nd, 2011 report about the 3rd raid by the Israeli army on the Freedom Theatre in Jenin.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli warplanes strike Gaza, killing one Palestinian and wounding others, including a 6-year-old child; later, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian teen near Deir al Balah, with more than 10 gunshot wounds to the head and upper body according to medics
• Israeli officials announce more illegal settlement housing to be built, with 2700 units to be approved in coming days
• Imprisoned PFLP leader Ahmad Saadat calls for the issue of Palestinian prisoners to be on the agenda at the UN in September alongside any statehood bid
• Egypt, in coordination with Israeli authorities, deploys troops and tanks in Sinai

Feature:

The feature was the first part of a speech presented by Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti at the Socialism 2011 conference in Chicago on July 3rd, 2011. Barghouti, a cofounder of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, talked about the importance of the global Boycott Israel campaigns, the struggle for Palestinian rights and critical issues around advancing Palestinian support work. (Due to problems with station equipment which affected audio quality of the feature, we are including a link to the full speech by Barghouti).

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of an IPS August 12th , 2011 report from Gaza by Canadian freelancer Eva Bartlett about the enormous difficulties facing Palestinian workers in besieged Gaza who are trying to support their families.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• French multinational Veolia, at the center of an ongoing boycott campaign, announced major losses; Veolia has been involved in illegally building Israeli projects on occupied Palestinian land.
• Palestinian prisoners rights group called for the release of Bushra al-Tawil, 18, who has been held for a month without any charge; she is the daughter of the mayor of Al Bireh.
• 40 Palestinian prisoners contract food poisoning in the infamous Israeli Negev prison, the second incident of its kind in 2 months.

Feature:

The feature was a special commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the destruction of the Tal Zaatar Palestinian refugee camp as well as marking the 3rd anniversary of the passing of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. The feature included Darwish’s poetry, in particular his famous “Ahmad Zaatar” dedicated to the camp, and we presented an English translation of part of the poem as well as 2 different musical compositions highlighting the poem. There were also excerpts of an open letter from the residents of Tel Zaatar during the 55 day siege of the camp, detailing their horrific suffering and their spirit of steadfastness, as well a poem from another Palestinian poet Fawaz Turki.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of an August 7th, 2011 article from The Guardian about the new study on racism in Israeli schoolbooks by Israeli academic Nurit Peled-Elhanan.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• UN official Chris Gunness says link between Israeli settlement expansion and Palestinian displacement is “abundantly clear”.
• UN envoy Robert Serry urges restraint from Israeli authorities after 2 Palestinians are killed in a dawn raid by Israeli soldiers on a Palestinian refugee camp.
• Egyptian tanks enter Tahrir Square to evict protestors on the first day of Ramadan.

Feature:

The feature was a live interview with Noura Erekat, a Palestinian writer, activist and attorney, who currently teaches at Georgetown University in Washington DC. She joined us to talk about the current push by the Palestinian Authority for “statehood” at the U.N, what is behind this PA action and what it could mean for the Palestinian struggle. Noura, who recently had an article in Al Jazeera on this subject, explained that part of the motivation for the PA at this point in time was to shore up its sagging legitimacy, and she also gave an indepth analysis of the legal and political shortcomings of the Oslo Accords, which promised the Palestinians “statehood” over 15 years ago.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of an August 1st, 2011 release from the Christian Peacemaker Team about how the Israeli water company Merekot disrupts the flow of water to Palestinians near Hebron/AlKhalil.

Here is an audio file of this show: