News Highlights:

• Israeli gunboats attack Gazan fishermen, forcing them back into Israel’s unilaterally imposed 3 mile limit.
• Israeli settlers torch Palestinian farmland near Nablus, the latest in dozens of such attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians.
• Salam Fayyad asks Arab countries for aid, saying the Palestinian Authority will not be able to pay salaries otherwise.
• Egyptian authorities allow some medical aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, but refuse to move 4 tons of Scottish aid claiming they approved the delivery of the goods but not the trucks carrying them.

Feature:

A live interview with Irene MacInnes, veteran Vancouver peace activist, who was on the Canadian ship Tahrir and is a member of the Canadian Boat to Gaza committee. Irene summarized her experiences as part of the Freedom Flotilla and the shameful actions by the Greek government in grounding the flotilla. She assured listeners however that the CBG has not ended its efforts to break the siege on Gaza and talked about the recent local picket against the Israeli shipping company Zim. Irene aso detailed upcoming events and encouraged people to support the CBG, both financially and politically (www.tahrir.ca).

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a July 25, 2011 IPS report about the weekly sit-ins by the families of political prisoners held in Israeli jails, whose relatives are forbidden to visit.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli navy commandos seize control of a French ship in international waters, that was trying to bring aid to Gaza; the ship had 16 people on board, including 3 journalists.
• Israeli air raids on Gaza have killed 3 people and injured 20 in the past 2 weeks, including 6 children, according to local medical sources.
• Israel announces plans to build more housing in two illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Feature:

The feature was another in our series of special Eyewitness Palestine reports, this time with three on-the-ground reports. The first was a summary from Mazin Qumsiyeh about the recent Welcome to Palestine Campaign, dubbed the “flytilla” by activists due to the fact that the Israeli government went to great lengths to stop the visitors who had arranged to attend. The second was highlights from the new Btselem report, No Minor Matter, about how the Israeli penal system deals with Palestinian kids under 18, including some under 14, for allegations of throwing stones. And the last item was excerpts from the statement of a group of indigenous and women of color feminists who had recently visited occupied Palestine, and were issuing a passionate call for support for the BDS movement.

Focus on Zionism:

Part of a July 19, 2011 dispatch from the Christian Peacemaker Team in Hebron/Alkhalil about the attack on internationals by settlers from Havat Ma’on, the 5th attack against Palestinians and internationals in the last 30 days.

Here is an audio file of this show:

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• The Greek government succumbs to apparent Israeli-U.S. pressure and refuses to let Freedom Flotilla 2 leave Greek ports to Gaza
• The Canadian ship, Tahrir, tries to defy the ban but is stopped 10 minutes out of the Crete port by armed Coast Guards.
• Israeli officials announce new plans to build more illegal settler housing in the colony of Gilo, built on occupied Beit Jala land that was annexed into the mushrooming “Greater Jerusalem” municipality.
• Palestinian NGOs prepare to receive hundreds of international supporters to “Welcome to Palestine”, amidst concern Israeli authorities may try to block the estimated 600-1000 visitors from entering.

Feature:

A live interview with Wendy Goldsmith, from the national coordinating committee for the Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign. Wendy updated us on the situation with the Flotilla and in specific with the Canadian boat Tahrir, which had been damaged by the Greek Coast Guard when they forced the Tahrir back to port. She explained how the committee was still concerned for the legal ramifications for several of the Canadians who were on board, in particular a Jewish Canadian woman Sandra Ruch who was the official owner of the boat. There was also discussion of the abysmal position of the Canadian government regarding the Flotilla and how people could help support the Flotilla and the Palestinian people’s struggle in general.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of the July 5th, 2011 press release about the decision by the South African media watchdog dismissing all complaints relating to a radio ad calling for a boycott of Israel.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Freedom Flotilla 2 faces threats, intimidation and now actual sabotage of its boats as it prepares to sail to Gaza with humanitarian aid.
• Foreign Press Assoc. calls on Israel to withdraw its threat of a 10 year ban against journalists on board the flotilla.
• New statement by the Free Gaza Team, one of the organizers of the flotilla, says “Gaza, we are coming”.
• Four years after being ordered to do so by the Israeli Supreme Court, Israeli army finally starts to reroute a section of the separation barrier near Bilin.

Feature:

A live interview from Athens with Huwaida Arraf, one of the organizers of Freedom Flotilla 2 and the chair of the Free Gaza movement. Huwaida updated us on the various tactics that the Israeli government was using to try and stop the Flotilla, and also discussed the complicity of many Western governments in launching campaigns against the Flotilla’s objectives. There was discussion of the illegality of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, something confirmed by the UN, and how it represents collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population. She concluded by calling on listeners to support the struggle for Palestinian rights in any way they can, materially and politically, and to stay posted to the various websites for the Flotilla (www.freegaza.org and www.tahrir.ca).

Focus on Zionism:

Due to the length and importance of the interview, Focus was postponed for this show.

Here is an audio file of this show: