News Highlights:

• Israeli forces arrest an 11 year old Palestinian boy and his 14 year old brother in the village of Nabi Saleh as Israeli military repression of civil resistance continues
• Al Jazeera and the British Guardian start publishing more than 1600 documents (dubbed the Palestine Papers) revealing the inner machinations of the”peace process” from 1999 to 2010, confirming previously rumoured details of Palestinian Authority concessions
• Many thousands of Egyptians face down a massive police presence in Cairo and across Egypt, calling for the resignation of Hosni Mubarak

Feature:

A live interview with Jewish American Richard Forer, author of a new book entitled “Breakthrough: Transforming Fear into Compassion, A New Perspective on the Israel-Palestine Conflict”. Richard, who was spokesperson for the Albuquerque-based Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel, detailed what his book covers and also explained his own very personal journey from an avid pro-Israel supporter to a supporter of human rights and justice for the Palestinians. Richard concluded by saying people could order the book through his website and called on listeners to critically question the beliefs they were raised with.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of a January 24th, 2011 Electronic Intifada article about the repercussions of the release of the Palestine Papers by Ali Abunimah.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Save the Children Report says Palestinian children in Gaza are coming under regular Israeli gunfire, as 26 were shot near the Israeli border last year
• UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk says illegal acts by Israeli authorities are on the rise in the occupied West Bank and calls for the int’l community to step in
• Israeli authorities set to approve 1400 new settler units in occupied east Jerusalem, on land originally stolen from Beit Jala and Beit Sahour villages in the West Bank

Feature:

Professor Basem Ra’ad from Al Quds University in Jerusalem joined us in the studio to talk about his new book, Hidden Histories, and the situation in occupied Palestine. Prof. Ra’ad, who received his PhD at the Univ. of Toronto, detailed how his book debunks a lot of the current terminology and mythology about Palestine and the Zionist project and also talked about his tour in Canada and Britain to promote the book. There was discussion of the demolitions and ethnic cleansing ongoing in occupied East Jerusalem, especially in the Sheik Jarrah and Silwan quarters.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a January 17th, 2011 UN news agency report about the displacement risk for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and how EU and UN officials are calling for the implementation of international law to protect the Palestinian population.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Sections of the historic Shepherd Hotel in occupied East Jerusalem are demolished to make way for more Jewish settlements
• International human rights groups call for a criminal investigation into the death of a 20 year old Palestinian patient denied a permit by Israeli authorities to leave Gaza for urgent medical attention
• Advisors to the late Yasser Arafat say there is new forensic evidence proving he was poisoned
• Canadian defence minister Peter Mackay meets with Israeli officials and thanks them for helping Canada with its “ongoing efforts in Afghanistan”

Feature:

A live interview with Stefan Christoff, an activist and journalist from Montreal, about the recent World Education Forum WEF and the experiences of the global Boycott Israel movement. Stefan started off by explaining the importance of the commitment to universal education and the WEF and then detailed how Israeli authorities deported him at the border so he could not attend the sessions. A large delegation from Quebec and Canada did manage to be part of the WEF, which resulted in valuable networking. Stefan also talked about the harassment of activists in Canada by security agencies here, and his own experiences with CSIS. He concluded by calling on listeners to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as an effective means to change Israeli policies and as action that everyone can participate in at some level.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a January 11th, 2011 IPS article about how traumatized Palestinian children in Gaza still dare to dream of a better future.
Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Palestinian woman Jawaher Abu Rahme, who died from tear gas fired by Israeli forces, is buried in Bilin as hundreds attend her funeral procession
• Israeli activists arrested while protesting at the U.S. ambassador’s home in Tel Aviv are finally released
• Israeli rights group says there is a sharp rise in home demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem, part of a broad policy to weaken Palestinian civil society

Feature:

An interview with Ed Mast from Seattle about the campaign to put ads on local buses highlighting Israeli war crimes. Ed explained how their group, the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, had contracted with the bus company to put up ads saying “Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work”, that were then censored just days before they were set to appear. The pro-Israel lobby had pressured local officials to make the move, but Ed pointed out that it had opened up widespread debate about the issue. He encouraged listeners to support such campaigns and visit their website.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a January 4th, 2011 report from the Christian Peacemakers Team about how Palestinian students in the At-Tuwani region in the occupied West Bank suffer from settler violence and Israeli military negligence.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli police step up their presence in occupied East Jerusalem, as Israeli MPs visit settlers there
• Nearly 6 years have passed since the village of Bil’in started its weekly protests against the apartheid wall and New Years Eve will feature a large demo with international and Israeli participants
• Teachers for Palestine in Ontario launch a new initiative for divestment from teachers’ pension plans of companies supporting Israeli apartheid

Feature:

Another in our series of Eyewitness Palestine Eyewitness Gaza, this one highlighting 2 reports marking the 2nd anniversary of the Israeli military assault on Gaza. The first was an open letter from Gaza, from dozens of civil society groups including leading unions, medical NGOs, and the Rachel Corrie Centre in Rafah, entitled “Two years after the Massacre, a Demand for Justice”. It detailed the horrific nature of the original assault and also the continuing aftermath, and called on the international community to stand up and take concrete action to hold Israel to account. The second report was a statement from the Palestinian BDS National Committee and also noted that violations of international law are continuing to this day. It concluded by saying embracing and expanding the Boycott Israel movement was the most effective way to achieve peace with justice.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 15th, 2010 report about Bethlehem under Occupation and the closure of the city and restrictions on the Palestinians living there.

Here is an audio file of this show: