News Highlights:

• Human Rights Watch issues new report, saying that Palestinians in the occupied West Bank face systematic discrimination from Israeli policies
• Israeli forces order the residents of Khirbet Tana, east of Nablus, to evacuate their homes and village within 24 hours
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights files a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court on behalf of 1047 victims of the deadly Israeli military assault on Gaza 2 years ago, challenging the policies that effectively deny Palestinians any judicial remedy

Feature:

A live interview from California with Professor Richard Falk, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Human Rights. Prof. Falk started with some personal background and then detailed the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, an issue on which he is an expert. He also talked about the bankrupt “peace process”, and the recent article he had written on the subject. Prof. Falk emphasized he felt the United Nations could still play an important role, at least in the area of highlighting the suffering of the Palestinian people. He concluded by calling on people to support the Palestinians and to participate in the global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement as a way of pressuring the Israeli government to respect international law.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 20th, 2010 press release about increased harassment of pro-Palestinian and Palestinian Americans by the FBI since September of this year.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Two more Palestinian homes demolished in occupied East Jerusalem, just a few of the estimated 60,000 with standing demolition orders from the Israeli courts
• Israeli human rights group Btselem notes a sharp increase in the arrest of Palestinian minors in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, some arrested several times over
• Amnesty Int’l. condemns ruling by Israel’s municipal chief rabbis banning renting or selling homes to non-Jews, and says the ruling targets Palestinian Israeli citizens

Feature:

The feature was the full text of the Dec. 9, 2010 message from Abdullah Abu Rahma, currently in Israeli prison, on the occasion of Int’l. Human Rights Day. Abdullah, the Coordinator of the Bilin Popular Committee, is still being held in Israeli jail despite having served the term handed down to him by an Israeli military court. In the message, he detailed the violence of the Israeli occupation and how the village of Bilin has held steadfast to their campaign of non-violent resistance against the apartheid wall and settlements. He concluded by quoting his young daughter, who had told him that the rest of the village will continue to struggle for justice.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of a November 15th, 2010 article by Stefan Christoff from Montreal about how he had been deported by Israel when he tried to attend the recent World Education Forum.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli officials approve the construction of 846 more settler units in occupied East Jerusalem
• Top Israeli rabbis sign on to a ruling to forbid renting or selling a home to a non-Jew or Arab
• Despite some minor changes in border crossing openings by Israel, Gaza imports are far below pre-siege levels according to UN reports
• Argentina and Uruguay say they will join Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state

Feature:

A live interview from Beit Sahour, Palestine with Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh www.qumsiyeh.org, professor at Bethlehem and BirZeit Universities and president of the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement. Mazin detailed the conference he had recently attended in Stuttgart, Germany at the end of November, themed “Separated in the past, Together in the future”, featuring speakers like Ilan Pappe amongst others. Mazin also talked about his new book, Popular Resistance in Palestine (A history of Hope and Empowerment), that explains the long tradition of civil disobedience and non-violent resistance in Palestinian struggle.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 6th, 2010 report by Max Blumenthal about the Israeli government’s failures in handling the recent massive forest fire, in an area where Palestinian villages were destroyed in 1948, he noted.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli forces shoot 12-year-old Palestinian boy along the Gaza-Israel border, as he was collecting scrap gravel; Human rights groups say 14 Palestinian teens have been wounded in incidents since March of this year, in an area ranging from 50 to 800 metres from the border in Israel’s self-declared no-go zone
• Dozens suffer from tear gas inhalation during the weekly protests in the Palestinian villages of Bilin and Nilin; Bilin leader Abdullah Abu Rahma is still being held in Israeli jail despite his prison term finishing
• Israeli authorities give preliminary approval for 130 new settler units in occupied East Jerusalem
• WikiLeaks exposes Israel’s covert relations with the Gulf States, in particular UAE and Saudi Arabia

Feature:

A live interview with Prof. Nada Elia, a member of the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. Prof. Elia explained why she felt the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel was so important, why it developed and how it was a grassroots movement that anyone could participate in. She analyzed the comparisons with the South African experience in fighting apartheid and detailed how they laid a lot of the groundwork for such boycott movements. She concluded by calling on listeners to support the BDS movement in whatever capacity they could, as we could clearly not count on governments to fight for peace with justice for the Palestinians.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of comments by Palestinian leader Dr. Mustafa Bargouthi on the Int’l Day of Solidarity with the Palestinians, marked annually on Nov. 29th. Dr. Bargouthi called for recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state and Palestinian unity.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• EU Foreign Policy Rep, Catherine Ashton, says Israel has not lived up to its commitments on easing the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
• Israeli airstrikes shatter the Eid Al Adha holiday for one Palestinian family in Deir alBalah, Gaza, injuring 4.
• Two Israeli soldiers convicted of using a 9-year-old Palestinian boy in Gaza as a “human shield” avoid any jail time with a suspended sentence, as more reports surface of Palestinian kids being abused in this way.
• Israeli government bulldozers raze the Palestinian Bedouin town of Al Arakib for the 7th time in 3 months.

Feature:

An Eyewitness Palestine about the Israeli harassment and arrest campaign against the Palestinian peace activists in Bilin. There were two reports detailing the raids and trumped-up charges against Adeeb and Abdallah Abu Rahmah, both leaders in the non-violent protests against the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements. Adeeb, who Amnesty Int’l has labelled a prisoner of conscience, had his sentence arbitrarily extended from 12 months to 18 months, and Israeli forces just today arrested his son during a night raid. Abdallah, a key organizer in Bilin, finished his sentence a few days ago, but is still being held in jail by Israeli authorities. VOP had interviewed Abdallah on April 21, 2009 and we played part of that interview where he explained the background to Bilin’s protests.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a November 22nd, 2010 press release from Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights – UBC about how the AMS Student Council President is trying to block humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip. (see www.palestinespeaks.net for more info)

Here is an audio file of this show: