News Highlights:

• UN Human Rights Council votes to form an international committee to investigate Israel’s deadly raid on the aid flotilla; the Israeli government immediately asks the UN to shelve the inquiry.
• Int’l Committee of the Red Cross releases a new report and says Israel’s blockade of Gaza constitutes a violation of int’l law.
• Palestinians and Israeli activists protest more home demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem, that will see nearly a thousand Palestinians displaced.

Feature:

A special Eyewitness Palestine, Eyewitness Gaza that included two reports about the Israeli blockade on the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza and the recent decision by the Israeli government to “ease” the blockade. The first report by Palestinian writer Joharah Baker was carried by Miftah and analyzed how Israel has long used the tactic of allowing minor liberties to Palestinians when pressured while still maintaining its overall system of occupation and oppression. She concluded by saying easing the blockade is definitely not enough because the blockade should never have existed in the first place. The second report was excerpts from a BBC news dispatch entitled, No Gaza Optimism over Easing Blockade, which detailed the scepticism of Gazans that the Israeli cabinet decision would amount to any real change in their daily lives.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of a June 21st, 2010 Electronic Intifada article about how the EU is approving grants for the Israeli military industry.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Free Gaza movement says it is already planning its next flotilla, which is both “legal and necessary” as world governments refuse to pressure Israel to end its blockade.
• Int’l. Cmte. of the Red Cross states the Israeli blockade of Gaza is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and constitutes collective punishment of a civilian population.
• Oxfam Int’l also calls for an end to the Gazan blockade and says the limited measures initiated recently by the Israeli government to ease some restrictions are not enough.
• Israeli bulldozers demolish more Palestinian buildings in occupied East Jerusalem.

Feature:

A live interview with Victoria activist Kevin Neish about his experiences on the Gaza aid flotilla when it was attacked by Israeli navy commandos and in Israeli detention afterwards. Kevin explained why he participated in the flotilla and how he had done human rights volunteering in many places around the world. He talked about the deadly Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara ship where he was present, what he saw and heard, the physical abuse heaped on all of the volunteers by the Israeli military, his time in an Israeli prison and how he finally flew out to Turkey with the other activists. There was also discussion and criticism of both the Canadian government position and the coverage by the mainstream Canadian media, in particular the CBC. Kevin concluded by talking about his upcoming trip to Vancouver on June 18, where he will address a public meeting at the VPL.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of a June 14th, 2010 press release from the Israeli peace group Gush Shalom criticizing the validity of the commission set up by the Israeli government to investigate the raid on the aid flotilla.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Turkey’s PM has repeated the call for an independent international inquiry into Israel’s deadly assault on the Gaza aid flotilla.
• Egyptian officials declare the blockade on Gaza a failure and open the Rafah border.
• The parents of Rachel Corrie pay tribute to those who attempted to break Israel’s naval blockade on the ship named in Rachel’s honor.
• Israeli army delivers eviction orders to five Palestinian families in the Tubas area of the occupied Jordan Valley, which will leave more than 50 Palestinians homeless.
• 52-year-old Palestinian mother of nine is run over by Israeli settlers and later dies; eyewitnesses who saw the incident suspect that it was done intentionally.

Feature:

A live interview with Hadani Ditmars, the co-editor of the New Internationalist magazine. Hadani recently returned from a trip to Iraq and was introducing the latest edition of the NI entitled “Iraq 7 years later -the legacy of invasion”, which offers indepth analysis and Hadani’s own photos from the trip. She mentioned two upcoming events, one in Vancouver and another in Toronto cosponsored by Rabble, to talk about the new NI issue and her experiences in Iraq. Hadani also detailed some entries in her NI blog, entitled Canada and Israel, emphasizing the failure of both the Canadian media and politicians to question Israeli government actions.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a June 4th, 2010 news dispatch from Stopthewall.org detailing how Israeli settlers set fire to hundreds of acres of Palestinian agricultural land south of Nablus.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• The news section was devoted mostly to the Israeli raid on the Free Gaza flotilla, the international condemnation and global protests, including one just concluded on the streets of Vancouver that highlighted local outrage not only at the Israeli attack but also the response of the Canadian government.
• UN Security Council calls for an “impartial investigation” into Israel’s assault on the civilian flotilla that killed at least 9 human rights activists; the U.S. government had succeeded in watering down the original resolution presented by other countries.
• The first deportees from the flotilla return home to Greece, Turkey and Germany, with accounts of beatings and confiscation of all private property by Israeli forces.
• Egypt temporarily opens its border with Gaza at Rafah.
• University and College Union in Britain pass new resolutions supporting the boycott Israel movement.

Feature:

We were unable to connect with Greta Berlin, a cofounder of the Free Gaza movement, to talk about the situation with the flotilla activists being held by Israeli forces. Instead, we presented an interview taped the day before by Chris Cook of Gorilla Radio with Jon Elmer, Canadian freelance journalist, currently in Bethlehem. Jon spoke about the misinformation the Israeli government was putting out and also was very critical of the Canadian government position towards the Israeli raid. He also updated us on the reaction of the Palestinians in the occupied territories to this latest Israeli assault on civilians.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of a statement by Vancouver East MP Libby Davies condemning the Israeli raid, calling on the Canadian government to condemn the action and also highlighting that the siege on Gaza must end.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli forces injure a 14-year-old disabled Palestinian boy at the weekly Bilin protest against the apartheid wall.
• New documents show that the Israeli government offered apartheid South Africa nuclear weapons in the 1970s.
• Free Gaza movement begins to assemble its flotilla as Israel insists it will stop the ships from delivering their humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Feature:

A live interview with British journalist Alan Hart, who was currently on a North American tour to talk about his book trilogy, entitled “Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews”. Alan explained his history as a journalist and how he developed a more objective view of the plight of the Palestinian people. He also said that in addition to promoting his book, he is trying to encourage people in the U.S. and Canada to be more informed and to pressure their governments to adopt a less pro-Israeli and more balanced position. Alan finished off by sharing some stories about interviews and meetings he had with late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a report on Inter Press Service about how USAID is helping Israel to construct its apartheid road system in the occupied West Bank.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Two people were severely injured in Bilin during its weekly anti-wall march, that also highlighted the 62nd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba or dispossession.
• Israeli authorities prevent Prof. Noam Chomsky from crossing the Allenby Bridge into the occupied Palestinian territories, detained him for 5 hours and then deported him; Chomsky was to speak at BirZeit Univeristy near Ramallah.
• The Israeli government is reportedly planning to demolish and evacuate dozens of Palestinian homes and buildings in occupied East Jerusalem.

Feature:

The feature was a commemoration of the 62nd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba or dispossession and included 3 reports or personal statements, two from Palestinians and one from an Israeli Jewish mother. The first was about the meaning of Nakba day, the ethnic cleansing that took place and is still happening and the sanctity of the right of return. The second was a story by an American Palestinian whose grandmother had survived the Deir Yassin massacre. The last statement was by Nurit Peled-Elhanan, an Israeli educator, about why she mourns on Nakba Day and how she wants her children to know she supports the dispossessed so they will believe in a future with hope and justice.

Focus on Zionism:

A May 18th, 2010 press release from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel welcoming the cancellation by Elvis Costello of his scheduled performances in Israel

Here is an audio file of this show: