News Highlights:

• Organizers of the Gaza Freedom March call on the Egyptian government to open the Rafah border crossing, which was recently closed, and allow the international march to go ahead on December 31st.
• Palestinian Christians in Gaza are refused permits by the Israeli government to visit Bethlehem for Christmas.
• Jamal Juma, coordinator of Stop the Wall, has been arrested by Israeli authorities and is being held incommunicado.
• Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas claims he stopped a third intifada from happening during the Israeli aggression against Gaza in January, 2009.

Feature:

An interview direct from Gaza City with Mohsen Abu Ramadan, director of the Palestinian NGO Network and one of the organizers of the upcoming Gaza Freedom March. Mohsen, whom we reached earlier in the day by phone, told us about the objectives and preparations for the march and urged people worldwide to join a rally or demo supporting the Freedom March. He also detailed the horrific living conditions in Gaza for the Palestinian population and updated us on the worsening poverty and unemployment situation, as well as calling on people to support the boycott Israel movement.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 21st, 2009 report from Maan News Agency about the new report released by 16 human rights and aid groups, saying the international community has failed the people of Gaza.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Land Research Center of the Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem reported that Israeli authorities demolished 14 homes in November, rendering 122 Palestinians homeless, and issued demolition orders on another 170 homes.
• Palestinian officials condemn Israeli cabinet vote to pump millions of dollars into six West Bank settlements.
• Extremist settlers set fire to a mosque in a Palestinian village, and village leaders turn away settler rabbis who come to visit.
• Palestinian Christian leaders issue the “Kairos Palestine Document” on Dec. 11th, 2009 that calls on the international community and churches worldwide to push for an end to Israeli occupation.

Feature:

Another in our series of Eyewitness Palestine segments, this one featuring two reports about the ongoing and relentless Israeli settlement expansion. The first report had been carried in the Guardian newspaper on December 14th, 2009 and detailed the eyewitness reports of an international volunteer in the south Hebron Hills, under the title “No Freeze on Palestinian Suffering”. The second report, from the December 15th, 2009 issue of CounterPunch, talked about the resistance in the Bethlehem area’s villages to the apartheid wall and work of the Stop the Wall Campaign against the increasing Israeli land confiscation.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 15th, 2009 release from the Alternative Info Center in Jerusalem about the Israeli military arrest raids against the activists involved in the weekly Bilin demonstrations.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• A new report from the Land Research Centre in Jerusalem says Israeli authorities destroyed 14 Palestinian homes in November and issued demolition orders for another 170 homes.
• EU ministers pass a resolution saying Jerusalem should be the capital of two states, but Palestinian officials are sceptical; Dr. Mustafa Bargouthi says the final draft was watered down and others point out this may be an excuse for some countries to move their embassies to Jerusalem.
• Human Rights Watch calls on the Israeli government to immediately release Mohammed Othman, a Palestinian rights activist being held under administrative detention without trial or charge.
• Palestinian Bedouins in the Negev are denied the right to local elections by the Israeli government.

Feature:

A live interview with Naji Mujahid, an African American student activist and journalist, who was arbitrarily detained and deported by Israeli authorities. Naji was on his way to a political prisoners conference in Jericho with Dhoruba bin Wahad, a former Black Panthers leader and U.S. political prisoner, when they were singled out by Israeli border officials for extensive interrogation and then refused entry to be able to attend the conference. Naji told us about the harrowing experience they underwent and also emphasized why he felt the issue of political prisoners in general is so important to progressive struggles.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 8th, 2009 article in the Guardian newspaper about U.S. tax-exempt contributions going to Israeli settlement groups.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli settlers occupy the al Kurd home in East Jerusalem, the latest in a string of settler assaults on Palestinian homes.
• Media reports say negotiations continue over an Israeli-Palestinian prisoner exchange, but Israel is balking at releasing 50 prisoners, including 3 women and high profile leaders like Marwan Bargouthi.
• South African government urged Israel to end practices reminiscent of apartheid there.
• Palestinian groups launch campaign to pressure Gulf States to boycott companies complicit in Israel’s expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

Feature:

An instudio interview with a Palestinian Iraqi refugee, who recently arrived with his family from the Al Hol camp on the border with Syria. Ehab, who spoke through an interpreter Ayman Kallas, told of the horrific conditions they had faced in Iraq after the U.S. invasion and occupation and how they had to flee the country. He explained that Canadian officials had initially visited the camps and interviewed many families for sponsorship, but then refused to bring any of them. Private organizations had then finally succeeded in sponsoring some of the families, and Ehab and others are part of the first group to come. Shawkat Hassan, representing the BC Moslem Association, one of the sponsoring organizations, told listeners how they could help support this effort.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a December 1st, 2009 open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury of the Anglican Church, asking what the Church will do this Christmas to help save the children of Gaza.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli military hands out 25 eviction orders to Palestinian families near Jerusalem.
• Israeli officials ban Palestinian leader Hatem Abdul Qader from the Al Aqsa mosque for 6 months, after earlier banning him from all of occupied Jerusalem for 3 weeks.
• Hamas leaders downplay progress in prisoner exchange talks with Israel.
• Video conference in Gaza highlights the obstacles to Palestinian students’ right to education.

Feature:

A live interview with local activist and artist Carel Moiseiwitsch, about upcoming cross-Canada picket activities against Mountain Equipment Coop MEC for carrying Israeli products. MEC is also being asked to end its partnership with Israeli factories, including military contractors like Source Vagabond. There was discussion of the global Boycott Israel movement (BDS) and the successes it has achieved. Carel also updated us on the lawsuit against her and Gordon Murray for the parody of the Vancouver Sun they produced, that challenged the blatant pro-Israel bias of CanWest media.

Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of a Nov. 23rd, 209 news story about South Africa’s deportation of an Israeli airline official over allegations that Israeli intelligence agents were using the airline and Johannesburg airport to gather information on S. African citizens.

Here is an audio file of this show: