News Highlights:

• Recent reports stated that in one week at the beginning of March, Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians and injured 47 more, as well as engaging in collective punishment and other human rights violations.
• New Palestinian unity government may be announced soon, as Hamas and Fateh officials meet to resolve final issues.
• Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, criticize Israel for setting preconditions to any Middle East peace talks and urge Israel to accept the “2002 Arab initiative”.
• Palestinian MP is rearrested after just being released by Israel last month from “administrative detention”, which is imprisonment without charge or trial.
• New reports say Israel was preparing for an aggression into Lebanon long before two Israeli soldiers were captured last July; information is based on testimony by Israeli PM.

Feature:

Highlights of a speech by Adam Haniyeh, from the Coalition against Israeli Apartheid, who was in Vancouver from Toronto and addressed a public meeting on March 11th. Adam’s speech was on the issue of “Challenging Apartheid in the Middle East” and he talked movingly about the harsh and discriminatory conditions Palestinians face in their daily lives. He also detailed some of the campaigns underway in Canada, especially in the labour movement and the boycott against Chapters/Indigo.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts of a March 9th, 2007 dispatch from the Christian Peacemakers Team in Hebron/AlKhalil, that documented Israeli military and settler harassment of a 73-year-old Palestinian shepherd.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israeli army is using Palestinian civilians as human shields in their military operations, most recently in Nablus, something that is banned even by the Israeli Supreme Court.
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accuses EU of fostering a pro-Israel approach and turning a blind eye to Israeli violations while still maintaining the siege on Palestinians.
• Several EU countries are already calling for a change in EU policy once the new Palestinian unity government is in place.
• Israeli cabinet minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer cancels trip to Egypt following Israeli TV documentary saying Ben Eliezer’s commando unit executed 250 Egyptian POWs in 1967.

Note: A panel discussion followed the news and analyzed the difficulties in forming the new Palestinian coalition government, as well as the EU position regarding the economic siege on the Palestinian people.

Feature:

An Eyewitness Palestine with a special report from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on fundraising in the U.S. to support expansion and strengthening of the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli settlement organization Amana has been hosting “housing fairs” across the U.S. asking buyers to purchase a settlement home that would then be rented out to settlers, and thereby “leave your thumbprint on the destiny of Israel”.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a March 4th, 2007 report from the World Food Program that stated 80% of Gazans receive food aid and live below the poverty line, and 54% are “food insecure”.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Israel troops finally withdraw from the centre of Nablus, after a 3-day military invasion that left shops and homes destroyed; Palestinians bury Anan Tibi, 42, who was shot dead for breaking the Israeli army curfew.
• Universities and schools in Nablus were closed due to the Israeli aggression and one school was turned into an interrogation center, where children as young as 11 were taken for questioning.
• Irish bishops question Ireland’s commercial ties with Israel, noting the systematic abuse of Palestinian human rights by Israel.
• Hamas leader Khalid Meshal praises Russian efforts to end the siege on the Palestinians and to support the new Palestinian unity government, during a visit to Moscow.

Feature:

A live interview with Ron Saba, editor of the Montreal Planet magazine, about Canadian government support for Israeli occupation, specifically the tax-deductible status for groups like the Jewish National Fund that openly discriminate against Palestinians. Ron detailed how three Palestinian villages were destroyed and one project of the Jewish National Fund, called Canada Park, was built on the ruins. A Palestinian survivor of one of those villages, Dr. Ismail Zayid, lives in Halifax and has tried for years to have the Canadian government reverse this infamy. Ron encouraged all listeners to contact the government and their MPs to call for action on this matter.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of the concluding statement from the recent report of John Dugard, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and S. African lawyer and professor. Dugard called attention to the many Israeli human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories and said this has become a test for the West.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Palestinian media reports that the three-way summit between Condoleeza Rice, Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas sidestepped all the crucial issues.
• The Guardian quotes Olmert as saying that Israel and the U.S. have already agreed to not recognize the new Palestinian coalition government.
• Palestinian PM criticizes the negative U.S. attitude and says the priority of the new government will be lifting the siege and improving the conditions of the Palestinians.
• Israeli newspaper Maariv says Jordan’s King Abdullah is not happy with the Palestinian unity agreement as he had his own “peace initiative” that would have involved secret negotiations and marginalizing Hamas.
• Israeli archaeologist reveals that remains of an ancient Moslem prayer room near the al-Magharibah Gate in Jerusalem have been kept secret by Israel since 2004.

Feature:

An in-studio interview with Jon Elmer, a Canadian freelance photojournalist, who recently returned from Gaza. Jon talked about what he saw and experienced in Gaza and detailed the horrific conditions people are living under. He explained that because of the Israeli bombing of the Gaza power station last June, blackouts are frequent and can last for 40 hours. He also spoke about the lack of available basics and foodstuffs due to the Israeli siege. (See www.jonelmer.ca )

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a Feb. 19th, 2007 Haaretz article about an Israeli anti-wall activist being convicted of participating in a protest in Tel Aviv against the separation barrier.

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Palestinian PM says his government will resign shortly, to pave the way for forming a new Palestinian coalition government.
• Israeli and Palestinian leaders disagree over the agenda of the Feb. 19th, 2007 summit with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice; Israel refuses to discuss the major issues impacting any final status agreement.
• Israeli PM Olmert threatens formation of the Palestinian unity government is a “test” for Mahmoud Abbas.
• Senior Lebanese officers and U.N. peacekeepers agree to work on marking the border between Lebanon and Israel, a few days after an exchange of fire at the border.

Feature:

A tribute to Jewish-American folk singer David Rovics, with samples of his songs and writings. Several of David’s songs were played, including The Key, They’re Building a Wall and I Remember Warsaw. Highlights of his recent essay, titled “Journey of a (‘Self-Hating’) Jew”, were read in which he talks about the false claims of Israel to represent all Jews and the attacks on those who oppose Israeli policies. For the full text of the essay see http://www.songwritersnotebook.blogspot.com/. Listeners were also encouraged to visit his website www.davidrovics.com for more information about this prolific and moving artist.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a Feb. 12th, 2007 article from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz about the visit of Chilean Judge Juan Guzman to see if Israeli civil authorities can be indicted in Europe for the demolition of Palestinian homes. Guzman compared the Palestinians lives under occupation to the lives of Chileans under Pinochet, whom he helped bring to trial (although later aborted).

Here is an audio file of this show:

News Highlights:

• Palestinian PM Ismail Haniyeh says he is hopeful the unity talks in Saudi Arabia will produce permanent results.
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials tell Israel to stop excavations near the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem which could damage archaeological ruins; excavations may also endanger regional diplomatic efforts.
• British Foreign Secretary visits region following last week’s quartet meeting in Washington, which disagreed over the policy of isolating Hamas.
• Date set for 3-way summit with Ehud Olmert, Mahmoud Abbas and Condoleeza Rice on Feb. 19; Olmert says he hopes Abbas will not form unity government.
• Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians condemns the creation of a parliamentary “Israel Allies Caucus” by the Harper government.

Feature:

A live interview with Randy Janzen from Nelson, B.C. who recently returned from a trip to the occupied Palestinian territories. Randy volunteered with the Christian Peacemaker Team CPT in Hebron/AlKhalil and he gave some background about the CPT and how they were invited as witnesses by the mayor of Hebron over 10 years ago. Randy spoke about the difficulties Palestinian civilians were facing in crossing one of the major streets, Shuhada St., in the city and also detailed some of the other harassment Palestinians faced.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a Feb. 5th, 2007 article in the British Independent about a new organization of British Jews that was launched as a counter-balance to the uncritical support for Israeli policies from the established Jewish groups.

Here is an audio file of this show: