News Highlights:

• New destruction in Rafah refugee camp by Israeli military flattens another 30 homes and a mosque, and leaves hundreds more Palestinians homeless.
• On Jan. 18th, Israeli undercover squad kidnaps three Palestinians in Nablus, and in Gaza, 15 Palestinian pilgrims were denied travel to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage.
• Palestinian and international leaders call on Israel to stop extra-judicial assassinations.
• Palestinians ask international community to submit testimony to the International Court of Justice, ahead of the Feb. 23rd hearings on the apartheid wall
• Israeli ambassador to Sweden defaces art exhibit by an Israeli expatriate, ambassador kicked out of Swedish museum but praised and supported by Ariel Sharon
• Recent report issued by Coalition to Stop the Use of Children Soldiers details Israeli abuse of Palestinian children under 18, particularly incarceration in Israeli jails.
• Israel refuses to allow Scotland Yard to be part of investigation into the shooting death by Israeli troops of Tom Hurndall, a 22-year-old British student.
• Lebanese President and UN officials call on Israel to cease violations of Lebanese airspace and territory, after Hezbollah rocket hits an Israeli military bulldozer that was operating in Lebanese territory.

Feature:

An in studio discussion about recent events in Palestine and also what might develop in 2004, especially regarding the role of the U.S. The panel talked about the apartheid wall and the upcoming hearings in the Hague, as well as the recent devastating raids into Nablus and Rafah. The American presidential election campaign was also discussed, and the consequences of that for the Middle East region in general and Palestine in specific.

Focus on Zionism:

A new report by the International Womens Peace Service about the resistance of the Palestinians in Budrus village against the apartheid wall. The villagers have been able to hold off the Israeli bulldozers for three months with unified non-violent actions, and their slogan is: “We can do it”.

News Highlights:

• Israeli army invades Tulkarem refugee camp on Jan. 12th; conducts mass arrests.
• Appeals from Bani Zaid al Gharbiya that Israeli forces are using villagers as human shields during their operations in another town; Beit Reema.
• Israeli refuseniks form “Courage to Refuse” and plan joint actions, after supporting the 5 young Israelis jailed for refusing to serve in the army.
• Palestinian leaders reaffirm right to declare an independent Palestinian state.
• Palestinian PM also says they would consider a single binational state; Palestinian analysts say frustration is mounting amongst the Palestinian population.
• U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell blames Palestinians for impasse in Middle East roadmap negotiations.
• Israeli list of settlement outposts to be dismantled is deceptive, according to Palestinians Israeli security expert says the roadmap plan cannot be implemented and this is well known by all parties involved.

Feature:

An interview with Johanna, a Vancouver woman, who just returned from 6 weeks volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine. Johanna spent most of her time in the Jenin region, and spoke movingly of her experiences there, and what she witnessed at checkpoints and during raids into villages. She also explained about a children’s art exhibit from Jenin that will hopefully be in Vancouver in the future, and about a reception on Jan. 31st at which she will speak about her time in Palestine.

Focus on Zionism:

Highlights of a Gush Shalom campaign to remove British Airways billboards in the illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

News Highlights:

• Nablus and the adjacent area have been under attack for 12 days, with 14 Palestinian civilians dead so far and at least a hundred injured; Israel is destroying 400-year-old heritage buildings in the Old Casbah in Nablus.
• The refugee camp of Balata is nearing starvation as the Israeli siege prevents food or medicine from entering
  Dr. Mustapha Barghouti condemns the war on Nablus and the silence over it, and also holds the Palestinian Authority (PA) responsible for wasting time on useless negotiating meetings.
• Israeli settlers get an extension to appeal the dismantling of a few “outposts” and extremist Kahane/Kach supporters hold a gala celebration at one such outpost.
• Palestinian leaders are concerned about Ariel Sharon’s “unilateral” moves, as Egyptian officials again meet with PA officials to push the “road map”.
• Palestinian PM Ahmed Qorei puts summit with Sharon on hold due to Israeli attacks on Nablus and condemns international silence over the latest Israeli actions.

Feature:

VOP was unable to reach Kelly, an international volunteer in Nablus, to talk with her live about the situation of the besieged city. Instead, a report she had filed a few days prior from Nablus was read as an Eyewitness Palestine. She talked about the spirit of the people to try and resist the curfew, and the horrible consequences for some of them. The Qarion section of the city is particularly hard hit, and she explained how the internationals try to take food and medicine there, and how they have been shot at and injured. She concluded with the story of a 12-year-old schoolboy who, despite the conditions, still tries to go to his classes, even though the school is usually closed due to the curfews.

Focus on Zionism:

A Likud deputy in the Knesset proposes “ethnic cleansing” of the Palestinians as a viable solution, and says there is widespread support for the idea within Israel. Ahmed Tibi, another Knesset member says this represents “Israel’s ugly face”, and adds to even table such a proposal for discussion is a grave development.

News Highlights:

• On Dec. 28th, the Israeli army fired on peace activists, protesting against the apartheid wall, injuring one American and one Israeli, Gil Naamati.
  Naamati had just finished his compulsory Israeli military service and joined the demo because he was outraged by the separation wall and its consequences on Palestinians; his injuries fueled the growing debate in Israel over the army’s actions in the Palestinian territories.
• On Dec. 29th, armed settlers attacked and brutalized a Palestinian man in Halhoul.
• On Dec. 25th, Israel launched a missile attack in Gaza, killing 5 Palestinians; shortly after, there was a Palestinian bombing in Tel Aviv that killed 4; all this followed a two day assault on the Rafah refugee camp, which left 9 Palestinians dead.
• The meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian PMs is on hold.
• On Dec. 28th, Israeli soldiers killed 3 Palestinians in Gaza; Israeli leaders signed orders to evacuate four of the ?gwildcat settler outposts?h, 3 of which are uninhabited, and the settlers say they will oppose the action. The settler population has grown by 16% under Ariel Sharon?fs government, as compared with just 1.8% for the county as a whole; outlying settlements had a particularly high growth rate.

Feature:

An interview with Melissa, a B.C. peace activist, who had just finished a three month volunteer period with the International Solidarity Movement in Palestine. Melissa spent the majority of her time in the Rafah refugee camp, and was one of the few international observers to the devastation Israel is inflicting there. She spoke of the destroyed homes, the despair and poverty of the people, and the meager amount of international aid for the families made homeless by Israel. She encouraged all interested people to support the work of ISM, either by going as volunteers themselves or by getting involved in the Vancouver chapter (www.ism-vancouver.org).

Focus on Zionism

Reporters San Frontiers (RSF) lambasted Israel for its abuse and harassment of Palestinian and foreign journalists. Israeli troops have killed 10 journalists, two of them European, during the second intifada. Many journalists agree that Israeli attacks on press freedom have reached a new level of ferocity.

News Highlights:

• A new attack on Rafah refugee camp in Gaza kills 8 Palestinians and injures 32, including children.
• Three Palestinians wounded during Dec. 22nd Israeli invasion of Jenin
  Meanwhile, the 7-day invasion of Balata refugee camp near Nablus continues; has already resulted in the death of two Palestinian children, one 5 years old and another 13.
• A dozen reservists from the Israeli military’s elite commando unit refuse to serve in the Palestinian territories, saying, “We cannot continue to stand silent.
• On Dec. 19th, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Palestinians had only a few months to “make peace” or Israel would take unilateral steps to impose its own border.
• Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem and Gaza prepare for a bleak Christmas due to a devastated economy, roadblocks and curfews.
• Egyptian Foreign Minister confronted by Palestinian protestors in Jerusalem, some threw shoes at him.
• Two Israeli human rights groups report that more than half of Palestinian moms are giving birth at home, because of the Israeli roadblocks and travel restrictions; three and a half years ago, 95% of Palestinian babies were born in hospitals.

Feature:

An interview with a Canadian humanitarian aid worker, Keith Reynolds, who was in Manger Square in Bethlehem. Keith spoke about the lack of festivities for Christmas this year in Bethlehem and how somber was the mood of the Palestinians there. He detailed his other experiences in the West Bank, specifically in Jenin and Ramallah. He also explained how difficult it has become for Palestinians in their day-to-day life, especially with the economic obstacles and many people living at or below the poverty line.

Focus on Zionism:

Excerpts from an article in an Israeli newspaper, quoting several Israeli cabinet ministers at a recent conference on “security”. Justice Minister Lapid called the settlers “barbaric”. Finance Minister Netanyahufs comments were also revisited, wherein he stated that the Israeli Palestinian population is a demographic threat to Israel.