Our feature presentation today is a conversation with the remarkable Israeli journalist and prolific author Amira Hass, who writes for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Among her prominent books: Drinking the Sea at Gaza: Days and Nights in a Land Under Siege (1999) and Shifting Sands: Jewish Women Confront the Israeli Occupation, 2015 Updated Edition (2010/2015). Her works are celebrated by the pro-justice community in Israel and worldwide. We have featured her at least twice on This Week In Palestine. Unsurprisingly, she is loudly criticized, condemned, and smeared by the racist pro-Zionist community.
That conversation is with Chris Hedges, renowned author and journalist who has written for the New York Times and many other publications. His recent books include Unspeakable (2016) and Wages of Rebellion (also 2016). Bestsellers include Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2010) and American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America (2008). Our parent show, Truth and Justice Radio, has featured him at least 10 times.
The conversation takes place on Hedges' RT television news program, On Contact.
Before that, we discuss recent developments relating to Israel's program of land theft. To steal vast tracts of Palestinian farmland, Israel frequently invokes "temporary" âmilitaryâ or âsecurityâ reasons, purportedly allowed by The Hague Regulations. Use varies, but frequently it becomes an Israeli settlement.
On the hope-building side, a somewhat different strategy is being tried in a court challenge of Israel's abuses of "temporary" justification, asserting that it has now "expired" (even though it was phony from the beginning), and land must therefore be returned to its Palestinian rightful owners.
Predictably, on the hope-killing side, Israel's "leaders" have decided to short-circuit the effect of any court decision favorable to the original land owners quite simply, by passing and implementing a new law that declares all previous "temporary" seizures now permanent!
This Week In Palestine (a weekly part of Truth and Justice Radio) is an award-winning three-quarter-hour segment of news from Palestine and discussion of issues relevant to the Palestinians' struggle for freedom from Israel's brutal military occupation and colonization of their homeland. It speaks from the point of view of Palestinians and those who care about them. It's a regular part of Truth and Justice Radio, aired Sundays 6-10am ET on WZBC 90.3FM, Newton, MA, streaming live and archived for two weeks at wzbc.org; TJR's website, truthandjusticeradio.org, has a link to This Week In Palestine archives back thru 1-6-2008; editions are also accessible at radio4all.net or by navigating through our playlists. (At this important time, TJR has been airing Palestine coverage IN ADDITION to that provided by This Week In Palestine.) We hope you'll write to us at tjradio@fastmail.com if you rebroadcast our work, or have questions or comments.
This Week In Palestine 2-12-2017
A Conversation between two greats, Amira Hass and Chris Hedges