At the heart of Israel’s defense of its occupation and siege of Gaza is the weaponization of the term "antisemitism." Any criticism of Israel is defined as antisemitic, as well as any mention of boycotting Israel as a non-violent strategy for resisting occupation and apartheid in historic Palestine. The name calling is an attempt to divert criticism of Israel.
We begin this week with a short interview conducted by Mehdi Hasan on his news show on Peacock with Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen, who recently wrote a provocative piece in the New Yorker entitled "In the Shadow of the Holocaust."
Both Mehdi Hasan and Masha Gessen are facing criticism for their critical analysis both of Israel and the United States for their complicity in the genocide being conducted in Gaza.
Our feature presentation today is an interview with Hanan Ashwari, longtime leader and often voice of the PLO, where she speaks out about what she rightly calls the genocide in Gaza.
Sometimes we bog ourselves down in our attempts to define such words as antisemitism, apartheid, and genocide. We should not allow such sideshows to divert us from dealing with the larger subjects, occupation and colonialism, but it is worth noting that an Israeli historian and scholar on genocide has put himself out on a limb by labeling the continuous Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people, particularly the current relentless bombardment of Gaza as “classic genocide.” Israeli Associate Professor Raz Segal explains this thoroughly in the 10-16-2023 edition of Democracy Now. We hear that now.
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; Truthandjusticeradio.org has a link to This Week In Palestine archives back thru 1-6-2008. (TJR airs occasional 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 12-24-2023
Weaponizatlon ot tne term "antisemitism," and what about "genocide"? Masha Gessen, Hanan Ashwari, and Raz Segal