Flashpoints Apr 9: DR in Jenin; Ramallah; Doctors w/o Borders; UC Berk protest : Indybay

KPFA Flashpoints Radio
Tuesday, April 9, 2001 - Start Audio

-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Israeli military terrorists continue their killing spree in the West Bank.. civil disobediance at UC Berkeley
-01:24

Dennis: now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Israeli onslaught.. oil embargo, Powell's trip, the Arms Export and Control Act..
-05:10 Dennis: tanks and helicopter gunships continue their carnage.. in Jenin, Israeli soldiers face resistance.. now w Dr. Ali Jabarem (sp?) in Jenin..

Dr. Jabarem: I've been trapped in the hospital 6 days.. 24 hour curfew.. no one can get out, few can get in.. yesterday we received some people from Jenin, they told us, many casualties.. many houses destroyed.. many, many persons homeless.. they drank sewer water, mixed sewer water with baby formula.. no food, no water, no electricity, no refrigeration in Jenin Camp.. here at the hospital we have little diesel fuel for our generator.. in Jenin, many bodies in the road, between houses.. I am unable to go to my house, six days, because of curfew.. two ambulances trying to get to Jenin were destroyed by tanks.. we beg the Red Cross to get in and bring out the wounded persons from Jenin.. we are afraid of an outbreak of disease..
-15:00 Dennis: a humanitarian disaster in Ramallah.. now w Sam Bahour:

I am a businessperson from

America, living in Ramallah.. today was similar to other days in Ramallah.. I awoke to the noise of two tanks in front of the house.. my children are terrified.. we hear explosions about every two hours.. we hear there is looting by the soldiers.. blowing off the doors of jewerly shops, banks.. stealing merchandise, money.. from homes they are stealing, money, computers, cell phones.. today I talked to a reporter who was in Serbia.. he said the destruction is comparable.. even Perez today said what is happening in Jenin is a 'massacre'.. 16 Israeli soldiers killed in Jenin camp.. the Israelis then asked the Red Cross to ask the Palestinians for a ceasefire to remove *their* wounded.. this from a force that has for six days denied ambulances to reach wounded Palestinians.. the Palestinians said, go ask Arafat.. Dennis: we are hearing reports of children going through the rubble, looking for their parents.. Sam: Palestinians are living with their dead for 4-6 days.. the humanitarian disaster is huge.. people trying to deliver food shot by soldiers.. about security borders, Sharon is telling CNN it is 'withdrawing' from cities, but he only moving back a kilometer or so and setting up a 'buffer zone'.. about the US law against using US weapons against civilians.. the US has stopped the violence in every other part of the world.. but when it comes to Israel we slap them lightly on the wrist. Bush politely *asked* Israel to withdraw, then Powell politiely *asked*, then Rice politely *asked*.. IS THERE NOT AN INTERNATIONAL FORCE THAT CAN STOP A RAMPAGING ARMY?.. WITHOUT THE OCCUPATION THERE WOULD BE NO SUICIDE BOMBERS.. I think that this latest onslaught, added to 35 years of brutal military occupation.. Ariel Sharon has created another generation of resistance.. we have lots of rebuilding to do here, and we will do it.. Israel is putting itself in moral danger.. and the US is just watching it happen.. US interests in the Middle East go far past Israel
-27:35 Dennis: an open letter

to Colin Powell from Doctors Without Borders (DWB) (link2).. now w Sally Mauch(sp?) of DWB just back from Hebron.. Sally: attacks by settlers on school children

with attack dogs, rocks, sticks.. the schools have to close early.. because of the Jewish only roads, they must walk to school through checkpoints.. the settlers lie in wait and throw rocks at them.. the soldiers beat the children, watch the settlers attack Palestinians.. the soldiers will not intervene.. about long term physchological damage.. the Palestinians have a great sense of community.. incredible fortitute.. but they say, everyday they expect to die.. but this onslaught has people very upset, that they accept.. there are going to be a lot of long-term effects.. a whole generation of children with a lot of fear, thinking of people as if they aren't human.. men in the family not being able to work.. domestic violence on the increase..
-40:00 Dennis: a ongoing march in downtown Berkeley following a rally by thousands at UC Berkeley..

now w Palestinian student, Nora Eracot: 80 students earlier had a sit-in at the Wheeler Hall at UC Berkeley.. one of us was arrested, the bail was $500, but the cops wouldn't take the money.. Roberto Hernandez, a Chicano brother here, supporting Palestine.. Dennis: a major civil disobedience at UC Berkeley and now a Yun Suh produced audio collage of the Sproul Plaza rally preceeding the sit-in and march.. speaker 1: today the 54th anniversary of "Sproul

Deir Yassin massacre.. Israeli terrorists killed more than a hundred villagers.. then they went to neighboring villages and on loudspeakers told the people that if they didn't leave the same thing would happen to them.. starting the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.. a cowardly massacre intended to scare the Palestinians out of Palestine.. Begin wrote: without Deir Yassin, there would be no Israel.. speaker 2: 450 Palestinian villages were destroyed.. speaker 3: I am a Palestinian girl trapped in America.. I want to live in peace like other children in the world.. speaker 4: I can not think of a better way to honor my ancestors crowd member 1: terrorism is not acceptable.. crowd member 2: I think they are supporting terrorism.. "Sproul

speaker 5: we are all united in the fight for justice.. NOT IN MY NAME.. you as an American citizen, a taxpayer.. we are sending our money to Israel to kill Palestinians.. chant: JUST LIKE SOUTH AFRICA.. crowd member 3: right now the students just stormed into Wheeler Hall, bringing attention to the massacres.. confronting the police.. a violent confrontation with police.. a door is open and students are going in.. we are going to occupy a building on campus and present our demands to the regents, DIVEST FROM ISRAEL.. speaker 5: nothing has changed.. DIVEST FROM ISRAEL.. Nora: more than 200 students have occupied Wheeler Hall.. to draw attention to the barricades around Palestinian University.. Dennis: ACTIONS: tomorrow at noon, an 'END THE OCCUPATION NOW' rally at 456 Montgomery Street, SF at NOON.. tonight I and Robert Knight will be speaking at New College of California, at 777 Valencia Street in SF, at 7PM. Please Come.
-56:05 End today's show.. today's review by john lionheart Wednesday, Apr 3, 2002 - Start Audio

-00:00 Dennis Bernstein:

with Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Prison abuses in New Jersey jails.. detainees held without charge.. Zimbabwe boycott by Europeans.. Israel angry at press for 'utter disregard of military censorship' (ie: reporting on 'extrajudicial executions', ie murders).. Adam Shapiro's parents in New York forced to flee their home because of death threats.. thirst as collective punishment, Israel shooting private home water tanks.. citizens running out of food too.. a giant health catastrophe.. the situation getting more and more dire
-06:00 Dennis: Israeli rampage continues..

Ramallah hospital under seige.. Doctors ordered to 'come out with their hands up'.. they are refusing.. now w Dr. Sharif inside the hospital.. Dr. Sharif: we have many dead bodies.. the Israelis are not allowing the ambulances to pass.. they are shooting the ambulances.. the garbage building up.. they broke the water main.. we had to collect water from the rain.. we were told to come out of the hospital with our hands up.. we did not abide with their command.. we can not abandon our patients.. Dr. Sharif: we are expecting people to die, because we have no medicines, and we can not operate.. no electricity, no water, no food, no medications, no disposables.. they shoot the ambulance of this hospital.. when we try to cross the street they shoot.. today they are going to invade Bethlehem.. they are shooting everyone.. they are not allowing the dead bodies to be collected from the street.. a 66 year old woman, came to the hospital to have a cast removed.. a sniper shot her in the head, and she died.. Dr. Sharif: It's a very difficult situation.. I can't explain the Israeli behavior.. not abiding by any rule of civilized society
-13:30 Dennis: now with Huwaida Arraf..

Huwaida: I was just on the phone "Huwaida

with friends in Nablus.. tanks have made their way through, shooting at houses.. people have been expecting this.. the have stocked up on food, turned mosques into makeshift hospitals.. I was at Ramallah hospital earlier today.. saw a tank purposefully block ambulances bringing in patients.. internationals riding with the ambulances to protect the medical workers.. doctors fired upon.. blatant disregard of the 4th Geneva Convention.. Dennis: about the standoff at the Church of the Nativity.. Huwaida: the church in a residential neighborhood, people around are very very frightened.. family members killed by shelling, random fire.. people have dead bodies rotting in their homes.. 30 people wounded in Manger Square.. ambulances blocked.. people bled to death.. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NEEDS TO MAKE ISRAEL STOP.. Huwaida: we know many many homes where they have had no food for a couple days now.. we are trying to at least get bread and water to people.. the internationals are planning to go on foot if we can't use an ambulance.. the water pipeline into Ramallah has been cut.. people using their 24 hour reserve tanks
-21:30 music break
-22:10 US Muslims meet with Colin Powell..

now w Nehad Awah(sp?) head of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who attended the meeting.. Mr. Awah: we asked him to intervene in America's interest.. these atrocities taking place with American weapons, with American support.. we should hold Israel to a standard.. Isreal is a strategic liability.. violating the standards of justice.. violating US law.. most Americans including Colin Powell, deep down, identify with the Palestinian suffering.. but because of political considerations.. the whole world is watching.. Israel killing.. putting the entire population under seige.. producing suicide bombers.. Powell expressed great support for the Palestinian people, said he is in frequent contact with Arafat.. but his public statements the last few days.. just to please the Israelis?.. he assured us that he believes in a Palestinian state, and a lot of things must change.. Mr. Awah: the Palestinians have every right to resist brutal and illegal military occupation.. my belief: US congresspeople have been responding to US/Israeli interest groups
-29:12 music break
-29:38 Dennis: now w Norman Finkelstein, (Verso)

author of

Image and Reality*, and The Rise and Fall of Palestine*, and The Holocaust Industry* (BBC forum) (Solon.com).. Norman: We are approaching the point of no return.. Israel has to bear full responsibility.. about the suicide bombings.. what accounts for this massive proliferation of these suicide bombers?.. I condemn the suicide attacks, no justification for targeting civilians.. Danny Rubenstein wrote in Harretz.. two years ago 10% of Pals supported suicide attacks, now 80% support.. we need to ask: what accounts for that increase? how about the Israeli targeting of civilians.. Chris Hedges, NY Times Bureau Chief, in Harpers Magazine said, Israel the only country where the occupying power shoots children for sport.. the moral equivalent of suicide bombings.. Arafat was coming down quite hard on the suicide bombers, but for Israel this was a disaster.. their problem all along they haven't had sufficient pretext for obliterating the Palestinians.. everytime Arafat cracked down, Israel escalated the assassinations.. provoking terrorist actions.. so Sharon could do what he wanted all along, to declare war.. Sharon didn't want the suicide attacks to stop.. He wants to escalate them.. the Lebanon war a blueprint.. look for a Sabra and Chatila type massacre in Gaza .. SHARON DOES NOT WANT THE SUICIDE ATTACKS TO STOP, HE WANTS TO ESCALATE THEM.. if killing tens of thousands makes you a mass murder, then Sharon is a mass murderer.. Dennis: about the settlements?.. Norman: the settlements perform two strategic.. one, they fragment the occupied territories into bantustands.. (about South African apartheid).. two, they are located over the crucial water resources.. now 80% of the water resources reserved for Israeli Jews.. under Oslo the number of settlers doubled from 200,000 to 400,000.. since Sharon has come to power 54 new settlements.. but Labor has been more agressive in building settlements.. any lawyer can create wiggle room.. the nature of language.. UN Resolution 242 was very clear.. the first line, "given the inadmissability of acquiring territory by war".. at the time of the resolution, every country in the world weighed in.. about the passing of UN 242.. did not allow for settlements.. did not allow for wholesale confiscation of land.. Israel was clear on 242.. Moshe Dayan didn't endorse 242, because he said, "we would have to withdraw".. a CIA confidential study on the meaning of 242.. it has been leaked, I have a copy.. requires a full withdrawal on all fronts.. allowed for minor and mutual swaps of land.. one can make the argument, wiggle room on both sides.. but US media obsessively supportive of Israel.. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING NOW, THE OBLITERATION OF A POPULATION.. SEEING THE CULMINATION OF 30 YEARS OF PLANNING, OF SETTLEMENT BUILDING.. Arafat and his corrupt crew.. Israeli hoped in exchange for the perks of power, Arafat would go along with the bantustans.. he didn't.. Dennis: about the separation between church and state?.. Norman: I don't think it is possible to resoncile the two principles.. democracy and Jewish ascendancy.. Israel knows that, that is why they have never ratified a constitution.. I don't hold out great hopes for a two state solution.. THE PALESTINIANS WANT THE ISRAELI VAMPIRES OUT OF THEIR LIVES.. AND I AGREE.. FOR 35 YEARS THEY HAVE DESTROYED THESE PEOPLE.. REDUCED THEM TO A STATE WHERE DEATH IS PREFERABLE TO LIVING.. ISRAEL HAS TO TAKE ITS BAGS, PACK THEM, AND LEAVE..
*(If possible please buy this book from your own local independent bookseller)
-56:00 End today's show.. today's review by john lionheart

Flashpoints Apr 9: DR in Jenin; Ramallah; Doctors w/o Borders; UC Berk protest

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