Flashpoints Jan 2: Schurr n Rafah: Lubin n Dehaisha; Pals return after 54 years

Thursday, Jan 2, 2003 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: Three teenagers executed in Gaza for trespassing on *Jewish only* land (ie: stolen Palestinian land).. a special new cemetery for Dehaisah kids killed by Israel.. a Palestinian family returns home after 30 years.. did NPR spike a commentary about Iraqi oil?.
-01:00 Dennis: three Palestinian 15 year olds shot and killed.. murdered by the US supported Israeli killing machine.. now w Kristin Schurr (link2) of International Solidarity Movement (ISM) (link2) (link3) in Rafah Camp, illegally occupied Gaza.. Kristen: just north of Gaza city is Jabalya refugee camp, and just north of that is the illegal Jewish settlement of .. the Israeli military said the three children, entered a closed military zone.. wearing civilian clothes.. their bodies had massive damage, shot many times in the head.. even the Israelis said they had no guns, but (weakly) claimed they 'had knives in their pockets'.. they were not even near the illegal settlement.. but on Palestinian land recently *taken over* (illegally) by Israel.. victims of a corrupt and brutal, racist apartheid system.. murdered for 'trespassing' on their own land.. Dennis: you're in Rafah Camp now?.. Kristen: yes, and last night here, 'Block J' attacked heavily by the Israeli military.. they're going far, far in from the defensive wall they are building to protect a nearby illegal settlement.. shooting all night long.. the homes near the wall already destroyed, blown up, bulldozed.. soldiers shooting from the tanks, shooting from rooftops.. the *front line* gets further back everyday.. all the families in the next row of homes, taking their things out of their homes today, they knowing their homes are next.. the soldiers climbed onto the top of the homes they were mining and shot randomly into the camp to scare people.. the place is full of children with nowhere to go.. even when they are not destroying homes, the tanks set back, and keep shooting and shelling.. just to sit down anywhere in the camp and try to converse is nervewracking.. last night the most hideous ever.. you can hear the tanks grinding around.. they completely obliterate any memory of the homes the military blows up.. some families are taking a stand in staying in their homes.. the Israeli military is trying to destroy the Palestinian people.. Apache homicide helicopters attacked the middle of the camp last night.. and the military came and put everyone in a school and interrogated them, and took 4 more away to join the 8,000 already interned.. the Israelis are trying to kill everyone here.. yesterday in protest, people walking to the tanks.. the Israeli government is not listening.. neither is the U.S., who is funding this massacre..
-10:42 Dennis: now w Barbara Lubin from Deheisha Camp near Bethlehem.. Barbara: the last few days, we've been in Gaza and Hebron.. EACH PLACE A SERIES OF HORRORS.. TODAY WE VISITED A NEW CEMETERY, FOR THE CHILDREN OF DEHAISHA.. HARD, HARD ME LOST IT THERE.. WE CAME UPON THE GRAVE OF A SWEET YOUNG FELLOW I KNOW.. ALL ABOUT WERE GRAVES, AND FLOWERS AND PICTURES OF YOUNG CHILDREN.. A DOZEN NEW HOLES ALREADY DUG AT THE READY.. THE BOY I KNEW, A 13 YEAR OLD, PART OF IBDAA CULTURAL CENTER.. HE WENT TO RACHEL'S TOMB WITH SOME OTHER KIDS TO THROW STONES AT THE SOLDIERS.. THEY SHOT HIM.. HE DIED AFTER SAYING TO HIS FRIENDS, 'PROMISE ME, NEVER GO THERE AGAIN'.. I just lost it up there, I never cry.. but it was really, really sad, the horror of what is going on here for kids.. Dehaisha has always been radicalized, that's why I like it.. YESTERDAY WE WERE IN HEBRON.. ONE AREA THERE HAS BEEN UNDER CURFEW FOR TWO YEARS.. 50,000 PEOPLE ONLY ALLOWED OUT FOR ONE HOUR A DAY.. CAN YOU IMAGINE?.. LIVING IN A SMALL HOME WITH 7 OR 8 KIDS AND ONLY BEING ALLOWED OUT FOR ONE HOUR A DAY?.. EVERYTIME I COME TO HEBRON THE ISRAELIS ALWAYS PUSHING, PUSHING, PUSHING THE PALESTINIANS BACK.. we saw it yesterday.. the soldiers pushing Arab merchants, people away from their business.. the frustration and the horror.. Terry Greenblat, and the Bat Shalom women, are tearing their hair out, what to do, what to do?.. in Dehaisha today, some soldiers came in jeeps, and 200 kids came out and threw stones and molotov cocktails.. but the soldiers will be back, and the next time a lot of kids could get killed.. there are times I don't even recognize an area anymore.. very upsetting.. KIDS NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THEIR TINY AREAS.. THEY SAY 'WE ARE IN PRISON', AND THEY ARE IN PRISON.. Dennis: about the Ibdaa Cultural Center?.. Barbara: we're under curfew again at 2PM.. a lot of kids thumb their noses at curfew.. but now the phone lines are down.. no internet connection..
-xx:xx Barbara: I brought David and Mona Halibi (sp?) back with me.. now w Mona: both I and my husband live in Berkleey.. we grew up listening to our parents stories about when they used to live here.. southwest Jerusalem.. I found the house.. very emotional to stand by the gate and look at that house.. it was grounding to see where I came from.. I never felt I belonged until I stood outside that house.. my mother had told me about a giant orange tree outside her bedroom.. and, lo and behold, there it was.. and I decided I would pick some of the fruit.. it wasn't really trespassing, I didn't have to enter the gate.. the downstairs was closed, boarded up.. we were with Jeff Halper.. he talked to the upstairs tenant said she had been living there since 1956.. David also went to his family home.. a little south of my mother's home.. stone houses with red tile roof, many trees.. when we got there, disappointed to see a string of condominiums.. an alley behind, we walked down, and there it was!.. suddenly the door opened and a man came out.. occupied by a small American religious sect.. an older woman there, said 'would you like to see the house?'.. it was delapidated.. for the last 54 years has had no repair.. David saw the staircase where his mother fell and went into labor with him the next day.. we all wept a great deal.. it rooted us both in a way, nothing else could have.. Dennis: did you explain to the current occupants about yourselves?.. Mona: a little, but we're not confrontational.. they moved into the house in 1953.. David left in 1948, shortly after Deir Yassin.. the night before his family left, a hand grenade thrown onto nine-month old David's balcony.. loudspeakers in the street warning them 'what happened in Deir Yassin will happen to you'.. so they fled to Lebanon, hoping to return when things were more peaceful, but they were never allowed back..
-28:15 music break
-31:46 Dennis: looks like the U.S. is going to war, even though Bush says he wants peace.. is it about oil?.. now w James Paul, of Global Policy Forum, author of a series of papers about Iraq.. James we've been seeing this thing develop for a while now.. discussions have taken place already about what will happen with the oil after *we* win the war.. Dennis: the oil companies say, no way, they're not applying any pressure.. James: the government also denying.. and we don't have a smoking gun, or a whistleblower.. but we know how important Iraqi oil is.. and about the history of Iraqi oil.. obvious that this is a huge prize.. the PMs of Britain and France almost had a fist fight over it at the signing of the treaty of Versailles.. a lot of references recently to the *Iraqi opposition* meeting with western oil industry in London.. reporter David Ottoway.. talked to former CIA head, James Woolsey.. said China and Russia and France had better *get on board with the U.S.* or they wouldn't get any oil.. Dennis: the U.S. would never go to war just for oil, would they?.. James: looking at history.. (for the last hundred years) the oil industry has been very influencial in determining US foreign policy.. during the dark days of WWII, Churchill and Roosevelt got in a heated argument over who was going to get what share of Middle East oil after the war.. and the U.S. very keen on supporting Israel 110%.. and overall an emphasis on empire and development.. a number of different elements to this pictures.. but oil is probably 3/4 of the mix.. Dennis: North Korea says ok, we're throwing the inspectors out and building nukes.. Bush saying, ok we'll negotiate.. Iraq has a hundred inspectors and no hint of nukes, and Bush surrounds the place with troops.. and never mention the fact that Israel has 200-300 nuclear weapons and never an inspector.. James: about the many Bush administration people with close ties to the oil industry.. but all recent administration has had close connections to the oil industry.. (close to the surface) Iraqi oil can be produced for an incredibly low price, about $1 barrel.. oil now selling for $30 barrel.. the company that get to 'lift' the oil can make a easy $29 profit.. incredible profits.. Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron Texaco, Royal Dutch Shell.. hope to make a trillion dollars profit.. Dennis: about the UN.. the US government grabs the 12,000 page Iraqi report and voila! back comes a 4,000 page report.. James: the Colombia ambassador was Security Council president that month.. Colin Powell went to Bogata and doubled US assistance.. and voila again! the Colombian ambassador gave the report to the US.. ignoring the Security Council's own rules.. about other US shennigans at the UN.. Dennis: about the US and other corporations that helped arm Iraq.. about the commentary you were asked to record by NPR.. James: I think we can see censorship at play.. I got a call from All Things Considered.. to do an op-ed.. on oil.. I wrote up a piece and submitted it, they editted it, ok, then we recorded it, ok.. that was 25 days ago and it has never come on the air.. now they don't reply to my emails, return my phone calls anymore.. the NPR producer was Sarah Sarrason (sp?).. Dennis: you, our listeners, might want to call her at All Things Considered, 202-513-3165
-54:18 Marvelous Mary Bishop: wrapup
-54:54 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Wednesday, Jan 1, 2003 - Start Audio

the US grabbed the document and cut thousands of pages out of Iraq's report on its weapons of mass destruction program.. Flashpoints originally reported on Iraq's weaponry in 1997, in a report titled, Made In America, produced together with the SF Bay Guardian, and honored by Project Censored in 1998.. now w with Andreas Zumach (link2) of the German paper, Die Tageszeitung, in Geneva.. Zumack: the original Iraqi report, 11,807 pages divided into four chapters.. the UN ruled that only those pages that contained weapon construction information were to be cut out.. the US seized the document and cut out 8,000 pages and delivered that to the ten non-pemanent members.. and we can't be sure that the US gave an unedited version to the other four permanent members of the Security Council.. Dennis: the US already talking about a material breech by Iraq for omitting information, how can we be sure now?.. Zumach: we can't.. but the problem is that of now, no one is making an issue out of that anymore, except the Syrians.. and all the information about foreign suppliers, corporate, national, or personal, cut out of the report.. about the Shah of Persia.. after he was toppled.. Iran was perceived as the number one enemy.. once Iraq in 1980 decided to go to war with Iran, he got support from all over the world.. armed with everything he could possibly want.. biological, chemical, nuclear, and conventions.. without any limitations, in spite of international treaties, like the non-proliferation treaty.. which corporations involved?.. 24 US companies.. 49 companies based in the US, but subsideraries of European countries.. leading the way, the American company, Type Culture.. and Rockwell helped Saddam expand and improve his missile program.. Iraq's Skud missile only had a range of 350 kilometers, the range expanded to 600 kilometers by Rockwell to enable it to reach Israel.. a number of companies delivered pistols, tanks, machinery to enable Iraq to make these weapons.. and Bechtel built most of the weapons factories.. in most of these cases the US DOD or DOE, or DOA gave permits.. Lawrence Livermore participated openly.. in cooperation with Saddam Hussein.. Iraqi scientists openly invited to the US for training.. no limitation at the time.. most financed by the federal government.. could order any technology to take home.. Saddam could have even developed biological weapon programs without the anthrax seed stock provided by US.. used all kind of tricks to cover up what they were doing.. Dennis: Zumach doing a great job in uncovering the original documents.. Rumsfeld asked in Congress if the US played a role in arming Iraq, he said no.. Zumach: Iraq killed 5,000 Kurds on one sunny afternoon.. Rumsfled knew.. US complicit in genocide.. the Pentagon gave all the target information for their use of gas against the Iranians.. from 1986 the US had to know.. Dennis: you say the Pentagon supplied the intelligence for Iraq's use of gas on the Iranians.. George Bush I and Rumsfeld diplomats to Iraq at the time.. Zumach: Bush senior was head of CIA then, they had to know what was happening, and who they were dealing with.. Saddam came to power with the help of CIA.. the day after Saddam came to power, a cable from CIA in Iraq, "he may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch".. Dennis: James Baker told Saddam, we want a close working relationship with you.. six months before Iraq invaded Kuwait, Iraqis invited to a US sponsored nuclear detonation conference.. Zumach: the US ambassador told Saddam we don't care if you invade Kuwait.. this is documented.. Dennis: the CIA knew Iraq was planning to use his weaponry against Israel.. Zumach: it didn't stop them.. but once Saddam indicated he wanted to raise the price of oil, a decision made to limit him.. Dennis: about the Congressional hearing by Henry Gonzales on Iraq-Gate.. he was called a traitor, the CIA said he should be taken out and hung.. Zumach: before his investigation, you could find bits and pieces of information here and there.. SC resolution 1441 Nov 9.. making demands to Baghdad.. one demand missing strikingly, to lay out where the weapons came from.. Dennis: the weapons inspectors saying they are not going public with this information because they then won't get cooperation from the companies.. you buy that?.. Zumach: no, no.. about the inspections in the 90's, the inspectors would come across weapons, labeled Rockwell, etc.. they needed the companies cooperation then.. not now.. the companies programs are over.. balanced against the need of the public to know the true history of Saddam.. plus exposure would mayby prevent a reoccurence.. Dennis: US taxpayers helped arm Saddam?.. Zumach: he got loans and grants from the US to buy weapons.. US competing with the Soviet Union.. a lot of money provided by the US taxpayers.

The U.S. corporations involved...
- A: nuclear; C: chemical; B: biological; R: rockets
1) Honeywell (R,C)
2) Spektra Physics (C)
3) Semetex (R)
4) TI Coating (A,C)
5) UNISYS (A,C)
6) Sperry Corp. (R,C)
7) Tektronix (R,A)
8) Rockwell )(C)
9) Leybold Vacuum Systems (A)
10) Finnigan-MAT-US (A)
11) Hewlett Packard (A.R,C)
12) Dupont (A)
13) Eastman Kodak (R)
14) American Type Culture Collection (B)
15) Alcolac International (C)
16) Consarc (A)
17) Carl Zeis -U.Ss (C)
18) Cerberus (LTD) (A)
19) Electronic Assiciates (R)
20) International Computer Systems
21) Bechtel (C)
22) EZ Logic Data Systems,Inc. (R)
23) Canberra Industries Inc. (A)
24) Axel Electronics Inc. (A)
Additionally to these 24 companies based in the US, are nearly 50 subsidiaries of foreign enterprises whose arms co-operation with Iraq seems to have been operated from the US. In addition, Ministries for defense, energy, trade, and agriculture, as well as the foremost U.S. nuclear weapons laboratories at Lawrence Livermore. Los Alamos, and Sandia, are designated as suppliers for the Iraqi arms programs for A, B, and C-weapons as well as for rockets.