Flashpoints Jan 21: Israelis tie two kids to jeep, beat AP, Reuters photogs

Tuesday, Jan 21, 2003 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: atrocities against Palestinians continue.. 70 shops destroyed.. two teenagers kidnapped and tied to the front of Israeli jeep, used as human shields..
-00:57 Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Iraqi moves and countermoves.. Iraq inks ten point agreement with inspectors.. Bush .. Colin Powell says Iraq must be disarmed one way or another.. France threatens veto.. Germany echoes.. but Tony Blair commits more troops, US sends more too.. Israeli Lebanese border flareup.. Arafat says elections cannpt take place under occupation.. two photographers for AP and Reuters beaten by Israeli border police trying to photograph Israeli jeeps speeding by with two teenagers tied to the hoods, pleading for their lives.. Kuwaitis shoot two more Americans.
-04:36 Israeli brutality approaching the level of Germany in WWII.. military terrorism.. now w Amir Hadi (sp?), a radio broadcaster, station manager from Nablus.. Amir: today is day 215 of curfew, no schools operating.. Dennis: attack on two journalists?.. Amir: one AP one Rueters, eastern side of the city.. saw an army jeep with two boys ties to the front.. tried to photograph the event, the soldiers came back very quickly, beat them, told them if they saw any images of the boys tied to the jeep in the media, they would find him and gouge out his eyes.. the beat them with hammers, more.. attacks like this happen all the time.. an uncomfirmed report today, that one of the tanks today crushed a taxi with the driver inside, they took his fingernails out with pliers.. Dennis: why were the kids tied to the jeep?.. Man: the boys used as human sheild, as sheild, so that anyone throw rocks at them, hit the boys instead.. after they beat the photographers they beat the boys as well, and took them away.. Dennis: Tulkarm under attack.. Amir: they're taking down 65 shops, published in Israeli media.. to build their *security wall*, the main shopping center for that closed military zone.. the whole market gone.. plans to demolish hundreds other shops.. Dennis: where will people get their necessities.. Amir: stealing cars?.. or starve to death?.. what do the Israeli's expect them to do?.. no choice whatsoever.. some shopowners and some ISM members trying to stand in front of the bulldozers, they were beaten up an removed, the shops were destroyed.. Dennis: your radio station?.. Amir: our radio station shelled, we've lost our income, but trying to stay on air and keep our public informed.. we get a little help from the outside world, not much.. sometimes you hear an explosion right next door, but can't go outside and report, you will be killed.. Dennis: kids?.. Amir: not been able to go to school since September, children not being themselves, too scarey, humiliation, a taxi driver waiting at a stop sign, crushed by a tank.. scared, enormous, people talking about how lucky they are to get away from the soldiers with just a slap in the face.. at a checkpoint the soldiers tell you to choose from eight different papers, one paper says they break both your hands, another paper says they break your skull..
-21:03 Dennis: about the shops destroyed, ISM member Lisa Nessan (sp?) was there.. Lisa: yesterday the village had received warning that their shops were going to be destroyed at 2PM.. the Israelis came and saw.. this morning thunder, lighting, and rain.. the International went down.. 5:30AM bulldozers came, Israelis said this street where the shops were was a 'closed military zone' all day.. the street a prime economic area, even Israeli come because the prices are cheaper.. five bulldozers, and stone crushers.. three women in the area.. we notified other internationals to come.. little by little more people came, shopkeepers to remove goods.. children and women walking to school.. more bulldozers, some press.. the military started pushing people out.. (4 minute gap in review).. the shops had been there ten years.. Dennis: knocked over to make room for the wall?.. Lisa: actually the wall is 3 kilometers east (a mile and a half).. so this village will be virtually annexed.. the shops close to the 'green line'.. by destroying the economy of this village, laying the ground for transfer.. Dennis: what did the soldiers say to you, what did you say to them?.. Lisa: my grandparents are Holocaust survivors, kicked out of their village in Poland.. this reminds me of what happened with the Jews in Eastern Europe.. I told them, get your hands off me, I don't know about you, but I'm a Jew, the way you are treating these people makes me sick.. some of them backed off, but a couple others who had been mocking me.. It's hard work here, particularly facing a lot of Palestinians whose lives are being destroyed.. Dennis: we thank you for your work, appreciate your courage and good information, we're sending love to you..
-35:09 Dennis: now w award winning photographer, Mazan Dana (sp?).. Dennis: one of your colleagues took a beating today?.. Mazan: yes.. we are working in just two kilometers square, so many closed zones.. even Hebron divided in two areas.. the arrest us, beat us, smash our cameras.. closed military area means all journalist not allowed, but they allow Israeli journalists.. the day before, settlers attacking Palestinian houses and stones cars.. the soldiers stop us and allow the settlers to beat us.. said we will arrest you or beat you.. the settlers have cameras.. the soldiers let them film.. against the freedom of journalists.. they are not asking soldiers to shoot or not.. I am able to go all over the world, but not about to go to my Reuters office.. letting the settlers decide what goes to Reuters.. Dennis: is AP accepting the settler material?.. Mazan: yes.. from Hebron.. Dennis: so setters and the army reporting to AP.. Mazan: Reuters will not, I think.. journalists are supposed to be neutral.. not armed.. when Palestinian people see *journalists* carrying M-16 guns and cameras, they learn not to trust all journalists..
-44:30 Dennis: as the US prepares for war against Iraq, it says it seeks a diplomic solutions with North Korea.. now w Dennis Halliday just back from Iraq.. Halliday: I met with officials and with regular citizens.. about the feelings of Iraqis about the almost enevitability of war.. people not preparing to use the bomb shelters, because of the US bombing of shelters in 1991.. who should decide the government of Iraq?.. the people of Iraq.. many Iraqis tired of Saddam.. but under sanctions, they are united around Saddam.. like after 911 Bush went up in opinion polls.. US policy is strengthing Saddam, and weakening the opposition.. about the great likelihood of catastrophic loss of live of civilians during such a war.. my greatest fear that the US will once again use depleted uranium.. about the disparity between US treatment of North Korea and Iraq.. I am delighted that the US is willing to talk to North Korea.. but the irrational fear of Iraq.. Iraq's neighbors don't fear Iraq, they understand that the US just wants the oil.. with the great buildup of US forces, Bush would have to be very brave now to 'not' go to war, to withdraw the troops.. I hope he is brave enough.. about the empty warheads found.. but Iraq can do more, and should not let down France and Germany..
-55:20 Marvelous Mary Bishop: wrapup
-55:56 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart