KPFA Flashpoints Feb 20: Anne Gwynn again in Nablus; new Edward Said lecture

Thursday, Feb 20, 2003 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Anne Gwynn reports on home demolitions in Nablus.. Edward Said in a major lecture at UC Berkeley..
-00:44 Dennis: yesteray our special correspondent, a 65 year old grandmother from Wales, Anne Gwynn was shot in the leg by an young IOF soldier.. Anne: not a single freedom fighter left in the city, the IOF attack on a purely civilian population.. they are firing huge shells, taken hundreds of people captive.. a soldier said, we are here to give you peace in the future, the Israelis want peace, the Palestinians do not.. Anne: buildings 3000 years old, the demolish one an hour.. they brought everyone out of the hotel in the middle of the night.. arrested two members of the staff and their families.. and the terror continues.. you cannot buy any food or drink for two days.. the tanks drive up and down knocking over lamp standards.. (sound of tank shell fire).. Anne: MY GOD, HOW CAN THIS CONTINUE?!.. ATTACKS ON A CIVILIAN POPULATION THAT WANT PEACE.. EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS, BETWEEN 1 AND 5 PEOPLE KILLED.. PEOPLE ARRESTED EVERYDAY.. COME ON AMERICANS, GET OUT AND PROTEST.. Anne later: the bombardment of the old city has stopped.. over one hundred buildings destroyed.. a boy aged 14 and his grandfather killed in the street, holding hands and trying to get to their homes.. another family given 15 minutes to produce the father, or their home will be destroyed.. one Israeli soldier killed today.. so we expect all hell is going to break loose.. the hospitals are overflowing.. yesterday 30 injured, 2 killed.. I saw those two people being killed.. no drugs for sick..
-08:07 Anne: Dennis the Israelis have just blown up the home of the ^^^^ family like they threatened, the father was not in the house, the Isarelis are so stupid, goodnight.
-08:41 Dennis: the whole world is turning its back on this illegal occupation.. now w excerpts from a lecture last night at UC Berkeley by Professor Edward Said.. Host: tickets sold out immediately.. born in Jerusalem, attended Harvard, teaches at Columbia.. a writer, scholar, literary critic.. author of many books.. now w Prof. Edward Said: [no review or summary could do justice, please listen yourself to this excellent talk]..
-34:08 Dennis: I am a life loving human being.. and this is a Pacifia Network pledge drive period, make a donation today.. call 510-848-5732 or 800-439-5732.. KPFA is the troubadour of the electronic airwaves.
-58:00 Dennis: wrapup: see Greg Palast at the First Congregational Church, Berkeley, Feb 26, 7PM, $15 tickets, no one turned away, wheelchair accessable.. more info call 510-548-0542.
-59:06 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

-29:04 music break
-30:54 Dennis: this is a Pacifia Network pledge drive period, make a donation today.. call 510-848-5732 or 800-439-5732.. KPFA is the troubadour of the electronic airwaves.
-58:00 Dennis: wrapup: see Greg Palast at the First Congregational Church, Berkeley, Feb 26, 7PM, $15 tickets, no one turned away, wheelchair accessable.. more info call 510-548-0542.
-59:06 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

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Tuesday, Feb 18, 2003 - Start Audio *
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Israeli tanks, bulldozers and homicide helicopter gunships attack the occupied city of Gaza.. Barbara Lubin..
-01:20 Dennis: in the last weeks millions of people have stood up.. today Israel attacked Gaza.. following the assassination of 8 resistance fighers and six others.. now w Amani of a NGO micro loan program for poor women.. Amani: in the last few weeks, not new, but more intensive.. tanks come in, start shooting everywhere, destroying houses.. the Gaza Strip is very crowded, houses ontop of each other.. when they destroy one house, other houses are also destroyed.. destroying houses, workshops.. (Amani gives more details).. Dennis: we're getting reports that there will be a major assault on Gaza City.. one of the most densely populated areas in the world.. the children are suffering.. how are your kids?.. Amani: I have three.. now I can hear shooting, the situation all over.. are they used to it?.. no, they are looking forward for peace.. saying to their parents, what kind of protection are you giving me, you can not protect me.. I took my children to other school, a bit safer, but others cannot.. especially Rafah and Khan Yunis.. all these houses demolished, and the children, saying we want to be free, we want our land back.. Dennis: you left the apartment building?.. Amani: yes, to be safe.. I can hear the tanks and helicopters coming closer.. Dennis: are you going to a bomb shelter?.. Amani: we don't have such things in Gaza.. like a big prison camp.. checkpoints closed.. took six hours in the evening, sitting in the car six hours.. we are trying our best to continue to help women.. micro loans.. but now hard to move around Gaza Strip.. smaller and smaller.. about the kinds of projects Amani makes loans for.. small markets, groceries, food.. everyone looking to find food for their children.. clothes.. Amani: about what is happening here.. a year ago, I opened a door, found nothing behind the door.. 30 houses destroyed at one time.. a house used to have 10 people, now have 20.. Dennis: Sharon to use War on Iraq to ethnic cleansing.. Amani: everywhere we are talking about that.. talking how can we prepare.. Gaza and West Bank the same.. (sound of gunfire mixed with noise of wind and rain).. Dennis: right after that interview it got a lot worse, attack helicopters and tanks attacked Gaza..
-18:50 Dennis: now w Barbara Lubin of the Middle East Childrens Alliance.. Barbara: Amani and her husband are good friends of mine.. one project of hers is embroidery.. when I was there two years ago, I stayed with Amani in her highrise.. on the 17th floor.. we had to flee in the middle of the night.. ran to her in-laws on the 3rd floor.. it is totally horrifying what is going on.. I am very frustrated.. somehow it doesn't resonate in the world.. we are working with the CDC, sending three folks to do a study on the nutritional needs of the children there.. houses are being mowed down, sometimes with people inside.. a 67 year old woman in Nablus shot in the head, soldiers stopped their truck and got out and killed her.. I know her, a wonderful woman, had nothing to do with politics.. sitting outside her home, sewing in the sun, shot in the head.. my heart goes out to all the people in Gaza, the children are screaming, everyone running.. no shelters, no place to run, no place to hide.. Dennis: (reads) a ridiculous AP wire copy.. 'Israeli incursions into Gaza are relatively common.. destroying the homes of suspected militants'.. Barbara: there probably lives a wife, children, two sets of grandparents.. not just a *militant*, but an entire extended family dies.. about Ziad Abbas.. he called me, he tried to come back, went to Sweden.. back to NY, arrested, stripped, held for three days.. he went to a meeting in Rome, got very ill, bleeding ulcers.. now in a hospital in London.. only got a visa for three days.. has had 11 blood transfusions.. they say he has to go back to Sweden.. a true story of Palestine.. to fly from one country to another.. sickening, and heartbreaking.. Dennis: you have heard Ziad Abbas on this show.. Barbara: a remarkable wonderful human rights worker and journalist.. he has no country.. there is a problem in this country, many people are afraid to speak.. critical of the policies of Israel.. the Palestinian and Israeli children pay the price of that silence, of that looking the other way.. every year that this goes unattended to, more and more anger festers, more and more young people turn to violence.. we are the peace movement.. I think there is a change starting.. but still a wall goes up.. one school called me, they don't want the issue of Israel and Palestine to be brought up.. Dennis: about Israel flaunting the UN resolutions, and the US supporting that.. Barbara: many people are afraid to speak out, afraid there will be called *anti-Semitic*, or a *self-hating Jew*.. KPFA is one place where you can hear the truth about the Middle East.. but to be pro-Palestinian is to be pro-justice and to be pro-Israeli too.. I want everyone who cares about justice to pick up that phone and call 510-848-5732 or 800-439-5732.. Dennis: this is a Pacifia Network pledge drive period, make a donation today.. call 510-848-5732 or 800-439-5732.. Barbara: one premium you can get is the Greg Palast documentary, Counting on Democracy,.. and see Greg at the First Congregational Church, Berkeley, Feb 26, 7PM, $15 tickets, no one turned away, wheelchair accessable.. more info call 510-548-0542.. Dennis: Greg explores the connection between Bush and the bin Laden family.. I just saw the Roman Polanski film, 'Piano', about the Holocaust.. when I saw the Warsaw ghetto fighters, I was reminded of the Palestinians.. Barbara: many of those Jews who survived decided not to go to Israel after the war, didn't want to live in a religious state.. Barbara: I brought over three kids from Dehaisha Camp to live with me and go to SF State.. I hear them talking to family in Palestine.. telling them, we have electricity, we have hot water, no curfew.. all new, used to being locked in their homes, no being able to go out, no electricity, no hot water.. these three guys were with me at the demonstration the other day, but say 'what about us'? our war has been going on for years.. this is a Pacifia Network pledge drive period, make a donation today.. call 510-848-5732 or 800-439-5732.. KPFA is the troubadour of the electronic airwaves.
-58:00 Dennis: wrapup: see Greg Palast at the First Congregational Church, Berkeley, Feb 26, 7PM, $15 tickets, no one turned away, wheelchair accessable.. more info call 510-548-0542.
-59:06 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

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