Flashpoints Aug 12: tragic report from Nablus; Children of Ibdaa documentary

Monday, August 12, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 KPFA News Summary
-03:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Stephanie Salter fired from SF Chron... Israeli terrorists.. Children of Ibdaa.. Barbara Lubin.. Osha Newman.
-03:45 now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Turkey denies.. Israeli deploys.. Zimbabwe restores.. Colombia in a 'state of emergency'.. Mugabe says "we will watch the farms".. Mid East news, Iraq denies weapons, and says US allegations are lies, "GW standing in quicksand.".. invasion practice by Turkey?.. about Kurdish *contras*.. about Turkey's *mutual support agreement* with Israel.. Palestinian militants hold a *unity summit* today.. list demands.. refuse to stop suicide bombings.. Israeli military panel endorses expulsion of relatives to Gaza.

-09:48 Dennis: about a new *incursion* in the West Bank.. Israeli forces continue to terrorize Palestinians.. using starvation and thirst as weapons of collective punishment.. residents don't know where the next slice of bread or drink of water is coming from.. now w Paul Larudee, a member of the International Solidarity Movement.. Paul: I'm in a building outside Nablus under curfew for 54-55? straight days.. the army coming four times a day.. Beit (?inaudible).. we got word that the neighboring village, just after nightfall.. soldiers ordered everyone inside, then set off percussion grenades.. the military went into the neighboring villages.. announced all the male villagers between 15 to 45 to report to the school for *collection*.. a type of collective punishment.. My first day into Nablus on this trip, included carrying a dead man down from the roof of a house.. he had gotten up on the roof on a hot night for fresh air.. I HAVE NEVER SEEN PEOPLE AS ON EDGE AS IN THIS VILLAGE.. WATER IS NON-EXISTENT IN THE VILLAGE AS WELLS, ROOF TANKS DESTROYED.. SUPPLIED ONLY BY TANKER TRUCK.. SUPPLIES DISRUPTED.. NEED 24 TANKERS A DAY FOR 14,000 PEOPLE.. ONLY GETTING ONE.. the man shot on the roof, an ordinary man, not a fighter.. the Israeli military uses night vision scopes.. at 3AM he would have been the only thing alive in their scope.. we need to stay inside the village, to appear at the place where the men are being rounded up, take videos, ask questions.. others in the team to get ahold of B'Tselem [and Gush Shalom], and others in the human rights movement.. I'VE NEVER SEEN AN ENTIRE TOWN AS SCARED AND NERVOUS.. NOW THEY ARE BUTCHERING ALL THEIR LIVESTOCK, BECAUSE THERE IS NO WATER.. THE ROADS BLOCKADED FOR TWO MONTHS.. THIS IS A SEIGE..
-19:00 music break
-19:35 Dennis: Stephanie Salter axed from the Chronicle.. editor, John ^^^^, told her that her work didn't 'fit' anymore.. Stephanie: Brown didn't know.. but the bottom line is I will write my columns for the rest of the month, then I'm off the op-ed page.. a lot of changes in the paper lately.. I'm just one part.. the op-ed page just the latest to be 'reorganized'.. I've been on the op-ed page for 16 years.. I'm listening to other offers, but want to stay with the Chron.. Dennis: doing dog shows, flea markets, and operas?.. Stephanie: (laughs).. more like straight reporting.. the old-fashioned kind of reporting.. I've done it.. a kind of step back from what I want to do though.. Dennis: You can write for Flashpoints anytime.. the editors saying you're not 'fresh'.. George Will on the op-ed page today, how fresh is he?.. Stephanie: (laughs).. he's syndicated.. we run him.. NY Times writers.. Molly Ivins.. about the decision being made without imput from me though, that's tough.. Dennis: a lot of angry people in the rightwing that don't like you.. for example: your column titled: Iraqis know how New Yorkers are suffering, Kathy Kelly on a 40 day fast. Stephanie: and recentely I wrote: Many Deplore Bombing of Iraq.. I hear from people all over thanking me for giving a voice to dissent.. there are a ton of people out there, not happy with Bush.. I hear from them in droves.. about the kind of stuff I write.. a diverse set of column subjects.. Dennis: Deborah Saunders staying?.. Stephanie: yes, good for the readers, and John Carroll is staying too, I think.. I am to-be-axed Aug 28, but until then columns every Wednesday and Sunday.. Dennis: the Looming War?.. Stephanie: a lot of red-blooded Americans out there becoming appalled.. I'm a patriot but I'm not going to rubber stamp immorallity.. Dennis: who fired you?.. Stephanie: ultimately the publisher rules.. no changes like this without his command.. I'm heard he doesn't like my column, but I haven't talked to him.. John Opedall (sp?).. to voice your opnion on the firing of Stephanie Salter.. 415-777-1111.. there is cricism here about the middle east.. both sides of the issue, accuse the editors of bias.. a really hard issue to cover in a reasonable way.. people tend to be deaf.. I have not written a lot about Israel and Palestine.. Dennis: maybe Debra Saunders will share her column with you?.. Stepahanie: follow your heart, email, phone calls, letters.. emails to letters@sfchronicle.com.. more SF Chron submissions info
-40:16 music break
-41:00 Children of Ibdaa, a new documentary about a Palestinian cultural center dance troupe who have toured the world to 'Create Something Out of Nothing'.. interviews with the dancers.
-45:00 Dennis: now with documentarian film maker, Smith Patrick.. Smith: my hope was to bring images in contrast to our media images.. let you meet some of these kids.. just being in Deihaisa camp is a life changing experience.. you realize that our media does more of an injustice than you can ever imagine.. how difficult it is just to maintain normal life.. I was there for six weeks.. no one ever said to me, 'you're an American, your country supports our occupation', instead they would always want to share their lives with you.. about the kids we took into Israel to walk on the bones of their ancestral villages.. now w Barbara Lubin: how the Ibdaa culture center came to be.. a French NGO invited 20 kids to come dance in France.. I've known Ziad.. they created Ibdaa, meaning making something out of nothing.. we are a family.. Shirrabi, Osha, the families there.. Osha, Smith and I took the kids back to Dehaisha.. we spoke about that.. it was gruesome.. the evening we showed the film, 250 crammed in to watch.. they saw themselves, and they loved the film, no criticism from anyone in the camp.. EVENT: a benefit for the children of Dehaisha; Wednesday, Aug 14, at LaPena in Berkeley, 7:30PM: first Osha's slide show, and then the film, Children of Ibdaa.. Please come.. info: Middle East Childrens Alliance: 510-548-0542.. Dennis: we'd like to bring this show to Houston too.. Osha: It's important, because it's difficult to remember.. nothing here to compare to the destruction and ruin.. people living among ruins.. but there is steadfastness, joy, solidarity, community, love there.. Smith: the focus of the film is the dancers of Ibdaa.. the spirit of the Palestinian people is my hero.. not a sense of violence intrisic to that community.. feels the violence is coming from the exterior.. Dennis: how old are you?.. Smith: I'll be 34 next week.. and I'm committed to Palestine for life, my heart is still there.. Barbara: this film about the dancers that you people have met.. you'll recognise the faces for sure.. Dennis: about my eviction.. I've lived at one address for ten years.. now a three week eviction notice.. help!.. Barbara: please send in housing leads for Dennis and Debbie.. email Dennis at dbernstein@igc.org
-59:04 Dennis Bernstein: wrapup..
-59:36 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Friday, August 9, 2002 - Start Audio

interviews with Palestinian legislators, MK. Azmi Bishara and Hannan Ashrawi; about international debt as a new form of slavery

now w leading Palestinian spokeswoman, Hannan Ashrawi: impossible to meet with other Palestinian legislators, or with my constituency.. I can not even get to my offices, much less meet my constituency.. about Marwan Barghouti (sp?).. arrested.. no normal life under occupation.. the enormity of the pain and suffering.. impossible to adequately address now.. we need real reform.. reflect Palestinian rights.. the president (Arafat) is beseiged.. to need to be able to elevate the policy debate.. to see beyond the latest Israeli atrocity.. not a piecemeal approach.. where you end up adopting the Israeli proposals out of desperation.. Yun Suh: how have the Israeli attacks affected your relationship with the people?.. Hannan: this seige has affected every aspect of Palestinian life.. the nature of the discourse has become one of survival.. people are being subjected to the most brutal attacks.. feeling rudderless, helpless.. you are seeing a radicalization of the struggle.. people standing up for their rights and met with tremendous violence.. we were advocating peaceful protests.. we are not armed, we can not enter into a military conflict.. when the intifada became militarized.. (we lost).. people lashing out, out of revenge, out of desperation.. THERE IS NO MILITARY SOLUTION, THERE IS NO LIMIT TO ISRAELI BRUTALITY.. WE DEMAND THE ISRAELIS STOP TARGETING OUR CIVILIANS, WE SHOULD NOT TARGET THEIRS.. PALS NEED TO TAKE THE HIGH MORAL PATH we need.. to build institutions.. multifaceted.. elections should take place as soon as possible.. but we need freedom of movement to carry out an election.. but when you are under seige.. elections should not be abused or used by the US or Israel.. everything an excuse by Israel to avoid a solution.. that would return land to Palestinians.. elections should not be a tool of neo-colonialism.. WE NEED PROTECTIONS.. INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPERS FOR THE GOOD OF BOTH PARTIES.. Dr. Ashwari: Palestinine is headed for freedom and democracy.. I am constantly amazed by the ability of the majority of Palestinians not to lose their humanity.