Alain Gresh of Le Monde Diplomatique on Talk Nation Radio
April 7, 2009
Produced by Dori Smith
Listen here
Alain Gresh is a veteran journalist and editor at Le Monde Diplomatique
We spoke with him about Mideast policy, Israel's hard line policies toward the Palestinians, Israli policy re settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the war in Gaza, his February story Gaza war changes Middle East equation at Israel's expense, the Obama Administration, Iraq, Iran, and more.
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here
Or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org
Topics include:
Israel's December and January assault on Gaza.
Israeli plans not yet clear, except plans for new settlements.
The Olmert administration and the Netanyahu administration.
Policies that follow an old line of reasoning amongst Israeli hard liners, that Arabs only understand force.
Iran policy, and Alain Gresh says Netanyahu will try to get Obama to support an attack on Iran but he does not anticipate one happening for this month anyway.
Gresh on Iran and Syria here and on a possible Iran attack during the Bush administration here
and here from 2007 piece, countdown to war on Iran, and also don't miss Gary Leupp's piece from 2007 here re Bomb Iran for Israel and America!
Then some updates on stories that broke that were on related topics such as a piece in the diplomatic section of Haaretz Newspaper by Aluf Benn, Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu. According to Benn, US officials are working to inform members of Congress about US policy on a two state solution. They are ostensibly trying to preempt Netanyahu's appeals according to the Haaretz writer. And US Envoy George Mitchell arrives in Israel.
Also we note on April 7, 2009 here CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer interrupts Vice President Joe Biden as Biden claims outcome of Israeli and Palestinian conflict vital to US. Later Blitzer switches the topic to a possible Israeli attack on Iran. Does Biden 'fear' Israel will attack Iran's 'nuclear program' asks Blitzer.
V.P. Joe Biden replies: "I don't believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that. I think he would be ill-advised to do that. And so my level of concern is no different than it was a year ago."
We wonder too, will the Obama or Netanyahu appeals to US Congress win the day re an attack on Iran? Codepink has been working to prevent a US attack on Iran for years. Here is their page on their Iran delegation.
Don't miss this page by Gush Shalom, the Israeli peace group, on the Separation Wall!
Talk Nation Radio: Syndicated weekly with Pacifica Network. Contact: talknationradio@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Saeed Ahghari M.D., just back from Gaza
Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Saeed Ahghari M.D., just back from Gaza Talk Nation Radio for April 8, 2009
Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Saeed Ahghari M.D., just back from Gaza
Listen to this week’s show here or download below. Listen to part 2 of the talk by Norman Finkelstein at the University of Connecticut 4-7-09 here
..download below.
Norman Finkelstein spoke about Gaza in context with the history of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. In part one we begin with an interview with Dr. Saeed Ahghari just after his return from a visit to Gaza where he worked as an emergency medicine specialist treating wounded and assessing the crisis for civilians.
Part 1 TRT:29:54
Part 2 TRT: 1:15
Produced by Dori Smith, WHUS, Storrs, CT
Download parts 1 and 2 at Archive.org here
or at Pacifica’s Audioport at the link below or part 2 at Radio4all.net
Download part one at Pacifica’s Audioport here
Or at radio4all.net and archive.org later today
We hear from Middle East expert Norman Finkelstein who spoke at the University of Connecticut April 7th as he talks about the history of Israeli policies leading up to the attacks on Gaza that began December 27th, and generated massive protests. In addition to attacks on a UN compound where 700 civilians were seeking sanctuary, Israeli troops also bombed a UN school killing some 40 people, many of them children. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and other groups, are calling for an investigation into Israeli’s attacks on heavily populated civilian areas, direct attacks on women and children, and even emergency medical teams as they tried to apply lifesaving techniques. A growing number of people world wide have offered the assessment that the Israeli state was itself harmed by it’s own actions, though the US under Barack Obama has thus far continued to resupply them with heavy weapons despite requests from Amnesty International that they not do so.
First, we’re joined on the phone by Dr. Saeed Ahghari, an emergency medicine specialist who recently returned from Gaza where he helped treat the wounded after Israeli air and ground attacks in December and January.
Dr. Ahghari spoke at the Charter Oak Cultural Center Gallery, 21 Charter Oak Avenue, Hartford Connecticut on Saturday April 11th at 1 PM about what he witnessed in Gaza as he was offering medical care.
This is a nice looking group of students and community members listening to Dr. Norman Finkelstein give a talk about Gaza. The scholar also took many questions and a lively discussion ensued. There was only one person who sounded even slightly concerned about media reports on Hamas. She spoke quietly and respectfully about those concerns and the evening continued without any sort of problems....
That makes us wonder why Clark College became so concerned about having Finkelstein speak at the invitation of students? Clark College has denied Norman Finkelstein the right to speak, because they claimed, his talk would come on the same day that another event was going on regarding the holocaust. Yet, as it turns out that event was not on the same day.
See story here: Boston Herald.com Students object as Clark University cancels Norman Finkelstein talk By Associated Press, Saturday, April 11, 2009
'Clark President John Bassett canceled Finkelstein’s appearance, saying the timing was bad. The speech was scheduled for later this month on the same week as a Holocaust and genocide studies conference at the school. Bassett said Finkelstein may be back at Clark next year when the timing is better. 'letters can be sent to local papers and Boston.com has received quite a few.
Please put a comment at the bottom of the article above and send a polite but blunt letter to the President at presidentsoffice@clarku.edu and letters to the local newspaper letters@telegram.com Worcester Telegram and Gazette
Another photo of the audience at Norman Finkelstein's talk at the University of Connecticut:
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