Bradley Burston is a columnist for Israel's Haaretz Newspaper, and Senior Editor of Haaretz.com. See his January 2010 story here. Bradley Burston joins us to talk about his story in the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, about the possibility that another Gaza war may be looming. He asks, can Obama stop it before it starts? Burston cites what he calls a "coolly terrifying analysis by Yom Tov Samia, former overall Israeli military commander of the Gaza Strip and the adjacent Negev". Bradley Burston, January 15, 2010, is Israel planning second Gaza War, part 2, see part 1, interview with Phyllis Bennis January 13, 2010.
Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, CT
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There have also been tensions between Israel and Turkey after strong language by Turkey's Prime Minister, Erdogan who criticized Israel for recent air strikes on Gaza and their threats of more violence. Erdogan has also warned Lebanon that Israel may be planning an attack on its Northern neighbor and there are anecdotal reports of Israeli soldiers training in the Negev.
The heightened tensions coincide with Israel's insistence on continuing to push Palestinians out of their homes to make way for new settlements. (See January 2009 story in IPS, Peace Recedes as Israeli Settlements Expand, By Daniel Luban here
Israel has also been fighting back against critics, some within the peace and justice community and the Gaza Freedom March delegates turned away as they tried to cross the Egyptian border into Gaza, and now the non-governmental organization community, human rights groups in particular. We discuss prospects for peace amid rising tensions.
For strong supporters of Israel, the debate centers on the rockets being launched from Gaza into Israel, something MidEast expert Phylllis Bennis said were illegal since they were not strictly against military targets. She said they could have been stopped had Israel agreed to maintain a cease fire and come to the table for talks with Hamas.
Between late December early January, the IDF launched several air strikes in Gaza also shot at least twelve Palestinian between December 26th and January 13th. The strikes killed both militants and civilians. Some 20 missiles have also been launched against Israel without causing any damage, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In 2006 Bradley Burston received the Eliav-Sartawi Award for Middle East Journalism, an annual prize for Arab, Israeli and international journalists. His winning piece, "Let their people go," appears in his blog "A Special Place in Hell" on the Haaretz Website.
