FSTV Online Newsletter - August 1,  2002

Palestine and Israel

The Battle for Interpretation and the Land

Israel - Palestine by the numbers:

Land
… The State of Israel now claims 78% of the original land of Palestine.
… Since 1967 it has occupied the remaining 22%, the West Bank and the Gaza.
… Inside the borders of the State of Israel  there are now 5 million
Jews and 1 million Palestinians.
… In the Occupied Palestinian Territories (the West Bank and Gaza)
there are 3,500,000 million Palestinians.
… There are another 3 million Palestinians  living in refugee camps
in the surrounding countries.
… Since 1967 Israel has settled 400,000 Jews in the West Bank and
East Jerusalem.
… There are over 1 million Palestinians  and under 7,000  Israelis in
the Gaza Strip. But those Israelis and the military that defends them
control 42% of the land.

For a comprehensive and concise history in maps watch:

  "Imperial Geography: Israel and Palestine" with David Barsamian

For a sweeping history of the strategic interest and maneuvers of the

Imperial Powers:

"Intrigue in the Middle East: Lifting the Fog"

by Allen Siegel

________________________________________________________________
For the moment Israel has also won the war of words, at least in the US.

… They have deflected world focus from the central issue, Israel's 35
year occupation of the Palestinian Territories, to the suicide
bombings by Palestinians  that have killed many  Israeli civilians.
… Most world corporate media ignores the fact that many more
Palestinian civilians  have been killed by Israeli soldiers.
… The Israelis and the Western corporate media ignore the fact that
the State of Israel itself was founded on terrorist tactics.  Where
is mention of the Stern Gang and the Irgun, the blowing up of the
King David Hotel, the terrorist slaughter of the Palestinian village
of Deir Yassin in 1948 to terrorize other Palestinian villages into
flight.
… Terrorism is a tactic. One may consider it useful, pointless, moral
or immoral. All states, including the US and Israel have used it.
It's not the issue.  The issue is the brutal 35 year Israeli
occupation.  Will that be ended? Or will Israel continue a policy of
de facto ethnic cleansing?
 

For more on how the western press covers the battle for Palestine:

"Counting the Costs: Jenin, Journalism, and the Desire to Please" by
Robert Fisk, correspondent for the Independent of London and dean of
Middle East correspondents.
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/collision_fisk.ram
 
 

For more on the occupation:

"In a Prison Called Palestine" with Shannon Service and Andy Dieringer.
FSTV reporters travel through the West Bank and Gaza.
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_prison1.ram
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_prison2.ram

"Rescuing Middle East Policy" by the Center for the National Interest
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_rescuing.ram

"Strangers In the House",  by Raja Shehedeh, Palestinian author,
lawyer and human rights activists.  There has never been a higher
level of anger and hatred between the two sides, he says.  Is there a
way to peace?
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_shehadeh.ram

"They Smash Through Our Walls."  In the Balata Refugee Camp near
Nablus, with Jewish-American peace activist and poet Starhawk.
Produced by Brian Long for the Independent Media Centers
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_starhawk.ram

"A Defense of Israel's Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza." An
interview with Marc Regev of the Israeli Embassy to the United
States.  By FSTV's Chris Belcher.
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_regev.ram

___________________________________________________________________
For the momentŠ.for the moment the State of Israel seems to be
"winning."  But throughout the world there are many voices and hands
being raised to to challenge Israel's destructive courseŠand people
of conscience willing to stand up.

"Challenge to the War on Terror and the War on Palestinians."  The
story of the 75,000 people who came to Washington DC on April 20,
2002 to confront Bush's so-called "war on terror" and Israel's
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_A20report.ram

"Actor Edward James Olmos  honored for promoting tolerance after
September 11th."  Camera by Julia Meltzer. Produced by Linda Mamoun
http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/ramfiles/eyes_palestine_olmos.ram

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Sheryle Carlson
sherylec@hotmail.com
http://www.internationalfunk.com