We begin today by reading from an article by Ali Abunimah at Electronic Intifada. He reports that the Israel Lobby's facade of "fighting antisemitism" by enacting draconian penalties for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) activity has finally begun to break down. The U.S. constitution, with Senator Elizabeth Warren at its side, seems to have gotten in the way.
As first reported by E.I. in April, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act is the most draconian of the dozens of bills introduced in state and federal legislatures in recent years in an attempt to curb the growth of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights. The powerful Israel lobby group AIPAC has made the bill one of its top legislative priorities.
As Josh Ruebner of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights explains, âthe bill would impose fines of up to $1 million and criminal penalties of up to 20 years in prison against any US person, including individuals, whose actions further a boycott of Israel or of Israeli settlement products called for by an international governmental organization.â Ruebner adds: âIt would even criminalize the requesting or furnishing of information about such a boycott. The bill would also deny government loans through the Export-Import Bank to firms that refuse to do business with corporations based in or operating out of Israeli settlements in occupied territory, which are illegal under international law.â
Despite her reputation as a firebrand progressive, Senator Warren has never been courageous on the question of Palestinian rights. Nothing symbolized her fear better than when she was caught on video hurrying away from a question about Israelâs assault on Gaza three years ago that killed more than 2,200 Palestinians. Warren, along with fellow progressive stalwart Bernie Sanders, joined every other member of the Senate in signing a letter in April reaffirming key lobby talking points that Israel is being unfairly picked on by efforts at the UN to hold it accountable. Her opposition to BDS means she continues to stand against a nonviolent movement for equal rights by a people subjected to decades of Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid enabled largely by US military and political support. But Warrenâs willingness to oppose this bill reflects the ongoing challenge to Democratic Party leaders from a base that is far more supportive of Palestinian rights.
Moving on, we feature a conversation with Khitam Edelbi, a remarkable Palestinian educator who is pioneering an effort to promote the use of a unique approach to therapy, called Expressive Therapy, in a society that experiences constant trauma living under Israeli military occupation. She lives in East Jerusalem, but grew up in the Acca area of Israel as part of the 20% of the Israeli population who are Palestinian Arabs. You will hear her story, and will hear about how she is using expressive therapies to help her people cope with the stress of living under military occupation.
This Week In Palestine (a weekly part of Truth and Justice Radio) is an award-winning three-quarter-hour segment of news from Palestine and discussion of issues relevant to the Palestinians' struggle for freedom from Israel's brutal military occupation and colonization of their homeland. It speaks from the point of view of Palestinians and those who care about them. It's a regular part of Truth and Justice Radio, aired Sundays 6-10am ET on WZBC 90.3FM, Newton, MA, streaming live and archived for two weeks at wzbc.org; TJR's website, truthandjusticeradio.org, has a link to This Week In Palestine archives back thru 1-6-2008; editions are also accessible at radio4all.net or by navigating through our playlists. (At this important time, TJR has been airing Palestine coverage IN ADDITION to that provided by This Week In Palestine.) We hope you'll write to us at tjradio@fastmail.com if you rebroadcast our work, or have questions or comments.
This Week In Palestine 8-20-2017
Ali Abunimah writes on politicians awakening to the truth about Congress's anti-BDS bill; Khitam Edelbi on her therapy program for victims of daily Israeli oppression
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