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1- Footage of the village of El-Wa-la-ja in occupied west bank. We see another chapter of the struggle against the Israeli military occupation. During the Israeli Military occupation, which continues today, there has been varied and consistence non-violent Palestinian resistance in the form of demonstrations and actions through out the west bank. Today, we bring you footage of one such demonstration which took place on Aug 4th, 2010, which consisted of the following action, to obstruct the destruction of the village land, they succeeded in stopping the bulldozers for an hour and a half. The Palestinian led demonstrations was supported as well by international and Israeli activists. 15 people were arrested and many were charged and most had to sign a paper to promise they would not come near the wall again for 60-180 days. The villagers need support in many ways especially to demand Israel release those were arrested.

2- And Salma abu Ayash speaking at the New England Anti war conference. a panelist on the new England anti war conference which took place Jan 30th 2010 at MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts. The title of the panel was Debunking the war on terror. Ms. Abu Ayah is introduced by moderator Lisa Savage of code Pink.

3- And part 6 of the Lebanese musical “Loulou” starring Fairuz . The play is a comedy and a musical co-starring the late Lebanese singer Nasri Shams Al-dine.

PLAY VIDEO 8/7/10

Salma abu Ayash

Fairuz

1- Dr. Nancy Murray spoke at a forum entitled: Israel/Palestine South Africa and the USA: making the connection sponsored by Community Change Inc. in Boston. Dr Nancy Murray, who holds a BA from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Oxford University, is a life-long human rights activist. She has been an advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people for more than two decades, and has founded and participated in several organizations that seek to change US policy and promote a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among her publications are numerous articles on the conflict and a book, Palestinians: Life Under Occupation. She has also written a chapter on the post 9/11 profiling of Muslims and Arabs in the award-winning book edited by Elaine Hagopian, Civil Rights in Peril? The Targeting of Arabs and Muslims.

2- And part 5 of the Lebanese musical “Loulou” starring Fairuz . The play is a comedy and a musical co-starring the late Lebanese singer Nasri Shams Al-dine.

PLAY VIDEO 7/31/10

Dr. Nancy Murray

1- As part of our continuing coverage of the Gaza Siege, today we bring you part 2, the conclusion, of an eye witness testimony by Ann Wright who was a passenger on the Challenger 1, one of the six boats in the Gaza freedom flotilla that was raided by Israeli commandos on May 31.

The mission of the flotilla was to bring desperately needed aid to the besieged Palestinian in Gaza.

During the incident Ms. Wright was detained in Israel and deported to Turkey.

2- And part 4 of the Lebanese musical “Loulou” starring Fairuz . The play is a comedy and a musical co-starring the late Lebanese singer Nasri Shams Al-dine.

PLAY VIDEO 7/24/10

As part of our continuing coverage of the Gaza Siege, today we bring you part 1 of an eye witness testimony by Ann Wright who was a passenger on the Challenger 1, one of the six boats in the Gaza freedom flotilla that was raided by Israeli commandos on May 31.

The mission of the flotilla was to bring desperately needed aid to the besieged Palestinian in Gaza.

During the incident Ms. Wright was detained in Israel and deported to Turkey.

Ann Wright, a retired US Army colonel, spent twenty-nine years in the military and later served as a high-ranking diplomat in the US State Department. In 2001, she helped oversee the opening of the US mission in Afghanistan. In 2003, she resigned her post at the State Department to protest the war in Iraq.

Ms. Wright shares her experience about the attack at sea as an Eye witness.

We beg your indulgence regarding the audio of the footage, which we have decided to bring you due to the importance and urgency of the content.

2- Last week, we brought you part 2 of the Lebanese musical “Loulou” starring Fairuz and this week, join us for part 3. The play is a comedy and a musical co-starring the late Lebanese singer Nasri Shams Al-dine.

PLAY VIDEO 7/17/10

Ann Wright

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On this week program: A documentary entitled "Still in Cairo: The Gaza Freedom March." Courtesy of Alternate focus.

This Gaza Freedom March, brought over 1,300 internationals to Cairo for a historic December 31, 2009 attempt to break the Israeli, Egyptian, and US siege of Gaza. This was one of numerous efforts to stop the siege all together, and culminated recently with the Gaza Freedom flotilla tragedy. This cumulative efforts have placed pressure on Israel to ease the blockage. Which unfortunately continues to this moment.

2- Last week, we brought you part 1 of the Lebanese musical “Loulou” starring Fairuz and this week, join us for part 2. The play is a comedy and a musical co-starring the late Lebanese singer Nasri Shams Al-dine.

PLAY VIDEO 7/10/10

Still in Cairo: The Gaza Freedom March.

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On this week program: Appearing in Maine, his home state, Scott Hamann spoke about his personal experience on Challenger 1 (a ship under the American flag), part of the Freedom Flotilla that was illegally attacked in international waters on the morning of May 31st by the Israeli navy. The Freedom Flotilla carried over 10,000 tons of humanitarian relief aid for Gaza, with the goal of breaking through the blockade imposed on Gaza by the Israeli government under “collective punishment”, an action illegal under international law. This event took place on June 11, 2010 at Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish Hall in Portland, Maine And was Sponsored by The Kennebunk's Peace Department, Peace Action Maine, Maine Peace and Justice in Israel/Palestine, Portland Pax Christi and Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Social Justice and Peace Commission.

2- Part one of the Lebanese musical “Loulou” starring Fairuz . Loulou, is the name of a Fairuz character. The story is about a young woman called Loulou, she is acquitted after spending fifteen years in prison for a charge of killing someone. She tells the people who lied against her in court that since she already paid 15 years in prison, for a crime she was wrongly convicted of.... The play is a comedy and musical, most of the songs were composed by Rahbani brothers ( Assi, Mansour and Elias ). One song is by Philemon Wehbe, and another song, Natarounah by Fairuz’s Son Ziad Rahbani.
This play is co-starred by the late Lebanese singer Nasri Shams Al-dine.

PLAY VIDEO 7/3/10

Scott Hamann

On this week program, we have a program entitled: “welcome to Ramallah” produced by Alternate Focus and Moral Politics. Welcome to Ramallah was written by Sonja Linden and Adah Kay. It was performed at the Compass Theater in San Diego in 2008 and then again in 2009. Today’s program provides clips from the original stage play and segments from a rehearsal in preparation for the second staging. It includes interviews with the Director Charlie Riendeau and perspectives from the actors who performed for both productions, Allison McDonald, Saiid Zamingir, Haig Koshkarian and Sherri Allen.

PLAY VIDEO 6/26/10

On the program: A coverage of a talk on the siege of Gaza and its continued human, political and economic consequences one year after Israel’s 22 day Assault on Gaza. We’ll hear from Nancy Murray and Noam Chomsky. This event took place on Dec 6, 2010, at the one-year anniversary of Israel's invasion of The Gaza Strip. For 22 days the residents of Gaza—half of them children—were subject to a terrifying assault known to the Israelis as “Operation Cast Lead”. More than 1400 Gazans were killed in the attacks. Numerous illegal targets were destroyed, including homes, mosques, hospitals, factories and United Nations facilities. The people of Gaza whose borders are controlled by land, air and sea were trapped during the onslaught within one of the most densely populated areas on earth. The blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip predates the invasion and continues to this day. Gazans cannot rebuild and they cannot leave. This talk was Sponsored by Newton Dialogues on Peace and War, BCPR ( Boston Coalition for Palestinian rights ) , CODEPINK and Jewish Women for Justice In Israel/Palestine. Originally scheduled for the Eliot Church in Newton, this public talk had to be relocated to the Church of the Good Sheppard in Watertown after complaints and threats from pro-Israel Zionist groups.

PLAY VIDEO 6/19/10

Noam Chomsky

Nancy Murray

Footage courtesy of…Radio Free Maine

On this week we continue our coverage to the tragic incidents on the Mavi Marmara ship part of a flotilla bringing humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza strip. As you might know, Israel confiscated all cameras and all communication devices including all security footage. Additionally, the Israeli navy jammed all communications as the assault was occurring. But, Israel did not count on the activists having a backup plan. Courageous filmmaker and activist Lara Lee, one of the few Americans on the Mavi Marmara ship had her equipment confiscated, but she managed to smuggle out an hour’s worth of footage.

We bring you parts of it now courtesy of CultureOfResistance.org

PLAY VIDEO 6/12/10

Navi Marmara

The program about freedom Flotilla humanitarian aid, and an interview with Al Jazeera's journalist Jamal El-Shay-yal, one of the passengers on the Mavi Marmara. Unfortunately the siege of Gaza continues. despite the fact that Israel supposedly withdrew in 2005 yet the Occupation continues as evidenced by the blockade on the residents of Gaza. The Israeli Army, the strongest army in the region, one of the most powerful in the world with nuclear capability against the Palestinians under occupation and under siege.

the lack of parity is stunning. Since Jan 2006 when Hamas was democratically elected, the Israeli government has relentlessly blockaded the Gaza strip, as 1.5M residents, 80% of whom are refugees and descendents of refugees, are held hostage by extreme economic/medical/energy/food restraints power outages and complete restriction of mobility. The blockade is nothing short of collective punishment. The persistent claim by Israel has been that the strategy for the blockade is to squeeze out Hamas. When in fact it’s punishing the entire populace in retaliation for the election of Hamas. Let’s remember that Israel was one of Hamas’ greatest supporters when it used it to delegitimize the secular PLO and destroy any chance of a partner for peace. The blockade became worse after Israel’s military operation Cast Lead, from Dec 2008 to Jan 2009. when Israel assaulted the Gaza strip.

According to Amnesty International, “Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired hundreds of rockets into southern Israel, killing three Israeli civilians, injuring scores and driving thousands from their homes. However, “the scale and intensity of the attacks on Gaza were unprecedented. Some 300 children and hundreds of other unarmed civilians who took no part in the conflict were among the 1,400 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. More than 3,000 homes were destroyed and some 20,000 damaged in Israeli attacks which reduced entire neighbourhoods of Gaza to rubble and left an already dire economic situation in ruins. Much of the destruction was wanton and could not be justified on grounds of "military necessity". According to Amnesty International. Consequently Gaza is in greater need of supplies and humanitarian aid than ever.

PLAY VIDEO 6/5/10

Boston rally

Mavi Marmara

“Early Monday morning May 31st Israeli soldiers stormed the Gaza-bound international aid convoy called the Freedom Flotilla in international waters about forty miles off the coast of Gaza. The six ships had nearly 700 international activists on board and 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid. They were aiming to break the three-year-long siege of the Gaza Strip. Israeli commandos landed on the lead ship in the convoy, the Turkish Mavi Marmara, which had about 600 activists on board. At least ten and as many as nineteen civilians on board the ship have been reported to have died in the attack. Israeli troops proceeded to seize the Mavi Marmara and the five other ships and take them to the port of Ashdod.

On the program, we’ll remember Howard Zinn, by bring you coverage of an event entitled: A Celebration of the Life of Howard Zinn 1922-2010. Howard Zinn, legendary historian, author and activist, died early this year at the age of 87. His most famous book is “A People’s History of the United States.” A book that go beyond what people have learned in school ... to the voices of ordinary people. This event took place on March 27 2010 at Marsh Chapel - Boston University.

Participants:

President Robert Brown - Boston University. Noam Chomsky -MIT. Irene Gandzier - Boston University. Joseph Gerson - American Friends Service Committee. Ross Caputi - Boston University Anti-War Coalition, mong many others

Footage courtesy of Radio Free Maine.

PLAY VIDEO 5/29/10
PLAY AUDIO

Jeff Gates discusses his new book: Guilt by Association: How Deception and Self-Deceit Took America to War.

This program was co-produced by Alternate Focus and Global Information Services

PLAY VIDEO 5/15/10

Jeff Gates

On this week program: A coverage of an event entitled Arab American Identity after 9/11: Anthropological and Comedic Perspectives sponsored by the Evelyn Abdalah Menconi Memorial Cultural Series and Tufts University’s Departments of Anthropology, which took place Thursday, April 8, 2010 at Tufts University in Massachusetts. The event was introduced By moderator Dr. Amahl bashara and Doctor Elaine Hagopian. The featured speakers are Anthropologist Nadine Naber, and Comedian Dean Obeidallah.

Dr. Nadine Naber is an Assistant Professor in the Program in American Culture and the Department of Women’s Studies and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She received her Ph.D. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Davis. Her research and teaching focus on Arab American Studies, Women of Color and Transnational Feminisms, Race and Ethnicity, and Colonialism and Post-Colonial Theory.

Dean Obeidallah is an Arab-American Comedian. He has appeared on national and international television shows, including Comedy Central’s “Axis of Evil” special and “The Watch List,” ABC’s “The View” and “20/20,” PBS’s documentary “Stand Up: Muslim Comics Come of Age” and “News Hour with Jim Lehrer,” CNN’s “American Morning” and “Wolf Blitzer’s Report,” and CNN International . He serves as the Co-Executive Producer of the annual New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and the Amman Stand Up Comedy Festival.

PLAY VIDEO 5/8/10

Dr. Amahl bashara

Dr. Nadine Naber

Dean Obeidallah

This week: A coverage of a fund raising benefit for the MAIA ( Water ) project to provide clean water to the Children of Gaza, which took place on Sunday April 25th 2010 at the university of Massachusetts. Founded in 1988, the Middle East Children’s Alliance is a nonprofit organization working for the rights and well-being of children in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. MECA sends shipments of aid, builds playgrounds and supports projects that make life better for women and children. When MECA asked the children in Bureij Refugee Camp in Gaza what they could do to help them, they responded that what they wanted more than anything was to have a clean glass of water to drink at school. Because of the Israeli occupation and the diversion of water to the settlements in the West Bank and Israel, the water table has been lowered to such an extent that the water in Gaza is almost undrinkable and causes disease. Speaking at the event were:

Noam Chomsky - Professor emeritus of linguistics, Massachusett sInstitute of Technology

Nancy Murray – President, Gaza Mental Health Foundation

Ziad Abbas - Associate Director, Middle East Children’s Alliance.

The fundraiser was moderated by Salma Abu Aiash.

PLAY VIDEO 5/1/10

Noam Chomsky

Nancy Murray

Ziad Abbas

This week: A coverage of a talk entitled: Voices from Iraq and Afghanistan. The talk was sponsored by, WCES - Watertown citizens for Environmental safety, and United for Justice with Peace. The event took place April 18, 2010 at St. John's United Methodist Church in Watertown, Massachusetts. The guest speakers were: Raed Jarrar and Maryam Shansab.

Maryam Shansab is an Afghan-American activist and PhD student at Tufts Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences.

Raed Jarrar is an Iraqi architect, blogger, activist, and consultant to the American Friends Service Committee.

PLAY VIDEO 4/24/10

This week: An interview with Rima Merhi, a Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government Harvard University, on recent Lebanese Politics, including events at the Nahr el Bared Palestinian Camp as well as the issues regarding Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon. Rima Merhi is a researcher, human rights activist, and freelance journalist with publications in leading newspapers and other media outlets. She recently conducted research at the Middle East Institute and the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Rima has a BA in public administration and MA in political science (emphasis international affairs) from the American University of Beirut (AUB), and an MBA from the Lebanese American University. In July 2005 she testified before the U.S. Congress on youth aspirations for political, economic, and social reform in Lebanon. Rima then worked for the UN to improve the humanitarian situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and participated in the media and relief committees organized by the prime minister's office to manage the crisis at Nahr el Bared Palestinian camp in May 2007. Rima acquired human rights education and training at Oxford and holds numerous certificates related to the field of human rights. Rima is currently enrolled in media and journalism classes. She is interviewed by Dr. Elaine Hagopian

PLAY VIDEO 4/17/10

Rima Merhi

On this week program, an interview with Sarah Roche Mahdi, coordinator of Code Pink Greater Boston and her participation in the Gaza Freedom Marches. Sarah Roche Mahdi is a Cambridge-based writer, scholar, and human rights activist who spends much time in France. She earned her AB from Smith College, PhD in Germanic languages from UCLA, and taught at Williams College and Bard College. Her main scholarly interests include the formation of a persecuting society in Europe, subversive medieval European literature, Orientalism, and images of the "Other"—interests she shared with her late husband, Professor Muhsin S. Mahdi. A long-time reproductive rights counselor and activist, she has been increasingly engaged in antiwar actions since 9/11. Currently coordinator of Code Pink Greater Boston, she has participated in three Code Pink delegations in the past year--to Gaza (March 2009), Israel, West Bank and East Jerusalem (June 2009), and to Cairo as part of the Gaza Freedom March (Dec 27 2009-Jan 5 2010).

PLAY VIDEO 4/10/10

Sarah Roche Mahdi

On this week program we’ll bring you coverage of an event sponsored by: Social Change Society and Students for Justice in the Middle East at U Mass Dartmouth, entiltled: Empire, Occupation, and Resistance with Dahr Jamail. Dahr Jamail is an American journalist who is best known as one of the few un-embedded journalists to report extensively from Iraq during the 2003 Iraq invasion. He spent eight months in Iraq, between 2003 to 2005, and presented his stories on his website, entitled Dahr Jamail's MidEast Dispatches. Jamail writes for the Inter Press Service news agency, among other outlets. He is the author of: Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Un-embedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq. and The Will to Resist: Soldiers who refuse to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan both published by Haymarket Books

PLAY VIDEO 4/3/10

Dahr Jamail

On the program: A full coverage of a lecture by world-renowned linguist and political activist, Noam Chomsky who spoke on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at Boston University as part of ISRAEL apartheid Week.
Hosted by Boston University Students for Justice In Palestine.

Noam Chomsky is a prolific author Professor Emeritus at MIT. Among his many books are Rogue States: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians,
Manufacturing Consent, Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies, and Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy....

PLAY VIDEO 3/27/10

Noam Chomsky

On the program: Featuring professor Mazin Qumsiyeh,. who appeared at St. John's Methodist Church in Watertown Massachusetts as part of the international ISRAEL apartheid Week that took place the first week of march.

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh a well known pacifist, teaches and does research at Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities in occupied Palestine. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Tennessee, Duke and Yale Universities. He served on numerous board and committees of a number of groups including, the US Campaign to End the Occupation, Association for One Democratic State in Israel/Palestine.

PLAY VIDEO 3/20/10

On this week program, we focus on The Center for Arabic Culture, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating Arabic language, culture, art, history, and Arab-American cultural experience.

Dr. Elaine Hagopian interviews our guests, the President and the Executive Director of the Center for Arabic Culture in Massachusetts, a non-profit organization in Boston dedicated to celebrating Arabic language, culture, art, history, and Arab-American cultural experience. Gheed Amara Itani is one of the founders and currently the President of the Center for Arabic Culture in MA. And was a board member of the Arab American Educational Foundation in Houston, and served in a national advisory session for the Arab American National Museum in Michigan. Farrah Haidar is the Executive Director of the Center for Arabic Culture. Farrah has been involved in the Arab-American community in various organizations for almost 15 years.

PLAY VIDEO 3/13/10

From left: Gheed Amara Itani and Farrah Haidar

The Center for Arabic Culture web site:

www.cacboston.org

On this week program we bring you two interviews. One with Maria Khoury Who will update us on er experience living in the West Bank. And another with Barbara Whitesides who will tell us about her latest book "Sugar comes from Arabic: A beginner's guide to Arabic letters and words".

PLAY VIDEO 3/6/10

Maria Khoury

Barbara Whitesides

An nterview with filmmakers Amal Bishara and Nidal Al-Azraq discussing their documentary film ”Degrees of Incarceration”. This is their first film together, though they are co-authors of the award-winning story book, The Boy and the Wall.

Director Amahl Bishara is an anthropologist at Tufts University, who has done research on Palestinian experiences of spatial confinement, and on the production of U.S. news about Palestinians

Producer Nidal Al-Azraq is a student and Arabic teacher who has long been involved with community activism in Aida Refugee Camp.

PLAY VIDEO 2/27/10

Interview with Farrah Haidar, and Samer Balbaky, the discussion focuses on the significance of the 2010 census and it’s importance for all communities including the Arab-American community especially regarding federal funding and political clout.

Farrah Haidar is the Executive Director of the Center for Arabic Culture, a non-profit organization in Boston dedicated to celebrating Arabic language, culture, art, history, and Arab-American cultural experience, and a Census partner. Farrah has been involved in the Arab-American community in various organizations for almost 15 years.

- Samer Balbaky is a Partnership Specialist with the US Census in Boston. He is primarily responsible for outreach to Arab and Arab American communities across Massachusetts and surrounding New England states as well as New York State. Partnership invites the support of community organizations, including faith based, community centers, town offices, school districts, businesses and many other establishments in mobilizing their constituents in support of the Census Bureau’s goal of achieving a complete count.

PLAY VIDEO 2/20/10

Click on the image to enlarge the picture

On this week program

The conclusion of George Galloway’s speech and the Question and Answer period

PLAY VIDEO 2/13/10

A coverage of the fundraiser to benefit “the fourth Viva Palestina Gaza Aid Convoys”. That took place on Monday February 1, 2010. At The Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace in Boston.

The special guest speaker, Member of British Parliament - Leader of the Viva Palestina convoys – a Lifelong international activist GEORGE GALLOWAY .

Viva Palestina has successfully delivered 3 convoys in urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinians under siege in Gaza. We’ll bring you this coverage in two parts. Today part 1 to be concluded next week.

PLAY VIDEO 2/6/10

GEORGE GALLOWAY

We’re continuing with selected excerpts of “Yearning for peace with justice. Four women four perspectives”. brought to you courtesy of Alternate Focus.
We’ll bring you excerpts from Zoe Batarseh and Amal Jubran.

Also, in the program, we’ll pay tribute to the late historian, writer and activist Howard Zinn, who died Jan 27th, 2010

PLAY VIDEO 1/30/10

Zoe Batarseh

Amal Jubran

On this week program we’re bringing you selected excerpts “Yearning for peace with justice. Four women four perspectives” brought to you courtesy of Alternate Focus.

Part 1 with TWO speakerS: Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb and Ethel Sweed.

PLAY VIDEO 1/24/10

Ahlam Muhtaseb

Ethel Sweed

“ISRAEL WANTS IRAN WAR” and “Awakening to Israel with Alice Rothchild” are the main segments of today’s program. Both programs brought to you courtesy of: Alternate Focus and were co- produced by Moral Politics.

PLAY VIDEO 1/16/10

A talk by Omar Barghouti about “The Global BDS ( Boycott Divestment & Sanctions.) movement. Omar Barghouti is a Researcher. human rights activist. And, a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

The program brought to you courtesy of Alternate Focus.

PLAY VIDEO 1/9/10

Omar Barghouti

40th National Day Of Mourning
November 26, 2009

Native Americans and their supporters have gathered on Cole’s Hill
in Plymouth Massachusetts to commemorate
The 40th National Day of Mourning.

PLAY VIDEO 1/2/10

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