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Jewish Settlers Receive Hundreds of Thousands in Compensation
for Leaving Gaza While Palestinians Working for Them Get Nothing
Voices in the Wilderness Ordered to Pay $20K for Bringing
Aid to Iraq
Groups Launch "People's Petition for an Iraq Peace Plan"
Media Giant John H. Johnson Paved the Way for Black-Owned
Press
Jewish Settlers Receive Hundreds of Thousands in
Compensation for Leaving Gaza While Palestinians Working for
Them Get Nothing
As Israel's disengagement from Gaza enters Day 2, we go
to Gaza City to speak with leading Israeli journalist Amira
Hass. A majority of the Jewish settlers have accepted a compensation
package - in between $150,000 to $400,000 - from the Israeli
government in return for leaving Gaza. Hass reports that the
thousands of Palestinians working for the settlers are receiving
nothing. [includes rush
transcript]
It is Day Two of Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli security forces poured into the largest Gaza settlement
of Neve Dekalim today, pushing back Jewish protesters vowing
to defy orders to leave the occupied territory.
Scuffles broke out as protesters set fire to tires and several
cars, and a house was set ablaze. At least 20 people were
arrested.
Eviction warnings to the around 8,000 settlers in all 21
settlements in Gaza and four of the 120 in the West Bank went
into effect on Sunday night. Residents have until midnight
on Tuesday to leave or face forcible removal.
The letters delivered by Israeli soldiers read in part "The
[Israeli military] and the Israeli police share in the sorrow
and pain you are feeling and expressing. Nevertheless we will
see this mission to its end, while providing any possible
help and assistance."
Many of the soldiers -- who are unarmed -- have reportedly
been confronted by protesters calling on them to disobey their
orders. There are some 50,000 troops and police in Gaza right
now
Around 100 families left the Gaza Strip Monday, bringing
the number who have left so far to about 30 percent of the
settlements' population. This according to the Israeli newspaper
Haaretz.
More are expected to leave voluntarily today but security
officials fear that confrontations with some of the 5,000
non-residents who had infiltrated the settlements in recent
weeks could turn violent. Police said 500 people were arrested
overnight trying to slip into the settlement of Gush Katif.
Nevertheless, a senior officer told Haaretz that he believes
the evacuation would be completed within 10 days.
In a televised address on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon defended the disengagement plan.
- Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister speaking on Israeli
television, August 15th, 2005.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a televised address
last night. It is unclear exactly how much the disengagement
plan is costing the Israeli government. But last month it
was reported Israel is seeking an additional $2 billion dollars
or more in aid from the United States to help pay for the
plan - which would in effect double the amount of aid Israel
already receives from the U.S. The costs of the withdrawal
include operations carried out by security forces as well
as moving and compensating the settlers.
A majority of the settlers have accepted a compensation package
from the government in return for leaving Gaza. An average
family can expect to receive the equivalent of $150,000 to
$400,000 in compensation, depending on house size, the number
of children and length of residence in the occupied territories.
On top of that, there are removal expenses, two years"
free rent and redundancy compensation. Many of the settlers
are already beneficiaries of government subsidies for settling
the land.
But what about the thousands of Palestinians working in Gaza
Strip settlements? Israeli journalist Amira Hass reports that
neither the Israeli government nor their employers is compensating
them for losing their jobs.
- Amira Hass, Israeli journalist with the newspaper Haaretz.
She joins us on the line from Gaza City.
Voices in the Wilderness Ordered to Pay $20K for
Bringing Aid to Iraq
A federal judge has ordered the human rights group Voices
in the Wilderness to pay $20,000 for violating the sanctions
against Iraq. A decade ago, Voices in the Wilderness began
openly violating the sanctions, bringing in symbolic amounts
of medical, educational and humanitarian aid to Iraq on a
regular basis. We speak with the group's founder, Kathy Kelly.
Over the past several years, the White House and some powerful
Congressional Republicans have aggressively investigated what
they refer to as the "United Nations Oil for Food Scandal,"
alleging that UN officials and others took kickbacks from
Saddam Hussein's government or otherwise benefited from the
UN program. While there have been some cases of fraud or profiteering
uncovered involving individual UN employees and others, it
has hardly proved the scandal that some in Washington would
like to have the public believe. Moreover, many of the central
figures profiting from the sanctions on Iraq - among them
some powerful US corporations - have faced almost no consequences
for their corruption.
Beyond this, some of the most experienced Iraq activists
say that the real scandal is the ongoing devastation caused
by more than a decade of US-led United Nations sanctions against
Iraq. This month marks the 15 year anniversary of those sanctions
and this past weekend, the US Treasury Department took action
against the organization that made its life's work ending
those sanctions against Iraq: the Chicago-based Voices in
the Wilderness. A decade ago, they began openly violating
the sanctions, bringing in symbolic amounts of medical, educational
and humanitarian aid on a regular basis. They stated publicly
and repeatedly that in the long tradition of nonviolent, direct
action, they were breaking what they believe to be unjust
laws. This past weekend, a federal judge ordered Voices in
the Wilderness to pay a $20,000 fine. The U.S. Treasury Department
initially imposed the fine in 2002, days after Voices participated
in international actions to oppose the U.S. buildup for war
against Iraq. At that time, the group was holding demonstrations
urging the US Congress not to give Bush the authority to attack
Iraq.
Here is the group's founder, Kathy Kelly outside of the UN
compound in Baghdad in October 2002.
- Kathy Kelly, speaking in Baghdad, October 26, 2002.
Voices in the Wilderness released a statement in response
to Saturday's ruling, saying that they will not pay "a
penny of this fine."
Their statement said: "The economic sanctions regime
imposed brutal and lethal punishment on Iraqi people. The
U.S. government would not allow Iraq to rebuild its water
treatment system after the U.S. military deliberately destroyed
it in 1991. The U.S. government denied Iraq the ability to
purchase blood bags, medical needles and medicine in adequate
supplies - destroying Iraq's health care system. "We
chose to travel to Iraq in order to openly challenge our country's
war against the Iraqi people. We fully understood that our
acts could result in criminal or civil charges. We acted because
when our country's government is committing a grievous, criminal
act, it is incumbent upon each of us to challenge in every
nonviolent manner possible the acts of the government. "We
continue to oppose the U.S. occupation of Iraq, which continues
the devastation of the Iraqi people."
- Kathy Kelly, founder of Voices
in the Wilderness. Her new book is called "Other
Lands Have Dreams: From Baghdad to Pekin Prison"
Groups Launch "People's Petition for an Iraq
Peace Plan"
Anti-war groups in the United States are announcing a campaign
today to build support for a peaceful exit strategy from Iraq.
We speak with the primary author of the "People's Petition
for an Iraq Peace Plan," longtime activist Tom Hayden.
On Monday, the Washington Post reported that the Bush administration
is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved
in Iraq. Officials are now saying the U.S. can no longer expect
to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry
or a society in which the majority of people are free from
serious security or economic challenges. Many blame the continuing
violence and lack of infrastructure in Iraq on the U.S. occupation
itself.
Today, anti-war groups in the United States are releasing
a People's Petition for an Iraq Peace Process. Peace Action
and Progressive Democrats of America are inviting other organizations
and individuals to join their call for U.S. military withdrawal
from Iraq and the appointment of a peace envoy to broker a
political settlement.
- Tom Hayden, the primary author of the petition. He is
a former California State Senator and longtime antiwar activist.
Media Giant John H. Johnson Paved the Way for Black-Owned
Press
On Monday, thousands mourned the death of publishing and
entrepreneurial pioneer John H. Johnson. He founded Ebony
and Jet magazines and seared the image of the brutalized Emmett
Till into the nation's consciousness. We speak with the editor
of the Chicago Defender, the nation's only black daily newspaper.
On Monday, the funeral for African-American publisher and
entrepreneur John H. Johnson was held in Chicago. Johnson,
who died last week at the age of 87, was widely regarded as
the most influential African-American publisher in American
history and a pioneer in media and business. In 1942, Johnson
launched the Negro Digest, which later became Black World.
He took a $500 loan out on his mother's furniture to start
the magazine when banks refused to loan him the money. Three
years later he started Ebony magazine, which was the first
magazine to show the full range of African-American life.
At a time when African-Americans rarely saw positive images
of themselves in the media, Ebony celebrated the successes
and achievements of black movie stars, athletes and businessmen
while also chronicling the civil rights struggles of the time.
The first issue of the magazine sold 25,000 copies, instantly
making it the largest-circulated black magazine. It continues
to be a top-seller today.
In 1951, Johnson started Jet magazine which became the largest
African-American news weekly. Jet was known for its featured
female centerfold but like Ebony, it was a forum for airing
black issues and concerns. In 1955, Jet galvanized African-Americans
throughout the nation when it published the battered and bloated
body of Emmett Till, the black teenager who was lynched in
Mississippi for supposedly whistling at a white woman.
Johnson continued to expand his publishing and business empire
by buying radio stations, publishing books and producing television
shows. In 1973, he launched Fashion Fair Cosmetics, which
was designed for women with darker skin. Today, it is the
largest black owned cosmetic company. Johnson was also the
first African-American to build a major building in downtown
Chicago where his publishing empire is housed. In 1982, he
became the first African-American to appear on the Forbes
list of 400 wealthiest Americans.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who was a close friend of Johnson's
said to the Chicago Defender newspaper a day after his death,
"The tallest tree in the history of African American
journalism has fallen, but has fallen gracefully. The tree
that stood tall for over 60 years and a tree that planted
a forest, a tree with widespread limbs and full of fruit.
He connected to Africa and African Americans. He shared the
pain of Emmett Till, the development of Martin Luther King
Jr., and was a source of information and inspiration. He was
the number one black publisher for 60 years. His impact had
been felt through the whole world of journalism."
- Roland Martin, executive editor of the Chicago
Defender, the nation's only black daily newspaper.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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