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Gaza in Crisis: As Military Siege Enters Fifth Month, Israel
Threatens New Military Offensive
“My Name is Rachel Corrie” Opens in New York
Oscar-Winning Actor Vanessa Redgrave to Present International
Human Rights Award to Extraordinary Rendition Survivor Maher
Arar
Gaza in Crisis: As Military Siege Enters Fifth Month,
Israel Threatens New Military Offensive
Israel has ratcheted up threats of a massive ground offensive
in the Gaza Strip. We go to Gaza to speak with physician and
community activist Dr. Mona El-Farra. [includes rush
transcript]
Israel has ratcheted up threats of a massive ground offensive
in the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops backed by tanks, helicopters
and drones have already staged ground operations in parts
of Gaza in yet another escalation in the ongoing assault on
the Occupied Territories.
For the past four months, the Israeli military has led a
wave of intense operations along the length of the Gaza Strip.
It began after the capture of an Israeli soldier, Corporal
Gilad Shalit, by Palestinian militants on June 25th. The Israeli
military said its operations were intended to free Corporal
Shalit and to halt Qassam rocket fire. Early on the Israelis
bombed Gaza’s only power plant and they have kept Gaza’s
crossing points to Israel and Egypt closed for most of the
time.
Since the start of the operation - codenamed Summer Rain
- more than 250 Palestinians have been killed. One in five
were children. According to The Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights, which has investigated each case, the vast majority
of the casualties are civilian.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian economy has ground to a halt.
Unemployment levels stand at close to fifty percent and around
eighty percent of households in Gaza are living in poverty.
The crisis comes at a time when the two main Palestinian factions,
Hamas and Fatah, are deadlocked in their efforts to form a
national unity government.
Dr. Mona El-Farra is a physician and community activst living
in northern Gaza. She runs a blog called From Gaza, with Love.
She joins us on the line from Gaza.
- Dr. Mona El-Farra, a physician and community activist
in northern Gaza. She is a health development consultant
for the Union of Health Work Committees in Gaza. She runs
a blog called From
Gaza, with Love
“My Name is Rachel Corrie” Opens in New
York
“My Name is Rachel Corrie” – a play based
on the life of the late US peace activist who was killed by
an Israeli bulldozer - was scheduled to open last March at
the New York Theatre Workshop. But six weeks before opening
night, the theater announced it was indefinitely postponing
the production. The move that was widely criticized as an
act of censorship. On Sunday, the play finally opened at the
Minetta Lane Theatre in New York. We play exclusive excerpts
of the play, and speak with Rachel Corrie’s father,
Craig; her sister, Sarah; and the play’s co-editor,
Katharine Viner. [includes rush
transcript]
Rachel Corrie was killed in Gaza three years ago when she
stood in front of an Israeli bulldozer set to demolish a Palestinian
home. The play is based on Corrie”s writings before
her death.
“My Name is Rachel Corrie” was scheduled to open
last March at the New York Theatre Workshop. But six weeks
before opening night, the theater announced it was indefinitely
postponing production of the play. They cited the current
political climate as the reason for the cancelation, pointing
to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon"s coma and the election
of Hamas.
The move was widely criticized by artists and activists all
over the world. At the time, we had a debate on Democracy
Now and I read a letter written by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter
to the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop
James Nicola and the theater”s managing director, Lynn
Moffat. The co-editor of the play, Katherine Viner, joined
us from London.
- Katharine Viner. Co-editor of the play My Name is Rachel
Corrie. She is also an editor at the London newspaper The
Guardian.
- Craig Corrie. Rachel Corrie’s father.
- Sarah Corrie. Rachel Corrie’s older sister.
- Excerpts from “My Name is Rachel Corrie.”
- Excerpt of the documentary, “Rachel Corrie: An
American Conscience.” It was directed by Yahya Barakat.
Oscar-Winning Actor Vanessa Redgrave to Present International
Human Rights Award to Extraordinary Rendition Survivor Maher
Arar
Tonight, the Institute for Policy Studies will award its
International Human Rights Award to extraordinary rendition
survivor Maher Arar. In 2002, Arar, a Canadian citizen, was
falsely accused of terrorist links and handed over to Syrian
authorities where he spent nearly a year enduring brutal torture.
Just last month the Canadian government exonerated Arar and
criticized both Canadian and US officials for his ordeal.
Maher Arar’s Human Rights award will be presented by
Oscar award-winning actor Vanessa Redgrave. [includes rush
transcript]
Redgrave is one of the most famous of the Redgrave acting
dynasty with a career that spans some 47 years. She has served
as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and was a founding member of International
Artists Against Racism. Most recently she has spoken out on
behalf of Guantanamo detainees... and she also spoke out when
the New York Theater workshop canceled ‘My Name is Rachel
Corrie.’
- Vanessa Redgrave. Oscar-winning Actress and Human Rights
Activist.
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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