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> Fri., Sept. 12, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Response to Israel’s Decision
to “Remove” Palestinian President Yasser Arafat
Musician and activist Harry Belafonte on the Meaning of 9/11
September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
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U.S. troops killed eight members of an Iraqi police force
today in so-called "friendly fire" incident sure
to inflame anti-American sentiment already fueling a deadly
guerrilla campaign.
Police officer Assem Mohammed told Reuters a joint force
of the Iraqi police and the U.S.-backed security force of
Falluja, were chasing thieves in a car shortly after midnight
when U.S. soldiers opened fire, mistaking them for guerrillas.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. military.
"We were chasing a car when the Americans fired at us,"
Mohammed, who was wounded in the incident, said from his hospital
bed. "They continued firing for about an hour despite
our pleas for them to stop and to tell them we are police
and security."
Other police officers confirmed Mohammed's report and put
the toll at eight dead guards and three thieves. At least
six police and guards were also wounded.
In a separate incident in Ramadi in the heartland of resistance
to the occupation of Iraq, two U.S. soldiers were killed and
another seven wounded in a pre-dawn raid.
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Response to Israel’s Decision to “Remove”
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat
The Israeli cabinet has voted to "remove" Palestinian
leader Yasser Arafat, from the Palestinian territory, calling
him an ‘obstacle’ to peace and warning that he
should not sleep quietly and soundly at night’. Shock
and outrage from the world community has followed the announcement.
The US ambassador to Israel met today with senior Israeli
leaders and redoubled the message from the White House, that
under no circumstances does the US want anything to happen
to Arafat at this point.
Mitch Potter, correspondent for the Toronto Star in Jerusalem
spoke with Peacewatch today to discuss the reactions in the
region and any possible political ramifications if Israel
expels or assassinates the Palestinian leader…. Yasser
Arafat
Tape: Mitch Potter is a correspondent for the Toronto Star
in Jerusalem. . Gwen Fitzgerald, Associate Director of Communications
for Amnesty International USA, says for Israel to deport Arafat
would violate international humanitarian laws, which prohibits
the forcible transfer and deportation of protected persons
from occupied territories.
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Musician and activist Harry Belafonte on the Meaning
of 9/11
A lot of people have tried to interpret the meaning of the
terrorist attacks that occurred 2 years ago this week, and
they've tried to answer President Bush's reoccurring question,
"Why do they hate us?" Others ask why the US has
stepped so quickly into a revenge mode, fueled by what they
perceive as a blinding, patriotic fever. Among those who've
weighed in on these issues is musician and activist Harry
Belafonte. He spoke last year with Corey Dubin of Pacifica
station KPFK in Los Angeles, on the one-year anniversary of
the terrorist attacks.
Tape: Musician and activist Harry Belafonte, speaking with
Corey Dubin of Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles. He was
interviewed last year, on the one-year anniversary of the
terrorist attacks.
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September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Part Two
As President Bush used the anniversary of September 11th
to claim progress in fighting the war on terror and possibly
expand it beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, we're going to listen
today on Peacewatch to more of the stories of people for whom
the terrorist attacks not only provided a life-altering experience
but determined their roles as lifelong peacemakers. They're
the mothers, wives, sisters and brothers of people who were
killed in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon two years
ago, and they've formed themselves into a group called September
Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.
In the months following the attacks, Peacewatch Producer
Scott Gurian followed several members of this group as they
took part in a walk for peace between Washington, DC and New
York City. He also had the opportunity to sit down with Amber
Amundson, Colleen Kelly, Phyllis Rodriguez and David Potorti
to listen to their stories. We present now the second part
of an hour-long audio documentary he produced.
Tape: Amber Amundson's husband Craig Scott Amundson worked
in the Pentagon, Phyllis Rodriguez's son Greg and David Potorti's
brother Jim worked in the World Trade Center and Colleen Kelly's
brother Billy was attending a morning business meeting in
the World Trade Center's "Windows on the World"
restaurant on September 11th, 2001. Amber, Phyllis, David
and Colleen are members of the group September 11th Families
for Peaceful Tomorrows. They spoke with Peacewatch Producer
Scott Gurian.
Credits
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