On Monday, Israeli commandos boarded ships in the “Freedom Flotilla” attempting to bring humanitarian aid to residents of still-blockaded Gaza. The aggressive response by Israel turned deadly, with at least nine activists killed. The international community has reacted with shock and outrage; protests have erupted around the world outside Israeli embassies, with protesters even teargassed in Paris. Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a long awaited meeting surrounding peace talks with President Obama and headed back to Israel to do damage control, and Turkey, from where the flotilla departed, has recalled its ambassador and issued a travel warning to its citizens.
Huwaida Arraf was on one of the ships; she joins us via phone from Ramallah, along with Norman Finkelstein, to tell us what happened to her and offer some analysis on the situation.
(Via GRITtv)
Caryl Churchill wrote Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza as a response to Israel’s 22 day siege of the Gaza Strip in January. GRITtv recently invited a number of actors into the studio, including Kathleen Chalfant, to read the play. Chalfant then discusses her work, Churchill’s play, and the role of politics in theater.
This program was produced by GRITtv for May 11, 2009.
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