Because of the ongoing brutal Israel occupation and the discourse controlled by Israel, the US and the EU, the question of the future of Palestine has focused almost exclusively on the idea of a two-state solution. But the future of Palestine must deal with the larger issue of the refugees, Palestinians in the diaspora, and the Palestinians who are citizens of Israel.
This week’s Radio Intifada explores the current situation on the ground and the recent Fatah coup, the death of the two-state solution, and the role of the PLO and PNC (Palestinian National Congress) in (re)building Palestinian institutions and charting a viable future for Palestinians.
Special guests:
Naseer Aruri, Chancellor Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science, U Mass, Dartmouth, his most recent publication is the new edition of Palestine and the Palestinians;
Virginia Tilley, Chief Research Specialist in Democracy and Governance, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa, author of The One State Solution: A Breakthrough for Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock;
Osamah Khalil, Palestinian-American doctoral candidate in US and Middle East History, UC Berkeley and frequent contributor to Electronic Intifada;
and featuring the music of Reem Kalani.
This show is hosted and produced by Sherna Gluck and Michael Shahin, SWANA (South and West Asia and North Africa) Collective of KPFK for July 19, 2007.
For more information, visit:
http://kpfk.org
http://electronicintifada.net
http://reemkalani.com
What role does the pro-Israel lobby play in the shaping of American foreign policy? Although discussions of this issue date back decades, the debate has recently been brought into the mainstream by an article published in the London Review of Books in March 2006 by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, which charges that the influence of the Israel lobby result in policies that are in essence incompatible with American interests. Apart from the predictable chorus of Anti-Semitic accusations which the article gave rise to, it also gave rise to a serious debate within the progressive movement, in an attempt to accurately assess the power of the lobby and its influence both on policies and on public opinion.
The two guests on our program have been important contributors to that debate:
Norman Finkelstein is a Professor of Political Science at DePaul University. He is the author of a number of books as well as articles on the history of Zionism, and on the role of the holocaust in shaping Israeli present day policies. His latest book published in (2005) is Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History.
James Petras is a retired Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, SUNY. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the making of state power and globalization, in the context of the US and Latin America and most recently in the Middle East. Is latest book published in 2006 is titled The Power of Israel in the United States.
Hosted and produced by Hagit Borer for the SWANA (South and West Asia and North Africa) Collective of KPFK.
For more information, visit:
http://kpfk.org
http://normanfinkelstein.com