Between The Lines Archive
For The Week Ending Dec. 1, 2000

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THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking here or any of the individual interview segments below (All in RealAudio, needs RealPlayer 7 or 8.) This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and: One-Third of 250 Killed in Palestinian Uprising are Children Communications Director Says They are Victims of Israeli Occupation, Not Part of Deliberate Campaign of 'Sacrifice' Interview by Scott Harris. Overshadowed in the U.S. media by the unresolved presidential election, the death toll in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to rise. The Nov. 20 bombing of an Israeli school bus in the Gaza Strip set off the latest wave of violence to engulf the Middle East. Palestinian authorities denied responsibility for the remote-controlled bomb which killed two Israeli settlers and maimed several children. In retaliation for the bombing, Israeli forces attacked and destroyed the headquarters of Palestinian security forces, the offices of Yasir Arafat's Fatah party and a government television station. Escalating violence over the past two months has claimed 250, mostly Palestinian lives. One third of those killed by the Israeli military have been children. Some supporters of Israel charge that Yasir Arafat is purposefully sacrificing Palestinian children during this latest Intifada -- or uprising -- in a cynical bid to win world sympathy. They claim he is attempting to win the battle for a Palestinian state on the streets, an objective which eluded him at the negotiating table. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Hussein Ibish, communications director with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who discusses the escalating cycle of Middle East violence and responds to the allegation that Arafat is martyring Palestinian children. Contact the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee at (202) 244-2990 or visit their Web site at www.adc.org Related interview: "Barak's Attempt to Forge Israel Coalition with Ariel Sharon May Deepen Mideast Crisis"Sept. 25, 2000 Between The Lines interview with Geneive Abdo, Middle East correspondent with the Guardian newspaper, who examines why so many Palestinians are risking their lives to confront continued Israeli occupation and the fallout expected from any future labor-Likud coalition government. Racial Discrimination Against Florida Voters Unexamined in Election Controversy Interview by Scott Harris. The Democrats' and Republicans' unprecedented fight for the presidency more than two weeks after election day has inspired many citizens to scrutinize the long hidden flaws in our nation's electoral and political system. But while the corporate media focused on the legal and public relations battle over Florida's 25 electoral votes, little if any attention has been paid to the issue of voter disenfranchisement due to discrimination. Shortly after the polls closed on Nov. 7 African American leaders in Florida claimed that black voters were the victims of systematic harrassment and intimidation. Allegations included election officials turning away voters with the dubious explanation that the precinct had run out of ballots. Others claim police check points were set up in some cities in an attempt to deter voters from going to the polls. Discrimination against people of color during elections is not a new phenomenon in the U.S., especially in the South. The civil rights struggles of the 1960's were waged in large part to win suffrage for African Americans, who through literacy tests and poll taxes were denied the right to vote. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with author and commentator Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, who examines allegations of voter discrimination in Florida and elsewhere during the 2000 national election. Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson serves as president of the National Alliance for Positive Action. Visit the Alliance web site at www.natalliance.org Related articles: Gore Camp Demands FBI Inquiry (Times of London, Nov. 13, 2000) By Daniel McGrory. Allegations of voting rights violations need investigation (FAIR Action Alert, Nov. 17, 2000) Campaign Demands White House Executive Clemency for Native American Activist Leonard Peltier Interview by Melinda Tuhus Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned for 24 years, convicted in the killing of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota in 1975. Since his conviction witnesses have come forward to reveal that during the trial, U.S. government prosecutors withheld critical information from defense attorneys which many believe would have exonerated Peltier. Despite two decades of appeals, all efforts for a new trial have been rejected. Leonard Peltier's only hope now is a grant of executive clemency from President Clinton serving his final weeks as head of state. Peltier's defense committee is asking supporters to call the White House comment line to demand clemency. The group is also organizing a free Peltier demonstration at United Nations headquarters in New York City Dec. 10. In a recent interview, President Clinton told Pacifica Radio's Amy Goodman that he would review Peltier's case and reach a decision on whether or not to grant him executive clemency before leaving office in January. Between The Lines Melinda Tuhus spoke with Gina Kiala of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, who summarizes the goals of her groups' current campaign. Contact the Committee by calling (785) 842-5774 or visit their website at www.freepeltier.org This week's summary of under-reported news Compiled by Denise Manzari and Bob Nixon Four Cuban exiles detained in Panama Nov. 17 after Cuban President Fidel Castro warned authorities the men were plotting an assassination attempt. (Jane Franklin, author of "Cuba and The United States: A Chronological History") Center for Public Integrity says FBI report reveals American-made fragment bomb was used in Santo Domingo, Colombia car bombing two years ago, contradicting Colombian government's blame on FARC leftist rebels. (The Public i: Dec. 2000) Public health officials and environmentalists worry that agribusiness use of antiobiotics to fatten livestock is leading to resistant strains of bacteria, threatening human health. (Mother Jones: November/September, 2000)

... MORE ... Between The Lines/WPKN Radio Pre-Election Issues Forums: The Spook Who Would Be Congressman Growing Economic Inequality, The Failed Drug War & Prison Industrial Complex Progressives Debate: Will Nader's Candidacy Shock the System Leftward or Revive Reagan-Era Politics? Issues the Major Parties Agree on and Therefore Refuse to Debate Resources "CEO/Worker Pay Gap: The Neglected Campaign Issue" "Divided Decade: Economic Disparity at the Century's Turn" The Sentencing Project reports on racial disparity in the prison industrial complex.

 

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