The issue of the right of return has been the focus of recent international headlines with the "disengagement plan" put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, endorsed by U.S. President George W. Bush and vocally supported by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. The "disengagement plan" foresees the eventual evacuation of major Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip but rejects the internationally recognized right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees displaced during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. For Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, whose political and social identity is defined by a belief in the right of return, the "disengagement plan" put forward by Sharon is a devastating blow.

Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon today say they are subjected to systematic repression by the Lebanese government. They are forbidden from owning property, traveling freely -- working in over 70 professions and unable to obtain proper health care. During a recent trip to Beirut, Between The Lines' Stefan Christoff spoke with Raida Hatoum, a Lebanese activist who works with Najdeh, a women's NGO network operating in Palestinian refugee camps throughout Lebanon.

For more information, visit the Beirut Indymedia website at www.beirut.indymedia.org

Related links:

• To get more information about the global movement for the Palestinian Right of Return, visit: www.al-awda.org
• " U.N.Demands Israel Scrap Barrier," BBC News, July 20, 2004
• The Electronic Intifada, at www.electronicintifada.net. Publishes news, commentary, analysis, and reference materials about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict from a Palestinian perspective
• Tikkun Magazine, www.tikkun.org. A community of people from many faiths and traditions, with a vision of healing and transforming our world. Guided by the principle of to achieve social justice, ecological sanity, and world peace, and the inner healing needed to foster loving relationships, as well as a generous attitude toward the world and toward others

Each year, 10 million people enter U.S. correction facilities and studies indicate that the incidence of serious mental illness among these individuals is at least three to four times higher than in the general population.

A politically inspired crackdown on quality-of-life offenses such as the possession of narcotics have put many people with mental illness behind bars, hitting hard those dually diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse disorders. Ill-equipped to provide a comprehensive array of services that these individuals need, corrections administrators often see the health of people with mental illness deteriorate further, prompting behavior issues and disciplinary infractions that only prolong their confinement in the criminal justice system.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Connecticut state representative Mike Lawlor, co-chairman of the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee. Lawlor, who also co-chairs the Consensus Project, a national organization that brings together experts in the criminal justice and mental health fields. Lawlor discusses efforts underway to provide better care for mentally ill offenders.

For more information, call the Consensus Project at (212) 482-2320 or visit the group's website at consensusproject.org

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

• Political violence still grips Cambodia, 25 years after the murderous Khmer Rouge were forced out of power by the Vietnamese army. ("Letter from Cambodia," The Nation, June 28, 2004)
• The Gap, which owns Old Navy and Banana Republic stores has released a 40-page Social Responsibility Report documenting the low wages and poor working conditions in over 3,000 clothing factories in 50 nations across the globe. ("The Gap Minds Itself," In These Times, July 19, 2004)
• The U.S Department of Agriculture has reclassified frozen french fries as a "fresh vegetable." ("USDA: Frozen fries are fresh veggies," Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2004)
  

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Credits:
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Elaine Osowski
Segment producers: Melinda Tuhus, Stefan Christoff
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Harry Minot, Jeff Yates
Senior Web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeff Yates
Newswire editor: Hank Hoffman
Web editor: Bill Cosentino
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Theme music: Mikata