First, some recent news and analysis out of Palestine:
Per the New York Times: "Demonstrating a new level of tension with Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority declared on Wednesday that his people were no longer bound by mutual agreements with Israel, including the Oslo Peace Accords, which created the foundation for the Middle East peace process."
The Oslo accords were a disaster for the Palestinians from the beginning. Israel was never willing to set any boundaries delineating Israeli and Palestinian land, and so from the outset Israel continued to do what its intentions were from the beginning. They continued to take Palestinian land inside the International Green line. There are now about 650,000 Jewish settlers within the West Bank. Palestinian autonomy promised, but never delivered has become a cruel joke. The Palestinian Authority has become a wing of the Israeli security apparatus. Finally, Abbas has blown the whistle, but it is too late for the two state solution that was the goal of the Accords.
In an interview published by the Institute for Middle East Understanding, Ramallah based Attorney Diana Buttu analyzes what may lay ahead for the Palestinians without the structure of the Oslo Accords. When asked about an assessment of the Oslo Accords for the Palestinians, Ms. Buttu responded: "The US-sponsored Oslo Accords have been an unmitigated disaster for Palestinians. Instead of leading to Palestinian freedom, the Oslo process entrenched Palestinian dependence on Israel economically, while giving Israel cover to deepen its occupation and settlement enterprise without suffering international censure for its violations of international law and human rights abuses. ..." Listen for much more.
Today we look at a Palestinian organization that does an amazing job of supporting the production of Palestinian products and marketing them to the world in the face of enormous Israeli restrictions and rigorous conditions that must be adhered to. A year ago I interviewed Mohammad Hmidat, who heads the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee (PARC). PARCâs success story, despite overwhelming obstacles created by the occupying power, Israel, bears repeating and therefore we went into our archive to present once again the PARC story.
Finally, we must give a salute to the UN which, despite objections from the US and Israel, this past week raised the Palestinian flag to stand among all the other nations which comprise the UN. A symbolic victory, but a victory nonetheless.
This Week In Palestine (a weekly part of Truth and Justice Radio) is an award-winning three-quarter-hour segment of news from Palestine and discussion of issues relevant to the Palestinians' struggle for freedom from Israel's brutal military occupation and colonization of their homeland. It speaks from the point of view of Palestinians and those who care about them. It's a regular part of Truth and Justice Radio, aired Sundays 6-10am ET on WZBC 90.3FM, Newton, MA, streaming and archived for two weeks at wzbc.org; TJR's website, truthandjusticeradio.org, has a link to This Week In Palestine archives back thru 1-6-2008; earlier editions are obtainable from radio4all.net or by navigating through our playlists. (At this important time, TJR has been airing a lot of Palestine coverage IN ADDITION to that provided by This Week In Palestine.) We hope you'll write to us at tjr@bluebottle.com if you rebroadcast our work, or have questions or comments.
This Week in PaleSherif Fam, Mohammad Hmidat, PARC, Palestinian Agricultural Relief, John Roberts, Palestine, Truth and Justice Radiostine 10-4-2015
Death of the Oslo Accords, then Mohammad Hmidat, head of PARC
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