Listen Live on KKFI
Every Friday at 9:30amAbout the Show
Understanding Israel Palestine
This show is inspired by Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, a local group that has advocated for 20 years for a fair and even-handed U.S. foreign policy that recognizes the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis. Our program offers interviews with journalists, scholars, policy experts and activists to offer multiple perspectives, and to clarify the underlying issues that are often obscured by headline news.
In this our last episode of the year 2022, we reflect on harbingers of hope. On the political front, in response to Israel’s November election that added fascist elements and resulted in a near-total erasure of the parliamentary left, a new political party united around the principle of complete equality for all was founded by a group of Israeli Jews and Palestinians. The new party’s name, All Its citizens, is a direct challenge to one of Israel’s Basic Laws which asserts that a party can be disqualified from running in elections if their platform negates the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Most Jews in Israel are unwilling to relinquish the privileges they enjoy under the current apartheid system. While some analysts dismiss the new party as too small for hope, a seed has been planted. Seeds grow.
We listen to portions of two past radio episodes where we also find hope. Hope in the story told by Yonathan Shapiro, an Israeli Jew who now advocates for Palestinian rights. He explains why he embraced Breaking the Silence, an organization of former Israeli soldiers who document harsh actions they once took against Palestinians, actions they now regret. And we listen again to a story told by Kefiah Addera who, despite immense odds, successfully organized the village women to bring electricity to their small community in the South Hebron Hills.
