In the U.S. mass media in-depth criticism of the Israeli government is hard to come by; even harder to find are comments from Israelis and American Jews who oppose the military occupation of Palestinian territory. Among Jews, opinions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict are diverse — many favor non-violent solutions to the conflict and peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians. On this edition of Making Contact, you’ll hear the viewpoints of Israeli Jews and Jewish Americans who are part of an international peace movement to end the violence in the Middle East. You’ll also hear about an American activist who put her life on the line in the Occupied Territories.

Featuring:
Liot Weingart, co-director of A Jewish Voice for Peace;
Ben Eckstein, an Israeli conscientious objector, or “Refusenik;”
Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Rabbis for Human Rights;
Colin Reese, a close friend of Rachael Corrie, an American activist who was killed by an Israeli Defense Force bulldozer driver in the Occupied Territories;
Cindy Corrie, Rachael Corrie’s mother;
Phan Nguyen, International Solidarity Movement.

This program was produced by Making Contact for the National Radio Project on June 4, 2003.

For more information, visit:
radioproject.org
jewishvoiceforpeace.org
rhr.israel.net
rachelcorriefoundation.org
palsolidarity.org

Opinions run strong when it comes to conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Mass media reports about violent clashes and tenuous peace talks often obscure critical information about daily life in Palestinian territories. On this program we take a look at reactions to Palestinian viewpoints.

Featuring:
Reverend Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem;
Marcia Freedman, former member of the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) and with the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace;
Penny Rosenwasser, Middle East Children’s Alliance;
Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun magazine;
Edward Said, Columbia University Professor;
Sounds and an interview from the Occupied Territories

This program was produced by the National Radio Project for August 15, 2001.

For more information, visit:
radioproject.org
www.batshalom.org
www.mecaforpeace.org/
tikkun.org

Although small in number, Israelis and Palestinians committed to peace provide a glimmer of hope for the future. On this week’s edition of Making Contact, Israeli women defend Palestinian human rights at military checkpoints near Jerusalem. In Ramallah, we hear from Palestinian high school girls confronting issues of violence by Israeli troops and suicide bombers. And, just outside Jerusalem, we visit a school at Israel’s only integrated Jewish and Palestinian village. Correspondent Reese Erlich takes us on a tour of the region.

Featuring:
Ronny Perlman and Yael Israeli, Checkpoint Watch;
Gidon Perlman, medical doctor and reservist in the Israeli Defense Forces;
Joseph, a Palestinian taxi driver;
Hussein Faroun, resident of Abu Dis;
Hind Awwad, Amra, and Rena, students at a Quaker high school in Ramallah;
Abdessalam Najjar, public relations officer for Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam;
Ruth Schuster, resident of Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam;
Riak Rizik, former mayor of Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam

This program was produced by the National Radio Project and PeaceTalks on September 15, 2004.

For more information, visit:
radioproject.org
peacetalksonline.org
www.machsomwatch.org/
www.nswas.com/ (Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam website)

We see images on TV of stone throwing children, the destruction following a suicide bomb attack and Israeli army tanks and helicopters. But what’s behind the conflict? On this program we take a look at the Palestinian’s long history of resistance to colonialism and the current conflict over the Occupied Territories.

Featuring: Hatem Bazian, Professor of Near East Studies at the University of California at Berkeley;
Najiya Shana, a Palestinian American residing in Washington, DC;
Moatsin Agha, a Palestinian from Gaza who was exiled after the 1967 war;
As’ad Abu Khalil, a Research Fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and author of “Bin Laden, Islam and America’s New War on Terrorism”;
Marwan Barghouti, Secretary General of Fatah.

This program was produced for the National Radio Project for May 29, 2002.

For more information, visit:
www.radioproject.org

The long tradition of Palestinian women’s movements are little known in the West, where Arab women are often portrayed as bad mothers, veiled, and shut up in their homes. On this edition, correspondent Sarah Olson talks with Palestinian women about their experiences fighting for peace, democracy and gender equality.

Featuring:
Intessar Salman, organizer, Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy;
Diana Butta, attorney, Palestinian Negotiating Team;
Hannan Salman, manager, Palestinian Women’s Institute;
Fatima Haldi, farmer;
Khalida Jarrar, director, Addameer;
Randa Seniora, director, Al-Haq;
Eltazan Morar, student and activist

This program was produced by the National Radio Project for March 2, 2005.

For more information, visit:
radioproject.org
addameer.org
alhaq.org
www.pcc-jer.org

The stakes were high. With intense interest, the world watched the U.S. Presidential election. On this edition, grassroots activists and analysts from all corners of the globe, including Iraq, Venezuela, Ghana, Palestine, India, Mexico, England, and Pakistan react to another 4 years of George W. Bush in the White House.

Featuring:
Hanan Ashrawi, Secretary General, Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy;
Eman Khammas, former director, Occupation Watch Center;
Kishwar Naheed, volunteer, Hawwa Women Craft Cooperative;
Margarita Lopez Maya, professor, Central University of Venezuela;
Miguel Pickard White, Center for Economic and Political Investigation and Community Action (CIEPAC);
Arun Kundnani, editor of IRR News, Institute of Race Relations;
Praful Bidwai, syndicated columnist;
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, executive director, African Women’s Development Fund.

This program was produced for the National Radio Project on November 24, 2004.

For more information, visit:
www.radioproject.org
www.miftah.org
www.ciepac.org
www.irr.org.uk
www.awdf.org

Since the lines were drawn over 50 years ago, the borders of Israel have been intensely contested. With the construction of a wall in the Palestinian territories, a new border is being created. The Israeli government says they are building the wall for security reasons, but many Palestinians and human rights groups declare it is a violation of their civil liberties. On this edition of Making Contact, we examine the impact of the current border conflict on Palestinian sovereignty.

Featuring:
Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian physician and human rights activist;
Dalit Baum, member of “Black Laundry”;
Huwaida Arraf, International Solidarity Movement;
Abdel Raheem, spokesperson of PENGON;
Omer Kaspi, Deputy Consul General, Israeli Consulate in San Francisco

This program was produced for the National Radio Project on March 31, 2004.

For more information, visit:
radioproject.org
www.palsolidarity.org (ISM site)
www.hdip.org (Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute)