For the weeks of July 11 and 18, Salaam Shalom: Report on Palestine/Israel will devote roughly half of the program to the current struggles of the Second Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Stay Human and the machinations of the Israeli government, in collusion with Greek authorities, to thwart the Flotilla. We will feature two reports from Al Jazeera, one from the Christian Science Monitor, and one from the Real News Network. RNN explores the ongoing disinformation campaign and media wars in Israel directed at on the Flotilla. That will be followed by a ridiculously absurd and sexiest—but politically venal—propaganda video commissioned by the Government of Israel. We will juxtapose the assertions in that video with the conclusions of the UN Fact-Finding Mission that investigated Israel’s illegal boarding of the Mavi Marmara in May, 2010, and the murder of 9 Turkish activists by Israeli commandos. The balance of the program will feature a videotaped presentation, in February, 2010, by Dr. Mark Braverman. He is an American Jewish psychologist, and he spoke at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, at the invitation of Sabeel, the Palestinian Christian organization. This is an eloquent, passionate and historically informed speech by an American Jew on the necessity of people of conscience to act decisively and immediately to end the suffering of the Palestinians. His message is particularly pointed in its admonition to Christians and Christian churches, and it is framed by his personal story of confronting the meaning of Zionism and Israel. This videotape comes to us courtesy of Alternate Focus.
