WEBVTT

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From New York,
this is Democracy Now!

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What Israel is doing,
what Jerusalem is seeing

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is a continuation of
the green light from Washington

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to continue oppressing

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and killing Palestinians
with impunity.

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The Israeli human rights group
B’Tselem is accusing Israel

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of committing war crimes
in its assault on Gaza,

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which has killed at least
213 Palestinians,

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including 61 children.

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We’ll speak with
the head of B’Tselem,

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plus speak to two
Palestinian doctors

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about Israel’s destruction
of Gaza’s public health system,

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from bombing
its only COVID-19 lab

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to attacking the homes
of doctors and killing them.

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Plus, as Palestinians
across Israel,

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Gaza and the West Bank
stage a general strike today,

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we’ll speak to
a Palestinian activist

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in the Israeli
city of Haifa.

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Palestinians in Palestine

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have been going through
unprecedented events,

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hundreds of casualties
in Gaza,

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dozens of casualties
in the West Bank,

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and, for the very first time,
Palestinian houses

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and apartments are being marked
in mixed cities in Israel.

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These are
all unprecedented events,

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and they are very,
very dangerous,

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and the world needs
to hear about them.

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All that and more, coming up.

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Welcome to Democracy Now!,
democracynow.org,

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The Quarantine Report.
I’m Amy Goodman.

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The death toll in Gaza
has reached 213

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as Israel continues to attack
the besieged territory by air,

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land and sea using U.S.-made
warplanes and U.S.-made bombs.

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Health officials in Gaza
say the dead include 61 children

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and 36 women.

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Over 1,400 Palestinians
have been injured.

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Another 58,000
are internally displaced

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and facing shortages of food,
medicine and supplies.

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On Sunday, 6-year-old
Suzy Eshkuntana

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was pulled from the rubble
of her Gaza City home

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after an airstrike killed
her mother

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and all four of her siblings.

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Her father Riyad was the only
other member of her family

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to survive.

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Riyad Eshkuntana:
"I ran to check up on the girls.

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My wife jumped.

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She hugged the girls
and took them out of the room.

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Then a second airstrike
hit the room.

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I could feel the ceilings
were destroyed,

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and I was left under the rubble.
The last moment I saw my wife,

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I saw that she threw herself
on the floor,

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and the concrete
fell on her head."

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An Israeli airstrike Monday

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damaged the office
of Qatar’s Red Crescent.

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Another strike damaged
the only COVID-19

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testing laboratory in Gaza.

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A clinic run by
Doctors Without Borders

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was hit by an Israeli
strike on Sunday.

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The World Health Organization
reports Israeli

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attacks have damaged at least 18
hospitals and clinics in Gaza.

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The White House said
President Biden

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expressed his support
for a ceasefire

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during a phone call Monday

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with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanayhu —

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but Biden did not directly
demand Israel halt its assault.

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Biden faces pressure
from over two dozen

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Democratic senators
who are calling for a ceasefire.

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Meanwhile, Minnesota Democratic
Congressmember Ilhan Omar

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is demanding
the Biden administration

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halt a planned arms
sale to Israel, writing,

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"It would be appalling
for the Biden administration

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to go through
with $735 million

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in precision-guided
weaponry to Netanyahu

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without any strings attached in
the wake of escalating violence

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and attacks on civilians."

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In Ethiopia, CNN reports

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Eritrean troops disguised
as Ethiopian soldiers

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are blocking critical aid from
reaching starving populations

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in the conflict-torn
Tigray region.

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The World Health Organization

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says almost 5 million
people in Tigray

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are in need
of humanitarian aid,

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with severe and acute
malnutrition becoming rampant.

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Some have already
died of hunger,

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and there are reports
of indiscriminate killings

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and widespread sexual violence
by combatants.

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Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary
of State Antony Blinken

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called on the governments
of Ethiopia and Eritrea

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to stop blocking humanitarian
access to the region.

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In India, at least 21 people
are dead and nearly 100 others

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missing after the most powerful
tropical cyclone

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ever to hit western India
made landfall late Monday.

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The storm pummeled Gujarat state

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with the force
of a Category 3 hurricane,

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compounding India’s
coronavirus catastrophe.

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Two hundred thousand people
evacuated ahead of the storm —

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including hundreds
of COVID-19 patients

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— and vaccination sites
were forced to close.

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This came as India reported
more than 4,300 COVID-19 deaths

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Tuesday —

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making it the deadliest day
of the pandemic for any country.

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In the United States, a weekly
average of coronavirus deaths

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has fallen to its lowest level
in 14 months,

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while hospitalizations and
new cases continue to decline.

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Nearly half of all
U.S. residents

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have received at least one dose
of a COVID-19 vaccine,

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though the pace of inoculations
continues to fall,

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with vaccine
supplies outpacing demand.

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On Monday, President Biden said
the U.S. would send at least

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20 million vaccine doses

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to other nations
by the end of June.

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President Joe Biden:

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"We’ll share these vaccines
in the service of

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ending the pandemic everywhere.
And we will not use our vaccines

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to secure favors
from other countries."

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Twenty million doses represents
a small fraction

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of what’s needed to vaccinate

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most of the world’s
7.8 billion people.

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Fewer than 5% of Asia’s
population

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and about 1% of Africans
have been vaccinated.

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On Monday,
World Health Organization

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Director-General Dr.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

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blasted the growing gap
between rich and poor nations

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as "vaccine apartheid."

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:

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"The world is in vaccine
apartheid.

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As you know,
high-income countries account

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for 15%
of the world’s population

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but have 45%
of the world’s vaccines."

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The Supreme Court agreed Monday
to hear a challenge

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to a Mississippi law
banning nearly all abortions

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after 15 weeks of pregnancy —
even in cases of rape or incest.

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It’s the first time
that Trump-appointed

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Justices Amy Coney Barrett,
Brett Kavanaugh

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and Neil Gorsuch will preside
over a major challenge

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to the court’s landmark 1973
ruling, Roe v.

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Wade. Oral arguments
are set for the next term,

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which starts in October.
A ruling is expected next year.

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Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood
Southeast Advocates

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said in a statement,

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"We knew the day would come
when that dangerous legislation

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would not only threaten

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the health, lives,
and freedoms of Mississippians,

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but the entire country.
That day is finally here."

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In New York, the federal trial
against environmental

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and human rights lawyer
Steven Donziger

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wrapped up Monday

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with the defense refusing
to call a single witness

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after dismissing
the trial as a "charade."

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Donziger has been on house
arrest for over 600 days

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on allegations
of contempt of court

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after he refused to turn over
his computer and cellphone.

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The case stems from Chevron’s
unprecedented legal campaign

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against Donziger over his role

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in winning
an $18 billion settlement

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on behalf of 30,000
Amazonian Indigenous

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people who suffered the effects
of toxic waste

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from Chevron’s oil
drilling in the Amazon.

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In an unusual legal twist,

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the judge appointed
a private law firm

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with ties to Chevron
to prosecute Donziger,

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after federal prosecutors
declined to bring charges.

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Donziger spoke to reporters
ahead of the trial’s close.

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Steven Donziger:
"The Chevron witnesses admitted

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that they had had
multiple meetings

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with the private
corporate prosecutors

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from a Chevron law firm

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to help them prepare
their public prosecution of me

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in an effort to convict me. ...

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This is a process that is
structurally designed to favor

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Chevron and to trample
on my due process rights.

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I cannot get a fair trial."

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A verdict is expected in June.

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Click here to see our full
interview with Steven Donziger.

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In Arizona, Republican leaders
in Maricopa County

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are demanding an end
to the GOP-ordered vote recount

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in the 2020
presidential election results,

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calling it a "mockery" and a
"grift disguised as an audit."

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Last month,
Arizona state Senate Republicans

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used their subpoena power
to take possession

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of 2.1 million ballots,
ballot-counting machines

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and computer hard drives
in Maricopa County —

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Arizona’s most populous region.

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The recount is being overseen
by Cyber Ninjas,

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a company with no record of
working in election security.

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The company’s CEO has espoused
conspiracy theories

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claiming the election was stolen
from former President Trump.

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This is Maricopa County Board
of Supervisors Chair

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Jack Sellers
speaking Monday.

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Jack Sellers:

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"This board is done explaining
anything to these people

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who are playing investigator
with our constituents’ ballots

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and equipment paid for
with real people’s tax dollars.

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People’s ballots and money
are not make-believe.

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It’s time to be done
with this craziness

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and get on with
our county’s critical business."

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In immigration news,

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a new report by the
American Civil Liberties Union

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says Immigration
and Customs Enforcement,

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or ICE, did close to nothing
to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks

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inside immigrant jails

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and has even concealed
the number of people

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in its custody hospitalized
during the pandemic.

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A total of over 14,000 people
have tested positive

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for COVID-19
while in ICE custody.

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Officially, nine people
have died of COVID in ICE jails,

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but several others died
shortly after their release.

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This comes as over
20,000 immigrants

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are currently jailed by ICE —
a jump from just under

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15,000 people at the end
of the Trump administration.

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In a letter signed by more
than 30 House Democrats,

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Congressmember Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez writes,

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"We are in a moment of racial
reckoning in this country,

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with communities across
the country calling for an end

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to mass incarceration
and racist policing.

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It is time to end the carceral
approach to immigration,

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which relies on these
same flawed systems."

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Spanish authorities have
apprehended about 5,000 refugees

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who swam from Morocco
to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta

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in North Africa Monday.

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Among them were about
1,500 children.

00:11:17.270 --> 00:11:18.770
A Spanish government
spokesperson

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said one person died
in the attempt.

00:11:20.820 --> 00:11:23.970
Meanwhile, the German
humanitarian aid group Sea-Eye

00:11:23.970 --> 00:11:27.420
says it rescued at least
330 refugees in recent days

00:11:27.420 --> 00:11:30.740
as they attempted the perilous
journey across the Mediterranean

00:11:30.740 --> 00:11:33.370
to flee poverty
and violence in their homelands.

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In El Salvador,

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transgender leaders took
to the streets of the capital

00:11:37.290 --> 00:11:40.280
San Salvador Monday to mark
the International Day

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Against Homophobia,
Transphobia and Biphobia

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and to demand
the Salvadoran government

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enact protections
for the trans community.

00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:49.619
This is trans activist
Britany García.

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Britany García:

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"We’re marching to demand
the Legislative Assembly debate

00:11:56.640 --> 00:11:59.030
and approve the law
on gender identity.

00:11:59.030 --> 00:12:00.340
It’s about a change of name

00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:02.770
and gender
in our identity documents.

00:12:02.770 --> 00:12:06.020
This identification is the door
to accessing our social,

00:12:06.020 --> 00:12:09.210
economic, political and
cultural rights in the country.

00:12:09.210 --> 00:12:11.960
Trans people don’t exist
in El Salvador."

00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.550
El Salvador, as well
as neighboring Guatemala

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and Honduras,

00:12:14.790 --> 00:12:17.100
are among the most
violent countries for trans

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and all LGBTQ people.

00:12:19.410 --> 00:12:21.620
And those are some of
the headlines this is Democracy

00:12:21.620 --> 00:12:25.080
Now, Democracynow.org,
the War and Peace Report.

00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:26.780
I’m Amy Goodman.

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AMY GOODMAN: The death toll
in Gaza has reached 213

00:12:41.300 --> 00:12:45.150
as Israel continues to attack
the besieged area by air,

00:12:45.150 --> 00:12:49.390
land and sea using U.S.-made
warplanes and U.S.-made bombs.

00:12:49.390 --> 00:12:53.200
Health officials in Gaza
say the dead include 61 children

00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:54.590
and 36 women.

00:12:54.590 --> 00:12:57.730
Over 1,400 Palestinians
have been injured.

00:12:57.730 --> 00:13:01.190
The United Nations says
58,000 Palestinians

00:13:01.190 --> 00:13:02.700
have been displaced.

00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:04.240
Meanwhile, the death toll
in Israel

00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:07.610
stands at 11 from rocket attacks
fired from Gaza.

00:13:08.190 --> 00:13:11.490
Palestinians across Gaza,
the West Bank and Israel

00:13:11.490 --> 00:13:14.150
are staging
a general strike today.

00:13:14.150 --> 00:13:17.190
In the West Bank, Israeli forces
have fired tear gas

00:13:17.190 --> 00:13:19.560
and rubber bullets
at protesters in Bethlehem.

00:13:20.180 --> 00:13:22.960
On Monday, President Biden
expressed his support

00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:26.010
for a ceasefire in Gaza
during a phone call

00:13:26.010 --> 00:13:28.610
with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanayhu.

00:13:28.610 --> 00:13:32.020
But Biden stopped short
of directly demanding Israel

00:13:32.020 --> 00:13:35.670
halt its assault, despite
growing pressure from Congress,

00:13:35.670 --> 00:13:37.840
where over two dozen
Democratic senators

00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:39.590
have backed
an immediate ceasefire.

00:13:40.110 --> 00:13:44.020
After Biden’s call, Israel
continued its attack on Gaza,

00:13:44.020 --> 00:13:46.400
which has now entered
its ninth day.

00:13:46.400 --> 00:13:49.690
At the United Nations,
the United States once again

00:13:49.690 --> 00:13:51.440
blocked the U.N.
Security Council

00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:53.220
from backing a ceasefire.

00:13:53.800 --> 00:13:56.850
Israel is the largest recipient
of U.S. military aid,

00:13:56.850 --> 00:13:59.930
receiving some
$3.8 billion a year.

00:13:59.930 --> 00:14:01.920
In recent weeks,
the Biden administration

00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:04.980
approved
the sale of $735 million

00:14:05.690 --> 00:14:08.090
in precision-guided weapons
to Israel.

00:14:08.890 --> 00:14:12.030
But House Foreign Affairs
Committee Chair Gregory Meeks

00:14:12.030 --> 00:14:13.730
is expected to ask
for the sale

00:14:13.730 --> 00:14:17.820
to be delayed to give lawmakers
more time to review it.

00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:19.450
Israel has relied heavily

00:14:19.450 --> 00:14:21.860
on U.S.-made weapons
during its assault.

00:14:21.860 --> 00:14:25.210
Israel reportedly
used a GBU-31 bomb

00:14:25.210 --> 00:14:26.570
made by Lockheed Martin

00:14:26.570 --> 00:14:29.490
to bring down a high-rise
building on Saturday

00:14:29.490 --> 00:14:32.470
which housed the offices
of many media outlets,

00:14:32.470 --> 00:14:35.210
including the Associated
Press and Al Jazeera.

00:14:35.980 --> 00:14:38.400
Israel is also facing
increasing criticism

00:14:38.400 --> 00:14:41.000
for targeting doctors
and health clinics.

00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.830
On Monday, an Israeli
strike damaged

00:14:43.830 --> 00:14:46.620
the only COVID-19
laboratory in Gaza.

00:14:47.210 --> 00:14:49.090
On Sunday, a massive Israeli

00:14:49.090 --> 00:14:52.300
airstrike killed Dr.
Ayman Abu al-Ouf,

00:14:52.300 --> 00:14:55.070
who headed the coronavirus
response at Shifa Hospital,

00:14:55.070 --> 00:14:56.790
Gaza’s largest hospital.

00:14:56.790 --> 00:14:59.180
He and two of his teenage
children died

00:14:59.180 --> 00:15:02.810
in an Israeli bombing of the
residential area of Gaza City

00:15:02.810 --> 00:15:04.510
that killed a total
of 30 people.

00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:07.960
Another prominent doctor
from Shifa Hospital,

00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:09.660
Mooein Ahmad al-Aloul,

00:15:10.400 --> 00:15:12.770
one of the only
neurologists in Gaza,

00:15:12.770 --> 00:15:14.850
was killed in an airstrike
on his home.

00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:17.980
Israel has also bombed
many of the roads

00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:19.290
leading to Shifa Hospital,

00:15:19.290 --> 00:15:22.800
making it harder for ambulances
to bring patients.

00:15:22.800 --> 00:15:24.570
According to the World
Health Organization,

00:15:24.570 --> 00:15:26.580
Israeli strikes
and shelling have damaged

00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:28.740
at least 18 hospitals
and clinics.

00:15:29.260 --> 00:15:32.060
We’re joined now by
two Palestinian doctors.

00:15:32.060 --> 00:15:34.130
Joining us from the West Bank
city of Ramallah

00:15:34.130 --> 00:15:35.830
is Dr. Mustafa Barghouti.

00:15:35.830 --> 00:15:37.730
He’s a member of
the Palestinian parliament,

00:15:37.730 --> 00:15:40.150
head of the Palestinian
Medical Relief Society,

00:15:41.060 --> 00:15:44.600
who has been leading efforts
to manage the COVID pandemic

00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:46.270
in the West Bank and Gaza.

00:15:46.270 --> 00:15:49.030
And in Gaza,
we’re joined by Dr. Rasha.

00:15:49.030 --> 00:15:51.260
To protect her safety,
Dr. Rasha has asked

00:15:51.260 --> 00:15:55.020
we only use her first name
and not show her face.

00:15:55.020 --> 00:15:59.570
Dr. Rasha, let’s begin with you.
You are at ground zero, in Gaza.

00:16:00.560 --> 00:16:03.510
You knew the doctors
who were killed.

00:16:04.420 --> 00:16:07.890
Can you start off by describing
the situation on the ground?

00:16:10.540 --> 00:16:11.830
DR. RASHA: Yes.

00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:14.400
Hello, and thank you
for allowing me

00:16:14.400 --> 00:16:18.070
to speak about how we —
life these days in Gaza.

00:16:19.070 --> 00:16:21.070
And I would like to submit

00:16:21.070 --> 00:16:24.870
the humanitarian aspects
of this war as a physician

00:16:24.870 --> 00:16:28.580
and as a Palestinian
and as a mother, at the start.

00:16:29.900 --> 00:16:33.010
First of all, you can imagine
that you are —

00:16:33.010 --> 00:16:34.830
there is no place safe
in Gaza now.

00:16:36.330 --> 00:16:38.530
If you imagine that you are
walking in a city,

00:16:38.530 --> 00:16:42.720
and there is no single path
in the city that’s not targeted.

00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:44.920
They’re targeting
the residential buildings,

00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:49.910
the healthcare systems,
even the street itself,

00:16:49.910 --> 00:16:54.090
walking people, people on bike,
on motorbike, in their car,

00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:59.170
and mosque, even the beach,
the restaurants,

00:16:59.170 --> 00:17:04.110
the press office.
Whatever you can see by your eye

00:17:04.110 --> 00:17:07.070
while you are walking
in the city has been targeted.

00:17:07.580 --> 00:17:09.510
And this is actually —
it’s awful.

00:17:09.510 --> 00:17:13.810
And it makes even violations for
the movement for the ambulance,

00:17:14.890 --> 00:17:16.750
which are going
to the hospitals.

00:17:17.300 --> 00:17:19.880
The entry to the Shifa Hospital,

00:17:20.390 --> 00:17:22.830
the main hospital in Gaza,
has been —

00:17:22.830 --> 00:17:26.040
all the roads leading to the
hospital have been destroyed,

00:17:26.040 --> 00:17:29.230
and which make the ambulance
need to make a long turn

00:17:29.230 --> 00:17:33.210
before they reach the hospital
with injured patients.

00:17:33.750 --> 00:17:36.720
Even the main electricity
station,

00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:41.200
which has been targeted in 2008,
has been targeted again,

00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:42.900
and now we have
no electricity.

00:17:44.260 --> 00:17:46.860
And this has been
targeted again,

00:17:46.860 --> 00:17:48.100
and there is no electricity,

00:17:48.100 --> 00:17:51.530
electricity coming only two
to three hours per day.

00:17:51.530 --> 00:17:54.500
And we are not anticipating
when it’s coming.

00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:55.770
We are using generator,

00:17:55.770 --> 00:17:59.030
and even there is no fuel enough
to supply the generator.

00:17:59.030 --> 00:18:00.910
And now I have no electricity

00:18:00.910 --> 00:18:02.630
and no electricity
from the generator,

00:18:02.630 --> 00:18:04.600
as well, for me personally.

00:18:05.560 --> 00:18:07.150
The internet tower
has been targeted,

00:18:07.150 --> 00:18:10.600
and then we have very,
very access to internet.

00:18:10.600 --> 00:18:14.110
Even this, I think this is
to target speaking out

00:18:14.790 --> 00:18:18.520
and to prevent us from talking
and explaining the situation.

00:18:19.030 --> 00:18:22.570
The schools, the kindergartens,
the factories,

00:18:22.570 --> 00:18:26.100
the governmental buildings,
the banks,

00:18:26.100 --> 00:18:27.800
the ministry buildings,

00:18:28.360 --> 00:18:31.960
primary healthcare facilities,
including, as you mentioned,

00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:35.010
the Doctors Without Borders
clinics and office,

00:18:35.010 --> 00:18:36.250
have been targeted,

00:18:36.250 --> 00:18:38.850
as the MSF spokesperson
has said two days ago.

00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:42.680
The residential home,
which is the main —

00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:45.040
the main catastrophe
and the main disaster

00:18:45.040 --> 00:18:49.230
is that the residential building
and towers has been targeted,

00:18:49.230 --> 00:18:51.490
and it has been destroyed
over the people

00:18:51.490 --> 00:18:53.470
who are living inside.

00:18:53.470 --> 00:18:56.250
And as you mentioned,
two doctors have been killed,

00:18:56.850 --> 00:18:58.540
including one of them
was my mentor,

00:18:58.540 --> 00:19:03.000
Dr. Ayman Abu al-Ouf.
It was actually a nightmare.

00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.140
And when he was targeted,

00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:08.060
it was —
I remember the night very well.

00:19:08.060 --> 00:19:11.110
We were following the news,
and we know where he is living.

00:19:11.110 --> 00:19:13.350
He lived close
to Al-Shifa Hospital.

00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:16.830
And we used to say
that Dr. Ayman

00:19:16.830 --> 00:19:18.270
is living in the hospital,
actually,

00:19:18.270 --> 00:19:20.460
because whenever you go
to the hospital, you find him.

00:19:20.460 --> 00:19:23.310
If he has a critical case,
he has to go home

00:19:23.310 --> 00:19:26.660
and come back to the hospital
every time to check his cases.

00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:29.350
He is a very committed person,
and he was my teacher.

00:19:29.350 --> 00:19:32.120
He was a member
of the COVID committee.

00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:35.960
He was training
the post-resident doctors

00:19:35.960 --> 00:19:38.350
and the internship
and medical school doctors.

00:19:39.470 --> 00:19:44.230
His loss is really a big loss
to the medical staff in Gaza.

00:19:44.230 --> 00:19:47.000
Really, I cannot imagine
that he has been killed.

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:49.630
And I think it’s a nightmare,
not more,

00:19:49.630 --> 00:19:51.900
as I hope I can —
I will see him soon.

00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:53.890
Like, I cannot imagine,
actually.

00:19:53.890 --> 00:19:55.280
I remember that night.

00:19:55.280 --> 00:19:58.560
We were following the news,
of three nights ago.

00:19:58.560 --> 00:20:01.660
And I sleep late,
at around 4 a.m.,

00:20:01.660 --> 00:20:06.150
and my husband woke me
at 7:00 or 8:00, and he told me,

00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:08.480
"You know Dr. Ayman, yes?
Ayman Abu al-Ouf."

00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.360
Then I told him,
"Don’t say that,"

00:20:10.360 --> 00:20:13.220
because I was anticipating
what I hope it will not occur.

00:20:13.940 --> 00:20:15.680
And he said,
"He has been killed."

00:20:16.290 --> 00:20:18.730
And his children and his wife,

00:20:18.730 --> 00:20:21.210
his father and his mother
are still under rubble,

00:20:21.210 --> 00:20:25.690
and they did not manage to get
them early in the morning.

00:20:26.370 --> 00:20:29.020
Me and all my colleagues
that work for the ward,

00:20:29.020 --> 00:20:30.900
we are assuring each other,

00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:33.580
"He is killed,
but his children..."

00:20:33.580 --> 00:20:37.020
There was no news about
whether they are still alive

00:20:37.020 --> 00:20:38.290
under the rubble or not,

00:20:38.290 --> 00:20:42.220
because there is some stories
some people survive —

00:20:42.730 --> 00:20:44.540
rarely people survive,

00:20:44.540 --> 00:20:48.120
and we was hoping that
anyone of his family survived.

00:20:48.120 --> 00:20:49.820
Unfortunately, by the midday,

00:20:50.510 --> 00:20:53.450
we know that no one
from his family survived.

00:20:54.060 --> 00:20:56.660
And it was a huge loss
to humanity

00:20:57.260 --> 00:21:00.670
and to the medical field
in Gaza.

00:21:01.450 --> 00:21:02.820
Also, another medical doctor,

00:21:02.820 --> 00:21:06.500
Ahmad al-Aloul, who was
a neurologist at Shifa Hospital,

00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:10.150
has been killed
in the same strike. It’s awful.

00:21:10.150 --> 00:21:13.930
And we see they destroy
buildings during night

00:21:13.930 --> 00:21:16.220
while people are sleeping
in their homes.

00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:17.920
There is no alarm,
as they claim.

00:21:18.490 --> 00:21:21.050
They claim that "When we are
targeting residential buildings,

00:21:21.050 --> 00:21:23.650
we are sending alarm
to the people."

00:21:23.650 --> 00:21:26.440
But this is not the truth.
This is not the truth.

00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:28.150
To be honest all the time,

00:21:28.150 --> 00:21:30.500
most of the time
they are not sending alarms.

00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:32.850
And as you see in the news,

00:21:32.850 --> 00:21:35.199
many homes have been destroyed
over the people,

00:21:35.970 --> 00:21:38.930
including a refugee camp
beside the beach.

00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:42.060
It’s called al-Shati.
About five days ago,

00:21:42.060 --> 00:21:44.660
also the same,
they targeted a home,

00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:47.830
with around 12 to 15 persons
from one family

00:21:47.830 --> 00:21:49.300
have been killed,

00:21:49.300 --> 00:21:52.800
with only a 5-month-old
child survive.

00:21:54.310 --> 00:21:57.760
It was a nightmare,
and I cannot imagine —

00:21:57.760 --> 00:21:59.630
as a mother, I cannot imagine

00:22:00.270 --> 00:22:04.510
how this 5-month baby
will survive,

00:22:04.510 --> 00:22:06.370
what we will tell him
in the future,

00:22:06.370 --> 00:22:08.070
who will take care of him,

00:22:09.010 --> 00:22:11.450
how he will think about
the beach in the future,

00:22:11.450 --> 00:22:12.820
how he will look at Israel.

00:22:12.820 --> 00:22:17.070
I don’t know how he will
grow up, this baby,

00:22:17.070 --> 00:22:20.330
and I was thinking about
if I can give this baby —

00:22:20.330 --> 00:22:23.660
to bring him to keep him
with my children in my home.

00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:25.410
[inaudible]
—

00:22:25.410 --> 00:22:29.880
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Dr. Rasha,
my condolences to you

00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:32.630
and your colleagues
for the death of Dr. Ayman

00:22:32.630 --> 00:22:35.380
and the terrible destruction.
But I wanted to ask you —

00:22:36.010 --> 00:22:38.230
there were other
medical facilities

00:22:38.230 --> 00:22:39.980
have been hit, as well.

00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:42.320
Doctors Without Borders
said that on Sunday

00:22:42.320 --> 00:22:46.380
there was an Israeli missile
struck a clinic

00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:48.080
that they were running.

00:22:49.180 --> 00:22:51.830
Is it your sense
that the medical facilities

00:22:51.830 --> 00:22:53.880
are being targeted
by the Israelis?

00:22:56.600 --> 00:22:57.950
DR. RASHA: Yeah, I think
it’s targeted.

00:22:57.950 --> 00:23:00.120
It’s intentionally targeted.

00:23:00.120 --> 00:23:03.210
Even if they claim that there
is something underneath

00:23:03.210 --> 00:23:08.350
or behind it or surrounding it,
it’s intentionally targeted.

00:23:08.350 --> 00:23:11.550
MSF is known that
it provides service for pain

00:23:11.550 --> 00:23:13.450
and for trauma patients.

00:23:13.450 --> 00:23:16.700
And there was a plan
to review activity

00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:20.430
for care of the traumatized
patients or to provide briefing

00:23:20.430 --> 00:23:24.440
and to care for the injured
people during this war.

00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:28.400
But, unfortunately, the biggest
clinic for MSF has been targeted

00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:29.740
and is structurally damaged.

00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:32.680
The sterilization unit
on the clinic has been damaged.

00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:34.860
And even the roads
which go into the clinic

00:23:34.860 --> 00:23:36.730
have been completely destructed.

00:23:37.380 --> 00:23:41.220
So, I think this is targeted
to increase

00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:44.850
the overwhelming of the already
overwhelmed healthcare system.

00:23:45.390 --> 00:23:49.870
I am sure that if this belong
more — this will be long more,

00:23:50.670 --> 00:23:53.260
the healthcare system
will be overwhelmed,

00:23:53.260 --> 00:23:55.970
and the capacity is limited,
which is already limited

00:23:56.750 --> 00:24:02.200
due to continued siege on Gaza.
So, I guess this is intended.

00:24:02.200 --> 00:24:05.810
As I mentioned, the streets
leading to the hospital

00:24:05.810 --> 00:24:07.920
have been targeted,
for Al-Shifa Hospital.

00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:12.070
And the entry for Al-Aqsa
Hospital in Deir al-Balah

00:24:12.070 --> 00:24:14.320
in the middle of Gaza
also has been targeted,

00:24:14.320 --> 00:24:16.960
and one person was killed
in front of the hospital

00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:19.100
during this target.

00:24:19.610 --> 00:24:22.480
So, it makes no sense
to target the streets

00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:29.260
surrounding the hospital.
And it’s a humanitarian disaster

00:24:29.260 --> 00:24:30.990
if you are not
only targeting people,

00:24:30.990 --> 00:24:33.980
but targeting the place
where people can be treated.

00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:37.310
This is another crime that
they should be accounted for.

00:24:39.450 --> 00:24:41.940
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Also, the main
clinic responsible for COVID

00:24:41.940 --> 00:24:46.260
care and the laboratory
doing COVID testing were struck.

00:24:47.110 --> 00:24:50.240
Gaza was already facing
a huge problem,

00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:51.550
as much of the rest
of the world,

00:24:51.550 --> 00:24:53.880
even worse than other parts
of the world,

00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:56.730
in terms of the pandemic.
How is this —

00:24:56.730 --> 00:24:59.840
how have you been able
to manage in this situation?

00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:06.180
DR. RASHA: Actually, before
starting of the war,

00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:09.070
there was almost complete
lockdown in Gaza

00:25:09.070 --> 00:25:12.100
due to increase,
the pandemic, directly in Gaza.

00:25:12.100 --> 00:25:15.870
There was around 230 people die
every day from COVID.

00:25:15.870 --> 00:25:19.220
And the hospital and
the healthcare system for COVID

00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:21.030
care was already overwhelmed.

00:25:21.030 --> 00:25:25.250
My friends and my friends
who are working in COVID unit,

00:25:25.250 --> 00:25:30.380
in the ICU and in the ward,
ICU care ward,

00:25:30.380 --> 00:25:32.390
already mentioned
that they do not have capacity

00:25:32.390 --> 00:25:33.590
and it’s overwhelmed.

00:25:33.590 --> 00:25:36.650
And Gaza was doing
the precaution

00:25:36.650 --> 00:25:38.180
to control the pandemic.

00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:41.870
However, there is only one lab
in Gaza, central lab,

00:25:41.870 --> 00:25:43.810
which was doing the COVID tests,

00:25:43.810 --> 00:25:48.430
and it was also like a store
where they store the vaccine,

00:25:48.430 --> 00:25:52.090
and they make plans, and they’re
meeting to plan for the COVID.

00:25:52.090 --> 00:25:54.210
And this has been targeted.

00:25:54.210 --> 00:25:56.930
During the war,
because of the restriction more,

00:25:56.930 --> 00:25:59.570
the number of the cases which
diagnose with COVID decrease,

00:25:59.570 --> 00:26:01.640
but it’s due to a decreased
people movement

00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:05.010
and seeking healthcare
in the hospitals from the war.

00:26:05.580 --> 00:26:08.320
But no one knows the actual
number of cases with COVID,

00:26:08.320 --> 00:26:09.560
who are not tested,

00:26:09.560 --> 00:26:12.860
who are afraid from moving
from home to do the test.

00:26:12.860 --> 00:26:19.670
And the deputy prime — sorry,
minister of health,

00:26:19.670 --> 00:26:22.480
Dr. Yousef Abu al-Rish,
said that they are not able

00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:24.670
to do any COVID tests
since yesterday.

00:26:25.490 --> 00:26:28.420
So, it will be double
the humanitarian crisis.

00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:31.170
There will be, in addition
to the war, to the victims,

00:26:31.170 --> 00:26:34.090
the COVID which
could not be diagnosed.

00:26:34.090 --> 00:26:37.870
Even the vaccination service,
which was started in Gaza Strip

00:26:37.870 --> 00:26:40.740
around two to three months ago,
this will be interrupted.

00:26:41.490 --> 00:26:46.510
All the COVID —
and also a lot of big members

00:26:46.510 --> 00:26:48.670
of the COVID committee,
like Dr. Ayman,

00:26:48.670 --> 00:26:52.100
also it will have impact
on COVID control committee

00:26:52.100 --> 00:26:53.630
and COVID control program.

00:26:53.630 --> 00:26:56.300
And I think that
for the upcoming days,

00:26:56.300 --> 00:26:59.760
that we will have —
we will see a disaster,

00:27:01.170 --> 00:27:03.040
humanitarian
and healthcare disaster,

00:27:03.040 --> 00:27:05.430
especially also if you add
on electricity problem

00:27:05.430 --> 00:27:06.750
and interruption

00:27:06.750 --> 00:27:08.960
in the electricity supply
to the hospital

00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.480
and the vital place
like the ICU setting,

00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:15.580
which are dependent
for ventilation patients.

00:27:16.150 --> 00:27:19.420
Electricity interruption
also has an impact on this.

00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:20.620
AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Rasha,

00:27:20.620 --> 00:27:22.200
I want to thank you
for being with us —

00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:25.790
please, stay safe —
a Palestinian internal medicine

00:27:25.790 --> 00:27:28.210
physician working in Gaza.

00:27:28.770 --> 00:27:31.420
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to
the West Bank to another doctor,

00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:33.450
to Dr. Mustafa Barghouti,
physician,

00:27:33.450 --> 00:27:35.060
member of
the Palestinian parliament,

00:27:35.060 --> 00:27:37.600
head of the Palestinian
Medical Relief Society,

00:27:37.600 --> 00:27:40.790
who has been leading efforts
to manage the pandemic

00:27:40.790 --> 00:27:42.920
in the West Bank and Gaza.

00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:47.830
When we last spoke to you,
Dr. Barghouti, you had COVID-19.

00:27:48.510 --> 00:27:51.390
More recently, you were
at the Al-Aqsa Mosque

00:27:51.390 --> 00:27:53.990
when the Israeli
forces began their raid.

00:27:55.220 --> 00:27:58.320
You have said that Palestinian
first responders

00:27:58.320 --> 00:28:01.900
were attacked and beaten as
they tried to help the wounded.

00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:07.820
If you can talk about just
what Juan asked Dr. Rasha,

00:28:07.820 --> 00:28:11.410
as you oversee
both Gaza and West Bank

00:28:11.410 --> 00:28:14.020
when it comes to COVID,

00:28:14.020 --> 00:28:16.900
but the attacking
of the medical facilities,

00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:19.110
the killings of the doctors,

00:28:20.070 --> 00:28:21.880
and the significance
of all this?

00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:25.040
Of course, you are a major
political figure, as well.

00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:27.710
Benjamin Netanyahu,
the prime minister,

00:28:27.710 --> 00:28:30.320
says they will not
stop the bombing.

00:28:32.100 --> 00:28:33.380
DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI: Thank
you.

00:28:33.380 --> 00:28:34.690
Thank you for hosting me.

00:28:34.690 --> 00:28:39.320
And let me say that our hearts
are broken, really,

00:28:39.320 --> 00:28:41.110
with what we see in Gaza,

00:28:42.800 --> 00:28:45.630
especially the loss of
our colleagues in the hospital.

00:28:47.020 --> 00:28:50.320
But what is happening really
is an act of genocide.

00:28:50.320 --> 00:28:52.100
It’s not just bombardment.

00:28:52.100 --> 00:28:55.980
It’s not just barbaric attack
on the civilian population.

00:28:56.710 --> 00:28:59.920
In reality, Netanyahu
has failed drastically.

00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:02.170
He does not have
any military success.

00:29:02.170 --> 00:29:05.450
And I am telling you, he does
not have even military targets.

00:29:06.260 --> 00:29:10.190
This man and the government
is using Palestinian blood —

00:29:10.190 --> 00:29:13.150
and maybe even Israeli blood —
to stay in power,

00:29:13.850 --> 00:29:17.710
to evade the three cases of
corruption that he has to face.

00:29:18.490 --> 00:29:20.660
And he’s doing anything
to keep his seat.

00:29:21.740 --> 00:29:24.270
But what’s happening in Gaza
is totally unacceptable.

00:29:24.270 --> 00:29:27.270
And by the way,
the 213 people killed there,

00:29:27.270 --> 00:29:29.760
you have to add to them
25 Palestinians

00:29:29.760 --> 00:29:32.710
who were also killed in the
West Bank during the last week.

00:29:33.520 --> 00:29:37.020
There are 1,400 injuries,
serious injuries, in Gaza,

00:29:37.020 --> 00:29:38.470
but also, in addition to that,

00:29:38.470 --> 00:29:40.880
there are 3,000 injuries
in the West Bank.

00:29:41.710 --> 00:29:45.120
And while we are talking, the
army is still shooting people,

00:29:45.120 --> 00:29:47.520
here in Ramallah and in Hebron
and in Bethlehem.

00:29:48.190 --> 00:29:51.530
And some of them
are at high risk

00:29:51.530 --> 00:29:54.129
because they were struck
with high-velocity bullets.

00:29:55.060 --> 00:29:56.940
What happened in Gaza,
most important —

00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:58.230
it’s very important to mention

00:29:58.230 --> 00:30:05.110
that the Israeli army eliminated
14 families completely.

00:30:06.100 --> 00:30:07.700
I mean, they killed
the grandfather,

00:30:07.700 --> 00:30:11.020
the grandmother, the father,
the mother and all the children.

00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:14.420
Fourteen families
have been eliminated

00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:17.950
from the civil record.
This is so horrible.

00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:23.320
And out of these 14 families,
one child only stayed alive,

00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:25.500
a 2-month-old child

00:30:25.500 --> 00:30:28.250
who lost nine
of his brothers and sisters,

00:30:28.250 --> 00:30:29.950
as well as his mother
and father.

00:30:30.840 --> 00:30:33.360
What future is going to be
for this child?

00:30:33.360 --> 00:30:35.330
This is what worries me most.

00:30:35.330 --> 00:30:36.800
The other thing I want
to mention

00:30:36.800 --> 00:30:40.890
is that besides bombardment and
destruction of people’s homes —

00:30:40.890 --> 00:30:45.700
and there is no justification
whatsoever for destroying

00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:48.550
[inaudible] high-rise buildings
by the Israeli bombs,

00:30:48.550 --> 00:30:50.330
which are American-made.

00:30:50.330 --> 00:30:52.840
There is no justification
of shooting people’s homes

00:30:52.840 --> 00:30:55.590
and destroying them completely
while people are asleep,

00:30:56.450 --> 00:30:59.650
knowing that Gaza does not have
civil defense equipment,

00:31:00.290 --> 00:31:05.950
knowing that Gaza, since 2006,
is under siege for 15 years,

00:31:06.810 --> 00:31:11.070
and the equipment that the civil
defense has goes back to 1996.

00:31:11.660 --> 00:31:13.570
So, not only
do you bombard people

00:31:13.570 --> 00:31:16.650
and people are stuck
below the rubble, imagine —

00:31:16.650 --> 00:31:19.810
imagine the feelings
of a person

00:31:19.810 --> 00:31:22.170
who’s hearing
the soft voice of a child

00:31:22.170 --> 00:31:25.790
or a mother
or a man under the rubble,

00:31:25.790 --> 00:31:29.120
and you cannot reach out to him,
and he just suffocates to death.

00:31:29.910 --> 00:31:31.920
This is the worst
that can happen.

00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:34.340
In other countries,
when an earthquake happens,

00:31:34.340 --> 00:31:37.430
people rush to help.
Other countries rush to help.

00:31:37.430 --> 00:31:39.300
What do we have
from other countries today

00:31:39.300 --> 00:31:43.810
except statements that Israel
has the right to defend itself?

00:31:43.810 --> 00:31:45.190
Defend itself?

00:31:45.190 --> 00:31:47.790
It is a country
that is occupying us.

00:31:47.790 --> 00:31:51.350
It is the entity
that is practicing apartheid

00:31:51.350 --> 00:31:53.370
against the Palestinian people.

00:31:53.370 --> 00:31:55.630
You can’t even equate
between the two sides.

00:31:58.180 --> 00:31:59.570
And they are not
only doing that,

00:31:59.570 --> 00:32:02.110
they are favoring Israel,
the aggressor.

00:32:02.750 --> 00:32:05.460
Let me also tell you something
about what’s happening in Gaza.

00:32:05.460 --> 00:32:08.060
We receive calls all the time
from mothers, fathers,

00:32:08.060 --> 00:32:11.280
and we have our colleagues there
who are working on the ground.

00:32:11.280 --> 00:32:14.990
The worst thing is
the psychological stress

00:32:14.990 --> 00:32:16.940
that is exercised
against the children,

00:32:17.560 --> 00:32:21.290
bombardment after bombardment
the whole night.

00:32:21.930 --> 00:32:24.850
What you see in Gaza against
the Palestinian population,

00:32:24.850 --> 00:32:27.110
but especially against
the Palestinian children,

00:32:27.110 --> 00:32:29.000
is psychological terror.

00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:31.860
I call it psychological
terror that Netanyahu

00:32:31.860 --> 00:32:34.510
and his government are
practicing against the people.

00:32:35.210 --> 00:32:40.200
And while we were busy trying
to stop the COVID-19 epidemic,

00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:42.160
which has reached
a serious level in Gaza

00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:45.120
because the ratio
of infection is 30%,

00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:48.610
which means that out
of every hundred tests you do,

00:32:48.610 --> 00:32:50.550
you have 30 cases
of COVID-19

00:32:50.550 --> 00:32:54.540
That means you have a community
spread, a dangerous one.

00:32:55.340 --> 00:32:59.810
And now we cannot do anything,
because tests cannot be done.

00:32:59.810 --> 00:33:01.310
Vaccines are not available.

00:33:01.310 --> 00:33:05.040
As you know, Israel practiced
what I call vaccination

00:33:05.040 --> 00:33:07.510
apartheid against
the Palestinian people.

00:33:07.510 --> 00:33:11.040
They got themselves vaccines
enough for all Israelis,

00:33:11.040 --> 00:33:13.130
and they gave nothing
to Palestinians.

00:33:13.130 --> 00:33:14.890
And they watched us
getting the disease,

00:33:14.890 --> 00:33:16.840
actually,
both in West Bank and Gaza.

00:33:16.840 --> 00:33:19.100
Now Gaza has shortage
of vaccines

00:33:19.100 --> 00:33:22.110
and cannot provide the vaccines,
even the ones that they have,

00:33:22.110 --> 00:33:25.400
because of a blocking
of healthcare,

00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:27.190
because of the bombardment.

00:33:27.190 --> 00:33:28.890
And now they’ve lost
the only lab

00:33:30.080 --> 00:33:32.590
that does tests for COVID-19.

00:33:32.590 --> 00:33:34.630
Our teams in Medical Relief,

00:33:34.630 --> 00:33:36.900
which are present
everywhere in Gaza,

00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:39.930
have now to shift
from dealing with COVID-19

00:33:39.930 --> 00:33:43.050
to providing care
to the injured people

00:33:43.050 --> 00:33:44.590
who cannot stay in hospitals

00:33:44.590 --> 00:33:46.490
because of the number
of injuries,

00:33:46.490 --> 00:33:47.930
and they have to be
treated at home.

00:33:47.930 --> 00:33:50.890
So, our teams have to go now
and treat the injured.

00:33:50.890 --> 00:33:55.460
And our other teams have to
go now to the UNRWA schools,

00:33:55.460 --> 00:33:59.160
where there are 45,000 people
who have been displaced

00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:04.430
from their homes
and apartments.

00:34:04.980 --> 00:34:06.320
[inaudible]
They need blankets.

00:34:06.320 --> 00:34:09.440
They need food. They need water.
They need everything.

00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.940
So, it’s a combination
of problems that we have to face

00:34:13.490 --> 00:34:16.410
because of this terrible,
terrible massacre

00:34:16.410 --> 00:34:18.220
that Israel is conducting.

00:34:18.220 --> 00:34:20.540
And there is no justification
for that.

00:34:20.540 --> 00:34:25.320
The whole thing started because
Israel attacked worshipers,

00:34:25.320 --> 00:34:26.740
peaceful worshipers,

00:34:26.740 --> 00:34:28.470
who were just praying
in the Aqsa Mosque.

00:34:28.470 --> 00:34:29.700
I was there.

00:34:29.700 --> 00:34:32.870
I saw them attacking not only
the prayer, the worshipers;

00:34:32.870 --> 00:34:35.520
they even attacked the first
providers and beat them.

00:34:36.320 --> 00:34:38.990
We had 1,000 injuries
in Jerusalem

00:34:38.990 --> 00:34:41.140
because of Israeli
army attacks.

00:34:41.140 --> 00:34:44.390
Six of them have lost their eyes
because of the injuries.

00:34:45.210 --> 00:34:48.200
And then, on top of that,
they want to ethnically cleanse

00:34:48.200 --> 00:34:50.400
the Sheikh Jarrah area.

00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:53.220
I want to explain to you,
there are 500 people,

00:34:53.870 --> 00:34:55.780
several families
in Sheikh Jarrah

00:34:55.780 --> 00:34:57.890
who have been living there
since the ’50s.

00:34:58.590 --> 00:35:00.990
And these families
were placed in Sheikh Jarrah

00:35:00.990 --> 00:35:04.960
because they were ethnically
cleansed in 1948 by Israel.

00:35:05.530 --> 00:35:08.560
These people came from Jaffa,
from Ramle,

00:35:08.560 --> 00:35:11.590
from Lod,
from West Jerusalem,

00:35:11.590 --> 00:35:13.750
because the Israeli
army forced them out.

00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:16.450
And now the army
comes to their homes

00:35:16.450 --> 00:35:19.070
and wants to evict them
one more time

00:35:19.070 --> 00:35:22.250
and ethnically cleanse them.
To replace them with whom?

00:35:22.250 --> 00:35:25.000
With illegal settlers
who are supported

00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:26.800
by the Israeli government.

00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:30.150
This is the worst system
of apartheid.

00:35:30.150 --> 00:35:33.210
This is not only
military occupation.

00:35:33.210 --> 00:35:35.580
This is a combination
of occupation,

00:35:36.090 --> 00:35:40.040
settler colonial system
and a system

00:35:40.040 --> 00:35:44.270
of the worst kind of apartheid
that humanity has ever seen,

00:35:44.270 --> 00:35:48.050
much worse than the apartheid
that prevailed in South Africa

00:35:48.050 --> 00:35:49.290
at one point of time.

00:35:49.290 --> 00:35:51.620
And this has to stop.
This has to stop.

00:35:51.620 --> 00:35:53.820
That’s why I’m very proud
to say today —

00:35:53.820 --> 00:35:57.640
I’m very proud to say that today
the Palestinian people,

00:35:57.640 --> 00:36:00.620
all the Palestinian people,
people in ’48 areas,

00:36:00.620 --> 00:36:02.660
in what they call Israel,

00:36:02.660 --> 00:36:05.259
people in the West Bank
and Gaza and East Jerusalem,

00:36:06.630 --> 00:36:09.080
people in the diaspora —
all Palestinians,

00:36:09.080 --> 00:36:12.310
for the first time
maybe since 1948,

00:36:12.310 --> 00:36:15.830
are all unified
and united in one struggle,

00:36:16.470 --> 00:36:18.550
one struggle to end
this suffering,

00:36:18.550 --> 00:36:20.400
one struggle to end occupation,

00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:24.350
one struggle to get rid
of this system of apartheid

00:36:24.350 --> 00:36:27.190
that has lasted longer
than anybody should tolerate.

00:36:27.190 --> 00:36:29.850
And today what you see
is a unified strike,

00:36:29.850 --> 00:36:32.930
unified demonstrations,
unified people,

00:36:32.930 --> 00:36:37.310
who, in my opinion, are going
way ahead of their leaders.

00:36:37.310 --> 00:36:40.420
And their leaders must
understand that and understand

00:36:40.420 --> 00:36:42.090
that it is time for unity

00:36:42.090 --> 00:36:46.630
and for a joint strategy of
struggle for all Palestinians.

00:36:47.510 --> 00:36:48.780
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Dr. Barghouti,

00:36:48.780 --> 00:36:52.480
I wanted to ask you about
the role of the United States

00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:54.590
and also of the other Arab

00:36:54.590 --> 00:36:59.590
states before
this renewed crisis here,

00:37:00.590 --> 00:37:05.190
especially the bombing,
the destruction of the high-rise

00:37:05.190 --> 00:37:07.130
where the Associated Press,

00:37:07.130 --> 00:37:09.570
Al Jazeera and other
news organizations were.

00:37:10.780 --> 00:37:13.810
Secretary of State Blinken
of the United States

00:37:13.810 --> 00:37:15.830
said yesterday
that he has no evidence.

00:37:15.830 --> 00:37:19.360
He’s seen no evidence that this
was being used by Hamas,

00:37:19.360 --> 00:37:23.680
yet the Israeli government
continues to say it was.

00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:27.330
Yet the administration says
nothing about the attacks

00:37:27.330 --> 00:37:29.810
on the press
that have resulted here.

00:37:29.810 --> 00:37:32.610
I’m wondering your sense of
where the Biden administration

00:37:32.610 --> 00:37:34.960
is right now
and what it should be doing,

00:37:34.960 --> 00:37:39.760
and also the deafening silence
from the other Arab

00:37:39.760 --> 00:37:41.460
states at this time.

00:37:43.230 --> 00:37:44.580
DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI: Well,
first of all,

00:37:44.580 --> 00:37:46.640
let me say that, of course,

00:37:46.640 --> 00:37:48.540
anything after Trump
looks better,

00:37:49.680 --> 00:37:51.740
because Trump
was the worst ever,

00:37:52.330 --> 00:37:54.000
not only leader
of the United States,

00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:56.349
the worst-ever president
anywhere in the world.

00:37:56.990 --> 00:38:00.630
That man tried to completely
liquidate the Palestinian issue.

00:38:01.340 --> 00:38:04.560
And he abused also many
Arab countries

00:38:04.560 --> 00:38:07.060
to enter
into normalization relationship

00:38:07.600 --> 00:38:09.399
with the apartheid system
in Israel.

00:38:10.830 --> 00:38:14.150
But Biden administration
is not doing much better.

00:38:15.040 --> 00:38:18.200
This commitment
to the alliance with Israel

00:38:18.920 --> 00:38:21.940
and this complete bias
to Israel is unacceptable.

00:38:22.630 --> 00:38:25.050
I do not understand
when Mr. Blinken

00:38:25.050 --> 00:38:27.760
and even Mr. Biden
keeps talking about Israel’s

00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:30.570
right to defend itself,
and does not mention a word

00:38:30.570 --> 00:38:32.600
about the right
of the Palestinians

00:38:32.600 --> 00:38:35.580
to resist occupation
and resist apartheid

00:38:36.110 --> 00:38:37.810
and to defend
themselves, as well.

00:38:38.390 --> 00:38:44.450
This asymmetry,
this unacceptable behavior,

00:38:45.060 --> 00:38:46.760
is encouraging Israel.

00:38:47.380 --> 00:38:49.420
I don’t understand why
the United States

00:38:49.420 --> 00:38:53.180
three times blocked
the possibility of a statement

00:38:53.180 --> 00:38:55.740
or a resolution
by the Security Council

00:38:55.740 --> 00:38:59.980
to call for ceasefire. Why?
Just because Israel wants that.

00:39:00.570 --> 00:39:04.510
We do not understand how could
the administration dare

00:39:05.240 --> 00:39:10.820
to sign a new agreement about
sending more bombs to Israel,

00:39:10.820 --> 00:39:12.140
more rockets to Israel,

00:39:12.140 --> 00:39:14.140
while it is committing
this war crime

00:39:14.140 --> 00:39:15.430
against
the Palestinian people,

00:39:15.430 --> 00:39:18.950
because what’s happening in Gaza
is nothing but a war crime,

00:39:18.950 --> 00:39:20.650
a war crime
against humanity.

00:39:21.410 --> 00:39:23.880
We do not understand
why Mr. Biden

00:39:23.880 --> 00:39:26.740
does not listen to the good
people in the Democratic Party,

00:39:26.740 --> 00:39:29.000
people like Ilhan Omar
and Rashida Tlaib

00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:33.190
and Cortez and Bernie Sanders,
who are saying enough is enough.

00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:38.050
And why should the United States
continue to protect occupation?

00:39:38.590 --> 00:39:41.630
Why should it continue to
protect a system of apartheid?

00:39:42.370 --> 00:39:45.710
This is totally unacceptable.
And this has to change.

00:39:46.450 --> 00:39:48.610
It shocked us that Mr. Biden

00:39:48.610 --> 00:39:50.510
has changed the policy
on many issues,

00:39:51.060 --> 00:39:54.900
has liberated the American
administrations from the cages

00:39:54.900 --> 00:39:56.640
that Trump put them in,

00:39:56.640 --> 00:39:59.020
regarding World
Health Organization

00:39:59.020 --> 00:40:02.650
or the issue of environment
or the issue of Mexico

00:40:02.650 --> 00:40:05.010
or relationship
to European countries,

00:40:05.570 --> 00:40:09.880
but when it came to Palestine,
they remained in the cage.

00:40:10.640 --> 00:40:15.650
And they even praised
the normalization agreements,

00:40:15.650 --> 00:40:19.630
which are misleading,
and considered them great effort

00:40:19.630 --> 00:40:21.980
by Trump’s administration.
This has to change.

00:40:21.980 --> 00:40:26.350
The United States has to stop
doing that and has to be fair,

00:40:26.350 --> 00:40:27.990
and they have to accept
our right

00:40:27.990 --> 00:40:30.310
as Palestinians to be free,

00:40:30.310 --> 00:40:32.650
as Palestinians to be free
from occupation

00:40:32.650 --> 00:40:35.110
and from the system
of Israeli apartheid.

00:40:35.110 --> 00:40:38.260
This, by the way, will be good
for everybody in this region,

00:40:38.260 --> 00:40:40.010
and not just
for Palestinians.

00:40:40.010 --> 00:40:43.510
Regarding Arab countries,
we are not happy,

00:40:44.210 --> 00:40:45.850
and we are disappointed,

00:40:45.850 --> 00:40:47.870
because up 'til now
the Arab countries

00:40:47.870 --> 00:40:49.820
are not doing
what they should do.

00:40:49.820 --> 00:40:52.320
And we are not asking them
to fight Israel,

00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:56.460
but we are asking them at least
to stop having normalization

00:40:56.460 --> 00:40:59.190
with this system
of apartheid and occupation,

00:40:59.820 --> 00:41:01.020
to cut the relationship

00:41:01.020 --> 00:41:03.340
’til Israel stops
this oppression

00:41:03.340 --> 00:41:05.010
of the Palestinian people.

00:41:05.010 --> 00:41:07.110
We think they should
do much more.

00:41:07.110 --> 00:41:09.410
Of course, we cannot
put them all in one basket,

00:41:09.410 --> 00:41:11.910
because some countries
are really doing a good job.

00:41:11.910 --> 00:41:13.600
Some others
are not doing enough.

00:41:13.600 --> 00:41:14.870
But I know one thing:

00:41:14.870 --> 00:41:16.980
that the peoples
of the Arab world

00:41:16.980 --> 00:41:19.680
are all on the side
of the Palestinian people.

00:41:19.680 --> 00:41:22.530
That's what we have seen
in huge demonstrations,

00:41:22.530 --> 00:41:26.900
hundreds of thousands in Yemen,
in Iraq, in Tunisia,

00:41:26.900 --> 00:41:28.600
in Morocco
and in so many —

00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:31.630
and, most important,
in Jordan and Lebanon,

00:41:32.530 --> 00:41:34.310
where people in Jordan tried

00:41:34.310 --> 00:41:36.430
in every possible way
to reach to us.

00:41:36.430 --> 00:41:40.190
So, I think there is
a great discrepancy,

00:41:40.190 --> 00:41:43.100
a great difference here
between the positions

00:41:43.100 --> 00:41:45.700
of the peoples
of these countries

00:41:45.700 --> 00:41:47.730
and the positions
of the governments.

00:41:47.730 --> 00:41:48.930
AMY GOODMAN: Dr.
Mustafa Barghouti,

00:41:48.930 --> 00:41:50.440
we want to thank you
for being with us,

00:41:50.440 --> 00:41:52.890
physician, member
of the Palestinian parliament,

00:41:52.890 --> 00:41:55.560
head of the Palestinian
Medical Relief Society,

00:41:55.560 --> 00:41:57.450
speaking to us from Ramallah
in the West Bank.

00:41:57.450 --> 00:41:58.660
DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI: Thank
you.

00:41:58.660 --> 00:42:00.080
AMY GOODMAN: Next up,
we go to Jerusalem

00:42:00.080 --> 00:42:02.879
to speak to the head of
the human rights group B’Tselem.

00:42:41.800 --> 00:42:43.090
AMY GOODMAN: This
is Democracy Now!

00:42:43.090 --> 00:42:45.410
I’m Amy Goodman,
with Juan González.

00:42:45.410 --> 00:42:49.240
As the Palestinian death
toll in Gaza tops 213,

00:42:49.240 --> 00:42:51.740
the leading Israeli
human rights group B’Tselem

00:42:51.740 --> 00:42:53.920
is accusing Israel
of committing war crimes

00:42:53.920 --> 00:42:55.650
by killing blockaded civilians

00:42:55.650 --> 00:42:58.740
and destroying infrastructure
on a massive scale.

00:42:58.740 --> 00:43:00.490
On Monday, I got a chance
to speak

00:43:00.490 --> 00:43:02.440
with Hagai El-Ad in Jerusalem.

00:43:02.440 --> 00:43:05.350
He’s the executive director of
the human rights group B’Tselem.

00:43:05.350 --> 00:43:08.400
Earlier this year, B’Tselem
released a landmark report

00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:11.610
denouncing Israel as a, quote,
"apartheid regime."

00:43:11.610 --> 00:43:13.970
I began by asking Hagai
to respond

00:43:13.970 --> 00:43:15.960
to what’s taking place
now in Israel

00:43:15.960 --> 00:43:18.100
and the Occupied Territories.

00:43:18.100 --> 00:43:21.340
HAGAI EL-AD: It’s becoming
difficult to count

00:43:21.340 --> 00:43:24.890
the number of military assaults
by Israel on the Gaza Strip,

00:43:24.890 --> 00:43:32.030
so 2008, 2009, and then 2012,
and then 2014, and now 2021.

00:43:32.900 --> 00:43:37.250
We’re at the beginning of week
two of this assault.

00:43:37.250 --> 00:43:40.650
And I think we should all be
reminded that back in 2014,

00:43:40.650 --> 00:43:42.680
seven years ago,

00:43:42.680 --> 00:43:46.780
the military operation
lasted some seven weeks,

00:43:46.780 --> 00:43:49.310
with more than
2,000 fatalities in Gaza,

00:43:49.850 --> 00:43:52.010
more than 500
of them children.

00:43:52.900 --> 00:43:59.510
So, this is already horrific,
but we should also bear in mind

00:43:59.510 --> 00:44:03.090
that it has gotten
much worse in the past,

00:44:03.090 --> 00:44:05.770
and God forbidden that this
will be allowed

00:44:05.770 --> 00:44:07.650
to continue in the way

00:44:07.650 --> 00:44:09.960
that it has been allowed
to continue in the past.

00:44:09.960 --> 00:44:12.870
AMY GOODMAN: So, where is
Israeli society on this,

00:44:12.870 --> 00:44:16.540
the Israeli Jewish community,
at this point?

00:44:19.480 --> 00:44:20.840
HAGAI EL-AD: Israeli society,
first,

00:44:20.840 --> 00:44:26.070
is receiving on domestic media
a very different view

00:44:26.070 --> 00:44:29.240
than what people
are experiencing in Gaza

00:44:29.780 --> 00:44:32.210
and what people are
seeing around the world.

00:44:32.210 --> 00:44:34.790
Israeli media, not because
of military censorship,

00:44:34.790 --> 00:44:36.860
but because of self-censorship,

00:44:36.860 --> 00:44:41.390
is reporting on Hamas rockets
attacking Israeli

00:44:41.390 --> 00:44:43.370
civilians inside Israel,

00:44:43.370 --> 00:44:45.990
as indeed they should
report on that,

00:44:46.720 --> 00:44:49.930
but they are barely reporting
about the situation in Gaza.

00:44:50.600 --> 00:44:53.490
So, from the perspective —
and this also is not new.

00:44:53.490 --> 00:44:56.960
This has been
that one-sided reporting

00:44:56.960 --> 00:44:58.730
domestically by Israeli media,

00:44:58.730 --> 00:45:01.640
almost all of it,
certainly Israeli TV,

00:45:01.640 --> 00:45:05.480
also in the previous Israeli
assaults on the Gaza Strip.

00:45:05.480 --> 00:45:08.590
It’s a story of Israel
under attack.

00:45:08.590 --> 00:45:11.390
And it’s almost never a story

00:45:11.390 --> 00:45:13.560
about the situation
in the Gaza Strip.

00:45:14.610 --> 00:45:16.620
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about why
you’re saying Israel

00:45:16.620 --> 00:45:18.490
is guilty of war
crimes right now.

00:45:21.150 --> 00:45:24.130
HAGAI EL-AD: We’re saying that
because that is the way it is.

00:45:24.130 --> 00:45:27.590
And I feel almost embarrassed
to try and quote

00:45:27.590 --> 00:45:30.320
the relevant aspects
of international law

00:45:30.320 --> 00:45:34.200
that are meant to protect
civilians at times of war.

00:45:34.760 --> 00:45:37.830
To talk about distinction
and proportionality,

00:45:37.830 --> 00:45:40.880
the two key principles
of international law,

00:45:41.850 --> 00:45:44.710
they seem to crumble
in the face of Israeli

00:45:44.710 --> 00:45:48.080
strategies of the way
the Israeli army

00:45:48.080 --> 00:45:51.510
is using military force
in the Gaza Strip again

00:45:51.510 --> 00:45:53.880
and again and again
and again and again.

00:45:53.880 --> 00:45:55.680
This is not new.

00:45:55.680 --> 00:45:58.930
We’ve seen this before,
with horrific consequences.

00:45:58.930 --> 00:46:00.800
We’ve seen war crimes

00:46:00.800 --> 00:46:02.910
in previous
military assaults on Gaza.

00:46:03.510 --> 00:46:06.980
And, in fact, the impunity
of the previous times

00:46:06.980 --> 00:46:09.020
in which war crimes
were committed

00:46:09.020 --> 00:46:12.720
is what has paved the way
for the continuation

00:46:13.410 --> 00:46:15.640
of more such crimes
being committed.

00:46:15.640 --> 00:46:20.660
So, for instance, if one thinks
for a second about attacks

00:46:20.660 --> 00:46:25.740
on wiping out residential
towers, apartment buildings,

00:46:26.380 --> 00:46:29.160
in apartment towers
in the Gaza Strip,

00:46:29.160 --> 00:46:34.040
where, in a second, dozens
of families lose their homes,

00:46:34.550 --> 00:46:37.160
how can that be
a military target?

00:46:37.160 --> 00:46:43.550
How is that consistent with
the principle of distinction?

00:46:44.060 --> 00:46:46.880
And the Israeli army then
explains that there’s been —

00:46:46.880 --> 00:46:50.520
there’s a Hamas office
in that building.

00:46:50.520 --> 00:46:55.280
Well, if that is the case —
and not always, if ever,

00:46:55.280 --> 00:46:58.590
they provide convincing evidence
that that is indeed the case,

00:46:58.590 --> 00:47:00.930
but let’s assume for a second
that it is —

00:47:00.930 --> 00:47:03.650
how is that attack
proportional, right?

00:47:03.650 --> 00:47:09.070
And the numbers add up —
numbers in terms of fatalities,

00:47:09.810 --> 00:47:12.550
some 200 already,
many of them children;

00:47:12.550 --> 00:47:17.990
numbers in terms of injuries;
numbers in terms of destruction;

00:47:17.990 --> 00:47:20.520
numbers in terms of people

00:47:20.520 --> 00:47:23.600
that have to flee
from one part of the Gaza Strip

00:47:23.600 --> 00:47:25.210
to another part of the Gaza
Strip

00:47:25.210 --> 00:47:27.970
— we’re talking about
tens of thousands of people.

00:47:27.970 --> 00:47:30.090
But what we’ve seen
in previous assaults

00:47:30.090 --> 00:47:31.460
is that sometimes people

00:47:31.460 --> 00:47:33.400
that have fled
from one part of the Strip

00:47:33.400 --> 00:47:35.640
to another have been killed
by an Israeli

00:47:35.640 --> 00:47:38.540
strike at the place
that they fled to,

00:47:38.540 --> 00:47:41.650
because nowhere
in the Gaza Strip is really safe

00:47:41.650 --> 00:47:44.040
from Israeli shelling, right?

00:47:44.040 --> 00:47:47.220
So, like, that is the context
of what we’re seeing,

00:47:47.220 --> 00:47:49.050
what has unfolded in the past,

00:47:49.050 --> 00:47:52.150
and what is continuing to unfold
in front of our eyes.

00:47:53.090 --> 00:47:56.340
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn
to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

00:47:56.340 --> 00:47:59.080
After speaking to
President Biden on Saturday,

00:47:59.620 --> 00:48:02.720
he vowed Israel would continue
to strike Gaza

00:48:02.720 --> 00:48:04.910
as long as necessary.

00:48:04.910 --> 00:48:06.180
PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN 
NETANYAHU: [translated]

00:48:06.180 --> 00:48:09.390
We will continue
to act with full force.

00:48:09.390 --> 00:48:11.190
We are hitting
the terrorist organization

00:48:11.190 --> 00:48:12.470
with crushing blows.

00:48:12.470 --> 00:48:14.630
Whoever lit the fire
will receive fire. ...

00:48:17.850 --> 00:48:19.090
But unlike Hamas,

00:48:19.090 --> 00:48:21.180
which deliberately
intends to harm civilians

00:48:21.180 --> 00:48:22.650
while hiding behind civilians,

00:48:22.650 --> 00:48:25.750
we are doing everything
but everything to avoid,

00:48:25.750 --> 00:48:27.370
or limit as much as possible,

00:48:27.370 --> 00:48:30.640
harming civilians and to
directly strike terrorists

00:48:30.640 --> 00:48:33.290
instead. ... [in English]

00:48:33.290 --> 00:48:35.920
Israel has responded
forcefully to these attacks,

00:48:36.470 --> 00:48:38.620
and we will continue
to respond forcefully.

00:48:39.640 --> 00:48:42.160
AMY GOODMAN: That is
the indicted,

00:48:42.160 --> 00:48:44.010
now on trial for corruption,

00:48:44.010 --> 00:48:47.640
Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu.

00:48:47.640 --> 00:48:49.380
Hagai El-Ad, your response?

00:48:51.160 --> 00:48:55.380
HAGAI EL-AD: It’s outrageous
propaganda, as was used,

00:48:55.380 --> 00:49:00.460
again, in the past,
to try and whitewash war crimes

00:49:00.460 --> 00:49:04.490
against a defenseless
civilian population

00:49:04.490 --> 00:49:06.430
in the blockaded
Gaza Strip.

00:49:07.050 --> 00:49:12.100
And again, it’s painful
to speak from this experience,

00:49:12.100 --> 00:49:16.660
but we can already project
the way the Israeli army

00:49:16.660 --> 00:49:19.030
and legal system
will in the future,

00:49:19.030 --> 00:49:24.180
if they have to, try and explain
away what has happened.

00:49:24.180 --> 00:49:26.430
Think about some of the
most horrific incidents

00:49:26.430 --> 00:49:28.310
of the current assault
on Gaza,

00:49:29.190 --> 00:49:33.940
the bombing of a number
of homes in Rimal,

00:49:33.940 --> 00:49:37.540
with more than 40 fatalities,

00:49:37.540 --> 00:49:39.810
and they’re still
digging in the rubble,

00:49:39.810 --> 00:49:44.490
and perhaps that horrific number
will continue to rise.

00:49:44.490 --> 00:49:47.370
What the Israeli army
eventually is going to say,

00:49:47.370 --> 00:49:52.000
if they will have to, is that
this has been a legal assault

00:49:52.000 --> 00:49:55.280
because they thought
it was a military target,

00:49:55.280 --> 00:49:58.200
and they didn’t know
some of the aspects

00:49:58.200 --> 00:50:01.180
of the expected
collateral damage.

00:50:01.180 --> 00:50:04.280
So they would say it followed
both distinction

00:50:04.280 --> 00:50:06.940
and proportionality,
because they didn’t know.

00:50:06.940 --> 00:50:10.430
And you have to ask yourself:
Is that acceptable?

00:50:10.430 --> 00:50:12.800
And I want to answer:
That’s not acceptable,

00:50:12.800 --> 00:50:16.370
because we’ve seen
that dozens of times before.

00:50:16.370 --> 00:50:18.810
So, on the one hand,
they like to talk about,

00:50:19.360 --> 00:50:24.310
you know, surgical strikes based
on meticulous intelligence

00:50:24.310 --> 00:50:29.420
gathering with the utmost effort
to protect civilians.

00:50:29.420 --> 00:50:32.680
And then they would say,
"Regretfully, we didn’t know.

00:50:32.680 --> 00:50:36.030
We didn’t know that families
were sheltering in the building.

00:50:36.030 --> 00:50:38.470
We didn’t know that
the building will collapse.

00:50:38.470 --> 00:50:40.720
We didn’t know that there was
a coffee shop next door.

00:50:40.720 --> 00:50:42.410
We didn’t know.
We didn’t know.

00:50:42.410 --> 00:50:44.640
Regretfully,
as a result of that,

00:50:44.640 --> 00:50:49.570
while it was legal,
an entire family was wiped out,

00:50:49.570 --> 00:50:52.730
or three families
were wiped out,

00:50:52.730 --> 00:50:56.600
and 10 children are dead,
as a result of that."

00:50:57.240 --> 00:51:01.950
And it’s unacceptable
that they will just continue,

00:51:01.950 --> 00:51:08.650
like on copy-paste format,
making these statements

00:51:08.650 --> 00:51:11.850
that are trying to explain
away these war crimes.

00:51:11.850 --> 00:51:13.960
This is not unprecedented.

00:51:15.470 --> 00:51:18.770
This could have been,
should have been anticipated.

00:51:18.770 --> 00:51:21.300
You use the same
military strategy

00:51:21.300 --> 00:51:25.970
that you’ve used before,
dropping these kind of bombs

00:51:25.970 --> 00:51:29.780
in the heart
of populated neighborhoods,

00:51:29.780 --> 00:51:31.820
then these are the outcomes,

00:51:31.820 --> 00:51:35.390
and these outcomes
should have been anticipated.

00:51:35.390 --> 00:51:38.740
And because of that,
these excuses by Israel

00:51:38.740 --> 00:51:40.590
are simply unacceptable.

00:51:40.590 --> 00:51:43.060
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Hagai El-Ad
in Jerusalem,

00:51:43.060 --> 00:51:44.280
executive director
of the Israeli

00:51:44.280 --> 00:51:45.550
human rights group B’Tselem.

00:51:45.550 --> 00:51:47.880
To see the full interview,
go to democracynow.org.

00:51:47.880 --> 00:51:52.090
We’ll also link to his new piece
in The Washington Post headlined

00:51:52.090 --> 00:51:54.140
"Israel has chosen
a two-tiered society.

00:51:54.140 --> 00:51:56.390
Violence is
the inevitable result."

00:51:56.390 --> 00:52:01.620
And we’ll link to his report
charging Israel with apartheid.

00:52:01.620 --> 00:52:03.280
This is Democracy Now!

00:52:03.280 --> 00:52:06.570
When we come back,
general strike in the West Bank

00:52:07.090 --> 00:52:08.950
and throughout Israel.
Stay with us.

00:52:44.670 --> 00:52:46.010
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy
Now!

00:52:46.010 --> 00:52:47.800
I’m Amy Goodman,
with Juan González.

00:52:47.800 --> 00:52:52.020
As the Israeli bombing of Gaza
continues through its ninth day,

00:52:52.020 --> 00:52:54.390
Palestinians across
the occupied West Bank,

00:52:54.390 --> 00:52:55.860
Gaza and inside Israel

00:52:55.860 --> 00:52:58.270
are staging
a historic general strike.

00:52:58.270 --> 00:53:00.210
For more, we go to Haifa
in Israel

00:53:00.210 --> 00:53:02.710
to speak with Rami Younis,
Palestinian journalist

00:53:02.710 --> 00:53:05.930
and activist who’s originally
from the city of Lyd.

00:53:05.930 --> 00:53:07.830
If you can talk about
the significance

00:53:07.830 --> 00:53:09.560
of this general strike, Rami,

00:53:09.560 --> 00:53:12.390
and in talking about
you being from Lyd,

00:53:12.390 --> 00:53:13.960
the mob violence,

00:53:13.960 --> 00:53:17.170
the attacks on Palestinians
that’s taking place right now?

00:53:18.940 --> 00:53:21.530
RAMI YOUNIS: Well, the strike,
Amy, is a historical event.

00:53:22.080 --> 00:53:24.080
For the first time
since 1936 —

00:53:24.770 --> 00:53:26.350
that’s 12 years
before the Nakba,

00:53:26.350 --> 00:53:28.310
the catastrophe of
the Palestinian people,

00:53:28.310 --> 00:53:30.020
or the founding
of the state of Israel —

00:53:30.020 --> 00:53:32.360
for the first time ever,
we are striking,

00:53:32.360 --> 00:53:35.160
in all over Palestine,
from the river to the sea.

00:53:35.160 --> 00:53:37.710
So, what’s happening right now —

00:53:37.710 --> 00:53:40.110
I mean, everything started
a few weeks ago

00:53:40.110 --> 00:53:41.500
with a popular uprising.

00:53:41.500 --> 00:53:44.600
You see youth demonstrating
everywhere in Palestine —

00:53:44.600 --> 00:53:46.820
in Jaffa, in Nazareth,
in Haifa, in Lyd

00:53:46.820 --> 00:53:49.080
and in Jerusalem and in Gaza —

00:53:49.080 --> 00:53:51.129
all for Jerusalem,
all for Sheikh Jarrah.

00:53:51.710 --> 00:53:53.780
These demonstrations
were encountered —

00:53:53.780 --> 00:53:57.670
were countered by a lot
of police brutality instantly,

00:53:57.670 --> 00:54:01.230
and resulting in the clashes,
the violent clashes,

00:54:01.230 --> 00:54:04.270
that then turned into
basically Palestinians

00:54:04.270 --> 00:54:07.990
defending themselves every night
against attacks

00:54:07.990 --> 00:54:09.820
by Israeli settlers
and the Israeli police.

00:54:09.820 --> 00:54:12.500
Now, let me go into Lyd,

00:54:12.500 --> 00:54:14.410
in describing
what’s happening in Lyd.

00:54:14.410 --> 00:54:18.000
Lyd, my hometown, also Hebrew —
in Hebrew, they call it Lod —

00:54:18.820 --> 00:54:22.040
was a Palestinian city that
was occupied in 1948, right?

00:54:22.040 --> 00:54:24.200
Nowadays they call it
a mixed city.

00:54:24.200 --> 00:54:27.430
What happened in that mixed city
is that 15 years ago,

00:54:27.430 --> 00:54:31.230
when they evicted
those settlers from Gaza,

00:54:31.230 --> 00:54:32.640
they moved them into Lyd.

00:54:32.640 --> 00:54:34.780
And these settlers
moved into Lyd

00:54:34.780 --> 00:54:37.690
with a very clear
and declared goal of

00:54:37.690 --> 00:54:41.930
Judaizing the city, meaning
these Jewish supremacists

00:54:41.930 --> 00:54:45.740
who were removed
from Gaza went into Lyd —

00:54:45.740 --> 00:54:48.240
and, mind you, Lyd is only
10 minutes from Tel Aviv,

00:54:48.240 --> 00:54:49.560
five minutes
from the airport;

00:54:49.560 --> 00:54:52.350
we’re not talking about
a city in the West Bank —

00:54:52.350 --> 00:54:54.080
and started
Judaizing the place.

00:54:54.080 --> 00:54:56.240
They started building
their own settlements.

00:54:56.240 --> 00:54:59.070
They started moving into
Palestinian neighborhoods.

00:54:59.070 --> 00:55:03.330
And we have been seeing a rise
in house demolitions

00:55:03.330 --> 00:55:05.530
for Palestinian people
in the past 15 years.

00:55:07.680 --> 00:55:12.200
The average of houses
being demolished a year

00:55:12.200 --> 00:55:14.220
is somewhere
between 10 to 15 houses.

00:55:14.950 --> 00:55:16.920
Before the settlers
moved into Lyd,

00:55:16.920 --> 00:55:20.710
only two or three houses
a year got demolished.

00:55:20.710 --> 00:55:23.960
The demolitions come because 80%
of the people who live there,

00:55:25.400 --> 00:55:27.200
their houses were built
without a building permit

00:55:27.200 --> 00:55:29.320
because the authorities
won’t issue one,

00:55:29.320 --> 00:55:32.400
so that they can come later and
maybe use it as a political whip

00:55:32.400 --> 00:55:34.320
to punish the local population.

00:55:34.320 --> 00:55:37.380
Now, with all this,
with all of this tension,

00:55:37.380 --> 00:55:41.120
with all of this background,
Palestinians,

00:55:41.120 --> 00:55:43.250
especially young people
under the age of 20,

00:55:43.250 --> 00:55:45.050
took to the street
and started demonstrating.

00:55:45.050 --> 00:55:48.500
When they were countered
by the brutal force

00:55:48.500 --> 00:55:49.860
by the Israeli police,

00:55:49.860 --> 00:55:52.300
and then the Israeli
right-wingers

00:55:52.300 --> 00:55:55.260
started attacking them
and shooting them on the street,

00:55:55.260 --> 00:55:57.540
this is when
all hell broke loose.

00:55:57.540 --> 00:56:02.290
Now, Amy, every day I wake up,
and I reach out for my phone,

00:56:02.290 --> 00:56:06.220
and I pray to God
that this is not the morning

00:56:06.220 --> 00:56:10.750
that I’m going to be seeing
a horrifying text message,

00:56:10.750 --> 00:56:12.020
this is not the morning

00:56:12.020 --> 00:56:15.990
that I will be receiving
the catastrophic news.

00:56:15.990 --> 00:56:18.510
We are worried.
We are very, very worried.

00:56:18.510 --> 00:56:21.600
And what’s even more worrying
is that it’s not just people

00:56:21.600 --> 00:56:25.140
— it’s not just that these
settlers are moving from —

00:56:26.200 --> 00:56:28.840
these settlers are openly
attacking Palestinians.

00:56:28.840 --> 00:56:32.370
It’s that police is allowing
settlers from the West Bank,

00:56:32.370 --> 00:56:34.930
from places like Yitzhar
and Nokdim, you know,

00:56:34.930 --> 00:56:38.390
people who became professional
in burning olive groves.

00:56:38.390 --> 00:56:39.680
These people
are moving into Lyd,

00:56:39.680 --> 00:56:41.580
coming into Lyd
on a daily basis.

00:56:41.580 --> 00:56:46.100
They roam free at night
in the city streets,

00:56:46.100 --> 00:56:49.120
breaking curfew,
while the Israeli police

00:56:49.120 --> 00:56:51.110
not only allowing them
to break curfew

00:56:51.110 --> 00:56:53.150
while the Palestinians
are locked in their homes,

00:56:53.150 --> 00:56:56.510
but escorting them and,
more often than not, attack —

00:56:56.510 --> 00:57:00.410
they actually attack
Palestinians with settlers.

00:57:00.410 --> 00:57:03.160
And we have tons of evidence
to show that, to show for.

00:57:04.720 --> 00:57:07.060
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Rami,
could you talk about the role

00:57:07.060 --> 00:57:10.360
of the Israeli
media in propagating

00:57:10.360 --> 00:57:13.470
and legitimizing hateful
and violent

00:57:13.470 --> 00:57:15.170
or Zionist rhetoric?

00:57:16.060 --> 00:57:18.470
RAMI YOUNIS: You know, how —
the Israeli media,

00:57:18.470 --> 00:57:20.210
in the way they behave
these days,

00:57:20.210 --> 00:57:23.750
is a perfect example
of how structural violence

00:57:23.750 --> 00:57:27.230
is maintained
and nurtured in Israel.

00:57:27.230 --> 00:57:30.340
You know, I was in
a TV interview last week,

00:57:30.340 --> 00:57:32.440
when it was still
demonstrations,

00:57:32.440 --> 00:57:35.520
before it was basically
Palestinians

00:57:35.520 --> 00:57:38.510
defending themselves
against the mobs and the police.

00:57:41.160 --> 00:57:42.660
I was in an interview
on Israeli TV,

00:57:42.660 --> 00:57:45.270
and then the anchor said that

00:57:45.270 --> 00:57:48.020
"Maybe it’s time to reload
the gun magazines."

00:57:48.020 --> 00:57:50.300
And we actually,
throughout the live broadcast,

00:57:50.300 --> 00:57:54.860
we counted incitement
by him eight times.

00:57:54.860 --> 00:57:58.240
He incited eight times to kill
Palestinians on the street.

00:57:58.240 --> 00:58:00.120
The other day,
two or three days ago,

00:58:00.120 --> 00:58:02.590
an Israeli journalist,
an Israeli journalist,

00:58:02.590 --> 00:58:07.160
Yisrael Frey, on Israeli TV
criticized the police,

00:58:07.160 --> 00:58:08.820
criticized the mayor of Lyd,

00:58:08.820 --> 00:58:11.330
and said that
"It doesn’t make any sense.

00:58:11.330 --> 00:58:12.720
Why are you allowing settlers

00:58:12.720 --> 00:58:14.670
to come into Lyd
from the West Bank?

00:58:14.670 --> 00:58:17.390
Why are these armed people
coming into the city

00:58:17.390 --> 00:58:19.480
and creating
all this unrest?"

00:58:19.480 --> 00:58:22.880
He was immediately silenced
by the anchor.

00:58:22.880 --> 00:58:24.390
So what we’re seeing right now,

00:58:24.390 --> 00:58:26.440
not only incitement
by the Israeli police,

00:58:26.440 --> 00:58:29.030
but they’re also trying
to silence voices

00:58:29.030 --> 00:58:33.120
that are coming from Israeli —
the Israeli journalism,

00:58:33.780 --> 00:58:35.490
voices who are criticizing
the actions

00:58:35.490 --> 00:58:36.710
of the Israeli government

00:58:36.710 --> 00:58:39.170
and the Israeli police.
Not only that —

00:58:39.170 --> 00:58:40.610
AMY GOODMAN: We have five
seconds,, Rami.

00:58:40.610 --> 00:58:42.120
RAMI YOUNIS: — the Israeli
police — OK, I’m sorry.

00:58:42.120 --> 00:58:44.730
I just wanted to say
that the Israeli police

00:58:44.730 --> 00:58:46.430
are not telling the whole truth.

00:58:46.970 --> 00:58:48.530
If you confront them
with the evidence,

00:58:48.530 --> 00:58:50.020
they’re basically
going to call you a liar.

00:58:50.020 --> 00:58:51.220
And they’re not going to —

00:58:51.220 --> 00:58:52.940
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to do
Part 2 with you

00:58:52.940 --> 00:58:55.060
and post it online
at democracynow.org

00:58:55.060 --> 00:58:57.830
and play a clip of that
interview you did, Rami Younis.

00:58:57.830 --> 00:59:00.240
I’m Amy Goodman,
with Juan González. Stay safe.