News & Public Affairs

Interfaith rally in support of Gaza Freedom Flotilla listen

06/11/10 Kelly Benjamn & Seán Kinane
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Tags: Gaza, Freedom Flotilla, Palestine, Israel

WMNF reports from an interfaith rally in North Tampa / Temple Terrace in support of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. It's from a mobile phone so the sound is not optimal.

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American Emily Henochowicz shot in eye by Israelis listen

06/01/10 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Tristan Anderson, Emily Henochowicz, International Solidarity Movement, Israel, Palestine

Yesterday’s attack on the Free Gaza flotilla is not the only case of the Israeli military shooting international activists. Also yesterday, a 21-year-old American artist, Emily Henochowicz, was shot in the eye by a tear gas canister while she was peacefully protesting the attack on the flotilla. She is an activist with the International Solidarity Movement in the West Bank. She is expected to survive the attack, but has lost her left eye.

Today, we spoke with a...

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Protestors: Stop giving Israel money listen

06/01/10 Kate Bradshaw
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Tags: Israel, Palestine, flotilla, blockade, Gaza, Middle East

A high-seas raid by the Israeli military yesterday resulted in the deaths of at least nine human rights activists headed for Gaza on a flotilla. In response, more than thirty protestors gathered in front of the federal building in Tampa today to condemn Israel’s actions.

The diverse crowd stood peacefully in the shade holding placards with messages like “stop funding Israel,” and “Palestinian self-determination is not terrorism.” Jordan Harrah’s sign said “Israel is a terrorist state.” ...

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Norman Finkelstein on Israel-Palestine conflict listen

04/30/10 Doris Norrito
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Tags: Israel, islam, Jews, GazaPalestinian Territories, Palestine

A lecture by Norman Finkelstein concluded a week long program on “Demystifying the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict”. Finkelstein gave a recent history of the invasion of Gaza. He said the reaction to the democratic elections held in Gaza in 2006 is the “ghost that won’t be buried.”

Finkelstein quoted Mary Robinson, the former high commissioner for human rights who went to Gaza after the invasion.

Finkelstein considers Sarah Roy the world’s leading authority on the Gaza economy. Roy has de...

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Norman Finkelstein will speak about Middle-East tomorrow at USF, will be protested listen

04/28/10 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Norman Finkelstein, Bob Kuntz, Israel, Palestine, USF, Laila Abdelaziz

Tomorrow, noted Middle East expert Norman Finkelstein will give a lecture on the Israel-Palestine conflict at the University of South Florida in Tampa. But the appearance of the controversial professor will be protested by a pro-Israel group. Finkelstein’s lecture is being organized by five student groups, including the Muslim Student Association at USF and one of their members Laila Abdelaziz.

But not everyone is thrilled with Finkelstein’s visit to USF. Bob Kuntz is president of Shalom I...

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USF students protest Israeli home demolitions in East Jerusalem listen

03/04/10 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Palestine, Israel, USF

Across the Bay from Eckerd College, a small group of students at the University of South Florida in Tampa also used the day to take action. But this protest isn’t against the university; it is against the plans by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. Neveen Nawawy is a junior political science and international relations major. She organized the event.

Nawawy says her mother is a refugee from a Palestinian village south of Tel Aviv that was destroyed by Israel in 1967....

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USF Student questions Obama on human rights in the Middle East listen

01/28/10 Joshua Lee Holton
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Tags: Israel, Palestinians, Human Rights Ordinance, Barack Obama, Palestine, Laila Abdelaziz

President Obama answered questions from the audience during his speech today at University of Tampa. USF student Laila Abdelaziz asked Obama the first question.

Laila Abdelaziz: "Hello Mr. President, my name is Laila Abdelaziz. I'm a student at the University of South Florida."

President Barack Obama: "Hey Laila"

[crowd boos]

President Barack Obama: "Uh oh, Uh oh, Uh oh. We can all get along here. Tampa, behave yourselves."

Laila Abdelaziz: "First of all I'd lik...

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Nonviolent demonstrations against Israel's wall in Bil'in are met with violence listen

01/12/10 Doris Norrito
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Tags: Palestine, protests, occupation, environmental destriction, ol ive trees

A small farming village near the Israeli border in the West Bank of Palestine is gaining international notice. According to the Friends of Freedom and Justice Bil'in website, Israeli soldiers have responded to weekly nonviolent demonstrations against Israel’s occupation and land confiscation with tear gas, rubber bullets and house raids. The result has been several injuries and a death last April.

Hamde Abu Rahma was born and raised in Bil’in. He says he studie...

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Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein on Gaza Freedom March listen

01/01/10 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Holocaust

About 1400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in Israel’s attack on Gaza one year ago.

To mark the anniversary, and to call for an end to the siege of Gaza, thousands of activists from around the world converged on Cairo last week to participate in the Gaza Freedom March.

On Thursday, December 31, 2009, WMNF spoke with Hedy Epstein. The family of this self-described Holocaust survivor escaped from Hitler's Germany w...

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Tampa Bay activist BetteJo Indelicato heads to West Bank listen

12/29/09 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Palestine, rise up tampa bay

An activist from Pasco County will spend three months in the West Bank early next year to build bridges between Tampa Bay and Palestine. BetteJo Indelicato, from Hudson, is with the group Rise Up Tampa Bay. In the West Bank she will be with the International Women’s Peace Service.

International Women’s Peace Service

[Iraq experience](http://www.flpan.o...

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