GRITtv: January 7, 2009: Uri Avnery, Ramzy Baroud

GRITtv: January 7, 2009:

"The Israeli war in Gaza has been accompanied by an equally powerful PR offensive. Israel has barred reporters from entering the Gaza Strip in defiance of an order issued by their own High Court allowing access. Here in the United States a popular web site run by Ramzy Baroud, Palestinechronicle.com, was hacked into and taken down. A message on the screen read: 'Hacked by ISRAELI Hackers.'

Today we speak with Baroud about the Israeli propaganda war and who he thinks was behind the attack on his web site. We also speak with Uri Avnery, a founding member of Gush Shalom and the author of 1948: A Soldier's Tale--The Bloody Road to Jerusalem. Avnery says that despite diplomatic efforts on the part of Nicolas Sarkozy of France there is little substance or force behind them. He says there will be no ceasefire if the blockade is not lifted and that Israel’s primary objective is to destroy Hamas. And if they hope to destroy Hamas they will only be able to do so by reconquering and reoccupying Gaza.

Then an interview with Aaron Glantz, author of The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle against America’s Veterans and Luis Carlos Montalvan, a former U.S. Army cavalry captain who served two combat tours in Iraq.

An estimated 6,000 vets commit suicide very year. 200,000 are homeless. According to the Rand Corporation, 300,000 suffer from brain injuries. Many soldiers on their second and third tours of duty in Iraq are heavily medicated with psychotropic drugs because they suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But we hardly hear anything about the plight of veterans. Will that change under an Obama administration?

Finally, we speak to David Cole and John Nichols on whether the Bush administration should be prosecuted for war crimes."



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