The Siege of Gaza - Rev. Edwin Makue & Phyllis Bennis on GRITtv with Laura Flanders

GRITtv with Laura Flanders » The Siege of Gaza:

This interview was broadcast Wednesday November 26, 2008 2:00 pm

"Rev. Edwin Makue, General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches and Phyllis Bennis, Director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies on the Israeli siege of Gaza.

Since the blockade began in 2006 it has become increasingly difficult for journalists and foreign aid workers to reach Gaza. According to Makue, who is on a speaking tour with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, there are many similarities in Israel's occupation and South African Apartheid. The controlled movement of people through check points and a strong Israeli police presence, the ongoing process of land alienation, and the psychological damage of a sixty year occupation have been labeled a form of Apartheid by many, including former US President Jimmy Carter.

So why has it been so difficult to draw attention to and dismantle the Israeli occupation? According to Bennis, fear of being labeled an anti-semite and the equation of criticism of Israel with anti-semitism have made it an increasingly hostile environment for peace activists and critics of Israeli policy. Will that change under an Obama administration? Bennis says only if we the people make it happen."



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