September 15
GUEST: Shahd, young Palestinian activist and political writer living with her family in Gaza, talks about her dangerous life and limited future caused by the Israeli blockade and constant military assaults.
Stories about Palestine
The blockade of Gaza
For Gaza Residents, Trauma and Pain Persist
Podcast: Childhood Under Occupation
It was a privilege to have Shahd on Activist Radio. We did have trouble establishing a good connection because Gaza is often without electricity, much less an internet connection. But we persisted, and only lost the first few minutes of the interview.
I was well aware of the need to understand Shahd's life under the brutal occupation of Israel. That meant reliving some of her life with its trauma of murdered relatives and destroyed communities. At one point, I apologized for bringing up these topics, even though her outreach to the United States is about just that, helping those of us living in the empire to realize the consequences of our vast military machine.
For Shahd's life is not some far off story. The bombs and planes making her life a hell on earth are all made in the USA. They are even paid for by the 3.8 billion in military aid we send each year to Israel. When Israel runs out of phosphorus or cluster bombs, the US is always there to insure that there is no interruption to the carnage.
So take a look at what your government does to the five million living under Israeli apartheid. Is it the millions of dollars the Israel Lobby slips into our hopelessly corrupt political system? Is it Israel's role in US ambitions to control the Middle East and its oil production? Whatever the reasons, the only people who can stop this gradual genocide of the Palestinian people are those reading this blog. You know what you must do. Work for a free Palestine!
