BTL:Peace Process Bound to Fail if Israel Expands West Bank Settlements

Interview with Dr. Jeff Halper, coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris

Peace Process Bound to Fail if Israel Expands West Bank Settlements

Interview with Dr. Jeff Halper, coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, conducted by Scott Harris

Since the election of Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority, there's been renewed hope that progress could be made in restarting negotiations, leading to a viable peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But a Palestinian suicide bombing on Feb. 25 in Tel Aviv that killed five Israelis, shattered a fragile ceasefire and caused the government of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon to delay the promised release of Palestinian prisoners and a pull back from West Bank cities.

Abbas, reacting angrily to the delay in implementation, accused Sharon of undermining peace efforts and threatening what had been achieved thus far in restarting the peace process. He went on to say that Palestinians would not accept an expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank as a trade-off for Sharon's planned withdrawal of Israeli settlers from Gaza. Sharon maintains that Abbas must take firm action to dismantle militant groups before fundamental issues can be addressed.

Although the U.S. press rarely focuses on Israel's peace movement, many Israelis support the withdrawal of all settlements from Palestinian territory in exchange for security. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Dr. Jeff Halper, coordinating director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions - and a professor of anthropology, who talks about his group's efforts to stop the Israeli military's systematic destruction of Palestinian homes. Dr. Halper, an American Jew who emigrated to Israel in 1973 also discusses policy changes that he believes could increase the prospects for lasting peace.

Learn more about the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions by visiting their website at www.icahd.org

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

http://www.btlonline.org
*
"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: http://www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising  months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines@snet.net
*
http://www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions
©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.