April 26, 2009

Broadcast Date: 
Apr 26 2009

A transcript emerges of a wiretapped conversation between Rep. Jane Harman and a suspected Israeli agent; a screening of Encounterpoint to benefit WBAI; plus the UN's Durban Review Conference in Geneva: a 'hate fest' or a feat of rebranding?

Episode segments
  • AIPAC, Espionage, and a Congressional Committee Appointment
    American Politics, Foreign Policy, National Politics, International Politics, Middle East, Israel/Palestine, Occupation, Jewish
    Philip Weiss is an investigative journalist whose blog Mondoweiss is at philipweiss.org. 
    Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark and Josh Nathan-Kazis

    Time magazine reported 2 1/2 years ago that the FBI was investigating Representative Jane Harman, a Democrat, for allegedly agreeing to lobby the Department of Justice to reduce espionage charges against two officials at the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).  In exchange, Time reported, AIPAC would then lobby the House Minority Leader Nancy Polosi to appoint Harman as chair of the House Intelligence Committee if the Democrats captured the House after the 2006 elections. The story went nowhere.  Nowhere, that is, until last week, when Congressional Quarterly broke a story (later confirmed by The New York Times) revealing that Harman had been heard in a several years old NSA wiretapped conversation talking with a suspected Israeli agent.  Harman said she would "waddle" into lobbying the DOJ on the AIPAC case.  The suspected agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi to get Harman her the coveted committee appointment. Harman ened the call, according to the news reports, saying "This conversation doesn't exist." 

    Why were the transcripts leaked now?  And why is the story suddenly so hot?

     

  • Benefit for WBAI's Clearwater Festival Broadcast
    Israeli Politics, Israel/Palestine, Palestinian Politics, Film, Arts & Culture
    Nahanni Rous of Just Vision, producer of the film Encounter Point.
    Esther Kaplan and Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark

    On Sunday May 3rd, from 9:30am to 1:30pm, the Long Island Friends of WBAI and the Cinema Art Center in Huntington Long Island will be sponsoring a breakfast with music by the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, and a screening of Encounter Point followed by a discussion with Diann Killian (Brooklyn Center for Non-Violent Communication), Elik Elhanon (co-founder of the Bereaved Parents group and Combatants for Peace), Joel Kovel and Rick Congress (recently returned from Code Pink's mission to Gaza).

    The event is a benefit for WBAI's annual broadcast of the Clearwater Festival.

    When Encounter Point was last shown in New York Beyond the Pale talked with producer Nahanni Rous.

    For details about how to get tickets, directions and other information click here

     


  • Durban Review Conference in Geneva
    American Politics, Global Justice, International Politics, Israeli Politics, Israel/Palestine, Global, Occupation, Anti-Semitism
    Cecilie Surasky is Communications Director of Jewish Voice for Peace and blogs at Muzzlewatch.com
    Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark and Josh Nathan-Kazis

    Last week the UN held its Durban Review Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to evaluate progress in fulfilling the goals set by the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa.  For most of the mainstream media, the Geneva conference (like its predecessor in 2001) was a hate-fest keynoted by the anti-Semitic rantings of Iran's President Ahmadinejad.  To help us sort out what really happened at Geneva, we talk with Cecelie Surasky, who reported on the goings on at her blog, Muzzlewatch.

    To access the final report from Durban in 2001, click here.  To access the final report of the Durban Review Conference in Geneva, 2009, click here.