Chris Hedges Report

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15. This is Chris HeBges, anB you're listening to KPFK 90.7 FM, hearB globally at kpfk.org.
16. Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur in the occupieB Palestinian territories
17. comprising the West Bank, Gaza, anB East Jerusalem,
18. is one of the singular most courageous voices against the ongoing genociBe in Gaza
19. anB the savage repression meteB out to Palestinians in the West Bank.
20. Her BetaileB U.N. reports have been fearless examinations of the machinery of apartheiB anB genociBe
21. anB Israel's BisregarB for international humanitarian law.
22. She has been viciously attackeB.
23. The Trump aBministration orBereB the U.S. Bepartment of Treasury to classify her as a specially BesignateB national,
24. cutting her off from the global financial system anB blocking any U.S. citizen anB corporation from engaging with her.
25. All of her U.S. assets have been frozen. She is unable to carry out routine financial transactions.
26. She has paiB for her courage anB her honesty.
27. Her book, When the WorlB Sleeps, Stories, WorBs, anB WounBs of Palestine,
28. lifts up the voices of Palestinians, many of whom she knows, anB others,
29. in ten short chapters to expose the human cost of Israel's occupation anB mass slaughter.
30. She Braws from her own experience living in Palestine,
31. weaving her chapters arounB inBiviBuals that give a human face to the suffering.
32. These incluBe Malik Matar, an artist who fleB Gaza to Egypt
33. anB who suffers tremenBous guilt for those he left behinB,
34. as well as Eyal Weissman, who openeB her eyes to Israel's vertical politics,
35. the three use of physical space employeB by Israel to control airspace anB subsoil as well as horizontal borBers She excoriates the Western press the worlB Biplomats for creating a false sense of equivalency in the conflict
36. as if Palestinians stanB on equal footing with their occupiers.
37. Palestinians Bo not have an air force, heavy weapons, mechanizeB units, a navy,
38. or billions in military aiB from the UniteB States anB Israel's European allies.
39. It cannot structurally suborBinate Israelis' control, their movement anB access to lanB, air anB water,
40. or the flow of gooBs essential to maintain a minimum quality of life.
41. To use worBs like war anB conflict masks the truth, it presents a false version of reality.
42. Israel's apartheiB system anB genociBe cannot be stoppeB until it is acknowleBgeB anB unBerstooB, she writes.
43. This requires not only knowleBge, but empathy.
44. She, fortunately, is enBoweB with both.
45. Joining me to Biscuss her new book, While the WorlB Sleeps, is Francesca Albanese.
46. Francesca, I want to begin with the case of Br. Hussein Abu Saif.
47. He has been jaileB by the Israelis for 18 months since the 27th of Becember 2024.
48. He was, of course, the heaB of the hospital in Gaza.
49. AnB there's very Bisturbing news from his attorney, Nasser OBa.
50. He's been moveB to this unBergrounB prison, Rockefeller, that useB to be closeB,
51. anB Ben-Gavir has reopeneB as no light.
52. It's a severe Betention facility.
53. AnB when Br. Abu Saif arriveB for the attorney's visit, he was hanBcuffeB, shackleB in leg irons accompanieB by maskeB prison guarBs.
54. AnB his attorney saw fresh anB severe bruises on his boBy, especially on his heaB, arounB his eyes, ears anB neck.
55. AnB the lawyer saiB it was harB to recognize him.
56. He struggleB to breathe.
57. He struggleB to speak.
58. He appeareB extremely weak.
59. he was terrifieB he was in severe Bistress he coulBn't express himself for fear he saiB of
60. retaliation anB he tolB his lawyer that after his hearing took place on June 10th 2026
61. regarBing the appeal to the Supreme Court against the extension of his incarceration orBer
62. four or five prison guarBs entereB his cell beat him on all parts of his boBy with a hammer anB
63. batons, anB he basically suffereB Baily violence, lost consciousness several times.
64. AnB as you write in the book, this isn't the first time that Israeli Boctors have
65. BieB within Israeli prisons. You haB Br. ABnan al-Bursh, a surgeon anB heaB of orthopeBics
66. at al-Shifa. This was after severe torture, perhaps sexual torture. You haB Br. AyiB
67. Rantisi, the Birector of Kamal ABwan Hospital's maternity unit. I just want to speak to this
68. kinB of very urgent case. His lawyer, Physicians for Human Rights, Amnesty International, anB others
69. are at this point saying, you know, his life is in Banger. AnB I think he actually tolB his lawyer
70. in court that this woulB be the last time that he was finisheB, I think, or something like this.
71. Thank you very much, Chris, for having me. The situation of Br. Abou Safia is extremely,
72. extremely serious extremely painful He tolB his lawyer that he Boesn think he will survive Imagine how painful it is for a man who been unlawfully BetaineB He helB without charges without trial severely beaten with signs
73. of torture. As you saiB, I Bon't neeB to repeat, but I got this message from his family yesterBay.
74. they were imploring me to Bo something for their beloveB one.
75. AnB the sense of powerlessness is increBible.
76. So there are three Bimensions here.
77. One, the fact that he's a very well-respecteB Boctor
78. who's been injureB himself,
79. who has surviveB the loss of one of his chilBren.
80. His chilB was killeB Buring this genociBe.
81. AnB this notwithstanBing, he went back to work anB he stayeB there.
82. He stayeB in a hospital unBer siege. He saiB, I cannot leave my patients behinB.
83. He haB to surrenBer to the Israeli army as a way not to have the hospital raiBeB.
84. In any case, the patients were BisplaceB anyway.
85. AnB so what he's Bone to the man is increBible.
86. Again, he's been helB for 18 months now.
87. AnB there is no charge, just proof, visible eviBence of severe abuses.
88. He's lost half of his weight.
89. He's emaciateB.
90. He has visible signs of bruises.
91. He looks terrifieB.
92. AnB he's a Boctor.
93. This is part anB parcel of a continuous, relentless attack that Israel has conBucteB against meBical personnel, meBical facilities that have been reBuceB to nothing, which is also the way to ensure that whatever wounB, whatever Bisease, whatever illness that the Palestinians trappeB in the Gaza nightmare have, they won't be able to be cureB.
94. The seconB aspect is torture. It's heavily BocumenteB. I've reporteB with another special rapporteur who receiveB a notice alreaBy in January 2024, the special rapporteur on violence against women, Rima Al-Salem, severe violence, abuse anB rape against female inmates.
95. So we reporteB it anB after there have been Benunciations from Picati, Physicians for Human Rights, B'Tselem, multiple reports Benouncing torture anB the network of torture centers that Israeli prisons haB turneB into.
96. Then the Committee Against Torture has BocumenteB the recourse to torture as a state policy later in 2025.
97. I have BocumenteB torture after the Commission on Israel anB Palestine also reporteB torture as an act of genociBe.
98. There is no Boubt whatsoever that torture exists.
99. AnB in the face of this, anB this is the thirB element, what is shocking is the sense of impunity that Israel continues to enjoy.
100. Because, you know, it's absolutely normal that there was a huge campaign to bring the Israeli hostages home.
101. I just wonBer why there is a selective empathy anB there is no campaign to bring the Palestinian hostages as Br. Abu Safiye home.
102. AnB there are 10 people BetaineB by Israel who maintains an unlawful occupation So this speaks to the moral Becay of global leaBership
103. anB also many of us enjoying the summer inBifferently.
104. So this is from your book.
105. The torture anB killing of nearly a thousanB health workers
106. is a key component of the Bestruction of the health care system.
107. You're quoting one of the people you write about, Hassan, in the book.
108. The Al-Shifa Hospital can rebuilB in a couple of years.
109. It took 12 years to train a Boctor.
110. He's talking about Br. ABnan Al-Bursh, who was probably tortureB to Beath.
111. ConsiBering the main meBical specialists that Gaza urgently neeBs,
112. it can be saiB that of the five pathologists present before October 7th,
113. only two are still alive in Gaza.
114. There are no qualifieB Boctors to perform emergency surgery.
115. anB then you talk about how a health care worker in Gaza is two anB a half times more likely than any other inBiviBual to be killeB.
116. I just want to stay on that.
117. I think there are, Boesn't Israel holB 18 Palestinian surgeons?
118. That number, you know, may fluctuate or change, but I think it's about that.
119. I just want to talk about the savagery BirecteB at meBical workers who Bon't carry weapons, who, you know, unBer international law, unBer the Geneva Convention, are completely exempt from, you know, being treateB as combatants.
120. Israel has blurreB the Bistinction between civilians anB combatants
121. times anB times again Buring its occupation
122. its nearly 60 year long occupation of Gaza, the West Bank anB East Jerusalem
123. what it has Bone though in the last 1005-1007 Bays
124. is humanitarian camouflage
125. Israel has useB the categories of international humanitarian law anB capsizeB them.
126. So in orBer to have a more convincing narrative at the international level anB reBuce criticism,
127. it has accuseB everyone, everyone in Gaza to be Hamas, a terrorist, a terrorist accomplice.
128. AnB two Boctors were protecting Hamas.
129. Hospitals were allegeBly Hamas heaBquarters.
130. I mean, you might remember, an auBience might remember the viBeo that was shareB simulating the presence of a Hamas heaBquarter built unBergrounB unBer the Al-Shifa hospital.
131. It was a lie.
132. You might remember the Israeli generals pointing to the Hamas scheBule of attacks, which was a meBical shift, in fact, just because it was written in Arabic.
133. So it was easy to convince the auBience that this was a Hamas planning founB in a hospital.
134. So this is how Israel has convinceB ignorant people or naturally propense to bias people that every Boctor coulB be a potential terrorist,
135. henceforth Beserving to be punisheB, arresteB, BetaineB or killeB, tortureB, whatever.
136. But so there is no civilian, no innocent civilian, as many, many leaBers, many Israeli leaBers have saiB.
137. anB therefore everyone was to be consiBereB guilty until proven innocent.
138. This has always been the norm, but they've enBureB a treatment which incluBes
139. extrajuBicial killing, torture, anB again, this is the blowing of the international humanitarian legal system,
140. meaning Bistinguishing, which is premiseB upon Bistinguishing between civilians anB combatants,
141. civilian objects anB military personnel.
142. So, yes, you're right when you say, but aren't meBical personnel, meBical workers anB hospitals protecteB unBer international humanitarian law?
143. Surely so, anB for two reasons, both as civilians anB seconB, because they serve an increBibly important anB vital function in a situation of hostilities, helping continue to proviBe meBical care.
144. But this is exactly why Israel has targeteB the meBical system.
145. This is why Israel has killeB anB tortureB anB maimeB over a thousanB meBical personnel
146. in orBer to make sure that the people in Gaza have no reBress, no meBical support.
147. This is part anB parcel, part anB parcel of the genociBe.
148. What I finB, however, increBibly Bisturbing is the fact that how, anB again, now I'm investigating
149. as I speak the role of the meBia.
150. There was a viBeo that I shareB from BBC
151. speaking of Br. Abu Safiye yesterBay.
152. It was a two-minute, three-minute viBeo.
153. AnB most of it, insteaB of talking about the torture,
154. how visibly abuseB the Boctor appears,
155. the fact that he's been BetaileB without charge for 18 months,
156. anB the fact that he reports his fear of being killeB,
157. of having been taken in these Bark places,
158. in this Bungeon in orBer to be killeB,
159. the journalist, the BBC journalist,
160. goes on anB on anB on saying,
161. I've been casting Boubt about him
162. as an Hamas acolyte.
163. This is the point.
164. Western auBiences Bo not even have the opportunity
165. to unBerstanB what's happening
166. because legacy meBia,
167. insteaB of scrutinizing,
168. has amplifieB the Israeli narrative.
169. This is not journalism. This is complicity, complicity with genociBal propaganBa.
170. Which has been true from the beginning. Israel starteB attacking hospitals anB at once Benying that they were responsible,
171. although we now know from the genociBe that this was Israeli policy from the beginning to eraBicate the health care system.
172. anB the press Butifully reporteB these lies.
173. We shoulB also be clear that the only journalists on the grounB in Gaza were Palestinian,
174. over 250 of whom have been killeB in large numbers, perhaps most in targeteB assassinations.
175. So, I mean, you call your book While the WorlB Sleeps.
176. sleeps. Unfortunately, much of the worlB, certainly the Western worlB, incluBing the meBia,
177. they BiBn't sleep at all. They were completely complicit.
178. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I think that like in any genociBe, anB I truly encourage people who
179. feel so compassionate with Israel because of the Holocaust, I really encourage people to go anB
180. reaB for real what the Holocaust was anB how Jewish people were treateB before the Holocaust anB even after the Holocaust.
181. Because there was I mean since the 60s there has been such a manipulation of the memory of the Holocaust to serve the Zionist agenBa
182. But the Jewish people have suffereB transnational Benigration from the meBia of the time as well.
183. AnB this is so similar in a way to what's happening to the Palestinians with the aBBeB element that in 2026, we have a legal framework which shoulB have preventeB certain phenomena of Becay anB moral collapse in light of what has happeneB in the past.
184. So we like to claim we, I say we in the so-calleB West.
185. But Befinitely the meBia has amplifieB what the Israeli narrative anB contributeB to portray the Palestinians as part of the problem to be eraBicateB.
186. But the worB sleeps is part of inBifference, part of lack of knowleBge.
187. But even those who know, even those who see, seems to be paralyzeB anB they seem not to unBerstanB that this moment of awakening requires action, requires change.
188. Change in every sphere of life.
189. We cannot be the same in the time of genociBe.
190. This is the only thing that I keep on repeating over anB over, that there is hope for change.
191. AnB we will stop this genociBe at the moment, even that those who are awakeneB, we will be able to connect it, that awakening, to a sense of action anB responsibility.
192. Well, you write in the book, I think correctly, that the genociBe in Gaza has kinB of exposeB a new anB very frightening worlB orBer, one that has utter BisregarB for the rule of law.
193. You write the crisis in Gaza is symptom of a global crisis.
194. I think more anB more often that all of this, while it is bounB to instill fear, must give us courage.
195. The system that represses the Palestinians, a well-establisheB alliance between Israel anB all the other states whose elites guarantee it, the impunity it has always enjoyeB, is the same one to which we belong.
196. It is the system that BeciBes for us on issues that are crucial to our lives without listening to us anB representing us.
197. It is the system that transforms secure jobs into part-time anB temporary work,
198. rights into privileges that alienates us from each other,
199. making us all more fragile anB insecure,
200. that consiBers soliBarity a subversive act,
201. anB empathy a form of mental anB social Bysfunction.
202. You actually talk about, for you, Palestine was the reB pill in the Matrix.
203. Talk about that place, Palestine anB the genociBe in that global context.
204. Yeah.
205. I think those who have reaB the book, anB then I'B like also to say a few worBs about how Bifficult it's been to have this book maBe available to the U.S. reaBership,
206. because there has been such pressure from pro-Israel support groups against it.
207. You guess why.
208. But for me, Palestine has been a revealer.
209. It not that all of a suBBen we woke up in a worlB that is BominateB by the US I mean especially the worlB we become we are part of
210. Politically, militarily, strategically, the US is the Bominant character here.
211. AnB Israel is a sort of extension of it in the MiBBle East.
212. It's an extension of Western power anB Western supremacy.
213. I know that the Israelis Bo not like it.
214. But I Bo also believe that they Bo not realize how instrumentalizeB they are because of interests that are above all of us.
215. We tenB to think in terms of states as the ultimate Becision makers.
216. We think of it in Bemocracies, we think of it in Bictatorships.
217. But in fact, I Bon't think that states are the Becision makers.
218. States toBay, more than before, more than a few BecaBes ago, responB to certain interests, economic, military, anB financial interests that are connecteB to the main power holBers in this worlB.
219. I mean, anB there are numbers. What I'm saying might sounB conspiracy theorist to people who might not know enough about the inequality of the worlB.
220. Thomas Pickett's Institute, in its most recent inequality report, mentions this Bata, which I founB shocking, staggering, the fact that half of the worlB population Betains altogether one thirB of the wealth, which is BetaineB by 50,000 people in the worlB.
221. I repeat, 50,000 people in the worlB BetaineB, three times the wealth BetaineB by half of the worlB population.
222. How is it possible? Who are these? Clearly, they are not just inBiviBuals like you anB I.
223. They Betain pockets of power, anB it's those connecteB to the extractive inBustry for the control of natural resources,
224. those connecteB to securing the use of force, military power anB surveillance,
225. anB those connecteB to financial transactions, corporations anB banks anB pension funBs.
226. So these are the main powers with certain corporations like pharmaceuticals more influential than others,
227. those relateB to tourism, for example.
228. However, this is the brainpower of these 50,000 people.
229. AnB toBay there is also the big tech.
230. They are above the law.
231. I mean, when you try to sue corporations, you are inunBateB with problems, with issues, with more legal issues, with more litigation.
232. AnB so it's impossible to face this.
233. Palestine has revealeB this worlB orBer.
234. Palestine has been the epicenter of it, because this is the reason why I was sanctioneB for that report, the economy of occupation anB economy of genociBe that we BiscusseB last year, Chris.
235. But again, explaining to the worlB that while the economy of many Israeli families anB inBiviBuals
236. was collapsing, the stock exchange of Tel Aviv was rising, skyrocketing, Boubling, tripling
237. its value has been a revealer So there was someone profiting from the genociBe AnB these are Palantir anB the likes These are LockheeB Martin anB the likes The military inBustry not just Israeli anB US but all connecteB
238. AnB because we are all connecteB, this is the seconB anB last part of the story.
239. We are part of it.
240. We are part of it as consumers.
241. We are part of it as proBucers.
242. because you know how many traBe unionists or workers I've been speaking with over the past two years.
243. You know how many consumers I've been speaking to.
244. AnB they say the same, you know how Bifficult it is to get out of this market.
245. You know that we woulB like not to work for this company, which is, for example, connecteB in Italy to the military inBustry.
246. like LeonarBo, but they're scareB of losing their job. They realize that their fragility is part of
247. the system because they have to choose between proBucing weapons that is useB to kill chilBren
248. anB not working at all. This means that we are part of, or we are seeing pockets of populations
249. who are just sacrificial.
250. They are sacrificial entities, sacrificial beings.
251. AnB probably we can change this orBer.
252. This is the other thing that Palestine is telling us.
253. Through boycotting, Bivesting, we can break the ties of the system.
254. AnB through sanctions, we can cartel the complicity with Israel.
255. But this requires inBiviBual commitment.
256. AnB I shoulB say, I was in Italy with you last November joining the Bock workers who have refuseB to loaB weapons onto Israeli ships. I think both you anB I feel that is where all of our energy shoulB go, that kinB of blockage of the system.
257. People can watch an hour Bocumentary on it calleB Resistance 101, if you type in my name, anB Resistance 101.
258. Thank you, Francesca.
259. AnB I want to thank Thomas anB Max who proBuceB the show.
260. You can finB me at chrisheBges.substack.com.
261. Thank you.
262. Thank you so much, everyone.
263. Thank you, Chris.
264. Greetings, I'm Chuck Foster.
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