west bank

"There's a lot of Palestinian Gandhis," says reporter Joseph Dana. But up until recently, it was nearly impossible for everyday people around the world to hear their stories. That's changing with social media, he points out, and with this week's release of more diplomatic documents from WikiLeaks, the world has more information than ever about what really happens both on the ground in Israel and Palestine and in diplomatic channels. Joseph stopped in to the GRITtv studio before heading back to Israel, and spoke with Laura about WikiLeaks, about the nonviolent resistance on the ground in Palestine, continuing collective punishment, and developments in U.S. politics that will affect the situation in the Middle East.

Rachel Corrie was an American activist with the International Solidarity Movement. In 2003, she took a plane to Israel to act as a human shield, preventing Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes and property. In Rafah, she was kneeling in front of a home when a bulldozer aiming to demolish it crushed her to death. Her parents' legal case against the Israeli military and government is still ongoing, and now there's a new documentary film out, telling the story of Rachel's activism and what happened to her. Simone Bitton, a French and Israeli citizen, spent years investigating the events surrounding Rachel's death, and she joins Laura in studio to discuss the film, Rachel, and the ongoing struggle.

Moustafa Bayoumi, editor of a new volume from OR Books on the freedom flotilla, describes what went into creating a "people's record" of the events of that night.

Israel blocks Noam Chomsky from entering the West Bank to deliver a speech. He was scheduled to deliver a lecture at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah and was scheduled to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. No reason was initially given for the decision, but the Interior Ministry later told Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz that officials were now trying to get clearance from the Israel Defense Forces. Afghans protest a deadly nighttime raid. The military issued a statement saying that their forces came under attack, and in the firefight a Taliban subcommander and seven militants were killed. They reported that no civilians were harmed. But residents here tell a different story, saying, "If the Americans do this again, we are ready to shed our blood fighting them." The student strike at the University of Puerto Rico enters its 28th Day. The strike began nearly four weeks ago in response to budget cuts at the university of more than $100 million. On Thursday, a mass assembly of more than 3,000 students voted overwhelmingly to continue the strike. The next day, riot police seized control of the main campus gates. We go now to Puerto Rico, inside the occupied campus at the university. "Democracy Now!" is a daily independent newshour.