Viva Palestina on Egyptian TV
by Martin Smith | Friday, July 17th, 2009

On my first day in Cairo, I must admit that I was feeling a bit homesick.  I walked by myself to the store, when Fatimah, one of the main organizers, stopped me and said, “Get in the Taxi!  We’re going to a TV interview.”

Watch Viva Palestina on Egyptian TV here:

clip 1 (features clip of Viva Palestina news conference): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_1myM2tD90

clip 2 (Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss interviewed): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsfEsAjWPSU

clip 3 (features Martin S.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks0r8tQeQDU

clip 4 (features Fatimah Mohammadi): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUOBAClvxkM

clip 5 (In segments 5 and 6, we took phone calls from the audience. The majority of calls were directed towards Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_xDLCLee6o

clip 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpM_6Y7XlG8&feature=related

“Sure,” I said.  And I thought, what a great opportunity to merely see the city a bit more and of course what a great opportunity for Viva Palestina to reach more people.  But to my astonishment, the media person insisted that since I was a veteran that I too should be interviewed.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have this opportunity, and to be frank, I was very nervous that I would not speak with proper poise and tact, and would not be the best public face for our convoy.

But all my fears were to be put at ease as the interview commenced.  It was a forty minute news program called “Paladna” on O TV, a satellite channel throughout the Middle East.  And yes readers, we had the entire forty minutes with only one commercial break!  Fatimah and I were joined by one of the Jewish Rabbis, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, as well.  In fact, the two commentators–a women and man in designer Western suits–spent most of their time interviewing the Rabbi who they admitted would shock their viewers and challenge any stereotypes that the viewers might hold against Jewish people.

They began the program by framing the discussion in the following way.  The journalist said, “Viewers, today we have a special program.  We are so often told that, as Arabs, we are anti-semitic for criticizing Israel and the occupation.  However, today we will bring three unique perspectives to consider this issue, a rabbi, a veteran of the US military, and an organizer of Viva Palestina.”

From there began an in depth discussion of why criticizing and standing against the Israeli occupation does not equate anti-semitism.  My sole comment was to say that “Not just Arab people, but also US citizens are called anti-semitic for standing in solidarity with Palestine.  I then went on to explain how, in fact, such a program as theirs would never been shown in our Western media because there is such censorship of voices of resistance to the Zionist project.  I then pointed out that their are, indeed, in the US many voices against Zionism, and that I was involved with helping to build the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction Movement in the US among students.”

My comment seemed to bring surprise from the commentators who said that they did not know of such activism in the US.  Fatimah then talked of Viva Palestina and laid out our goals of raising awareness and breaking down the Israeli blockade.  We then took phonecalls–a la Larry King Live–and several called in to say that this was one of the greatest discussions that they had seen yet on the show and thanked us all for our efforts.  It was such a wonderful experience to have been so well-received.  This was also an incredible first day.

4:19 am. Viva Palestina.