12/22/23 12/22/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> because of the war in gaza and as a sign of warning of the thousands of civilians murdered there, the children in the holy land decided to cancel all christmas festivities. amy: christmas has been

cancelled. we will go to bethlehem, the birthplace of jesus christ. public christmas festivities have been canceled in the occupied west bank city as israel intensifies it assault on gaza. we will speak to a prominent palestinian christian theologian in bethlehem. in united nations security council is preparing to finally vote on a watered down resolution on aid to gaza after the united states repeatedly pushed for the vote to be delayed even though the u.n. is warning more than 500,000 palestinians, about a quarter of the population, face catastrophic hunger and starvation. >> it is quite shameful and disgraceful because they are complicit in this genocide. they have the lives of palestinian children on their hands. this is another nakba with a

genocide unfolding before our eyes. amy: plus we speak to sonia guajajara, brazil's first-ever minister of indigenous peoples. >> and so now we need to rebuild and strengthen public policies in health, education, fighting racism, and environmental racism, and being able to have more specific measures to reduce the emissions that are causing these changes. amy: all that and more coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. palestinian officials report 390 people have been killed and more than 700 injured in israeli strikes on gaza over the past two days. in one of the latest attacks, an israeli air raid killed four people, including bassem ghaben, the director of the

israeli-controlled karem abu salem border crossing, who'd been working to bring desperately-needed aid into gaza. this comes as the united nations reports more than a half a million palestinians are starving amid israel's siege and unrelenting bombardment of the gaza strip. arif hussain is chief economist with the u.n.'s world food programme. >> the world right now, there are 130,000 people who are in catastrophic levels of hunger, meaning they are starving. in gaza, more than half a million. that is four times more. that is what makes this totally unprecedented. amy: on thursday, hamas ruled out any more exchanges of captives until israel agrees to a "full cessation of aggression."

meanwhile, israel for the seventh time has severed gaza's phone and internet connections. the committee to protect journalists reports more media workers have been killed in the first 10 weeks of israel's assault on gaza than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year. see pj said it was particularly concerned about a pattern of targeting journalists and their families by the israeli military. on thursday, scores of al jazeera staffers help protests at the networks headquarters as well as the site of a school in gaza where camera operator samer abu daqqa was killed in a drone strike. the same attack injured al jazeera arabic's gaza bureau chief wael dahdouh, who lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in another strike last month. a number of journalists rallied

around him at the same time in as the journalist stood in the doha studios and the school where it was bombed. this is al jazeera correspondent tamer al-smadi. >> we stand here at al jazeera's office with a number of representatives to highlight what israel did, killing journalists. not just samir but more than 90 who were martyred due to israeli airstrikes and deliberate targeting. amy: jordan's foreign minister ayman safadi has warned the failure of the u.n. security council to pass a resolution on gaza will mean dangerous double standards as the u.s. delayed a vote thursday for the fourth day in a row. the u.s. delegation has insisted -- indicated it would back a new resolution with watered-down

language which is set for a vote today. in earlier vetoed security council resolution called for a cease-fire. the u.s. vetoed that. ultimately now to urgent steps to allow safe and unhindered delivery of aid to gaza's civilians. a human rights watch investigation has found meta's content moderation policies are increasingly silencing voices in support of palestine on its facebook and instagram social media platforms. the 51-page-report released this week by human rights watch documents more than 1000 cases of meta censorship in 60 countries in what hrw calls a "a pattern of undue removal and suppression of protected speech including peaceful expression in support of palestine and public debate about palestinian human rights." here in new york, thousands of

protesters led by union organizers marched through the streets of manhattan thursday evening to demand a ceasefire and an end to the influence of the powerful lobby group aipac, the american israel public affairs committee. protesters marched past aipac's offices holding banners displaying the hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions received by new york lawmakers chuck schumer, kirsten gillibrand, and hakeem jeffries. meanwhile, dozens of israeli jewish activists gathered for a vigil today outside the u.s. embassy in jerusalem, calling for a ceasefire and mourning the 20,000 palestinians killed in gaza. france is closing its embassy in niger indefinitely amid ongoing tensions between the two nations following the july military coup which ousted president mohamed bazoum. the french ambassador to niger left in september. around 150 french troops are departing niger today, the last

of the soldiers to leave since the withdrawal started in october. but the military junta has not ordered u.s. military bases to close, where over 600 troops remain in the largely failed fight against jihadist groups. the biden administration has approved two more permits for the mountain valley pipeline, or mvp, which would carry 2 billion cubic feet of fracked gas through virginia and west virginia. on tuesday, the federal energy regulatory commission granted mvp's request to increase its gas transportation rates after the company's estimated construction costs ballooned to over $6.6 billion, nearly double its initial projection. the ferc also granted mvp more time to complete work on a proposed 75-mile extension into north carolina. indigenous environmental activist jason crazy bear keck said in a statement -- "ferc's decision to extend mvp southgate's certificate of

'public need', which subjects our streams, rivers and community members to seizing of land and irreversible pollution, against our will, with no proof of need, is a crime against us and future generations." millions of residents in southern california remain under flood advisories today as an many received a month's worth of precipitation in less than an hour in what meteorologists called a once-in-a-millennium rainfall event. this comes as forecasters are predicting a snow-less christmas holiday for parts of canada and much of the u.s. east coast and midwest, with rain and record highs forecast in chicago and minneapolis. this month climate scientists confirmed 2023 will officially be the hottest year on record, with carbon dioxide levels in earth's atmosphere at their highest level in about 14 million years. in tacoma, washington, a jury acquitted three police officers in the 2020 killing of 33-year-old manuel ellis, an unarmed black man. the officers violently arrested and beat ellis on the side of the road.

he died while in handcuffs and telling officers, "i can't breathe." the pierce county medical examiner ruled the cause of death was homicide from oxygen deprivation due to physical restraint. following the verdict thursday, community members took to the streets to demand justice for manuel ellis. this is organizer and incoming city councilmember jamika scott. >> we are not going to sit here and cry. we're not going to pout. we are not going to let a not guilty verdict in a kangaroo court turn us from what we know to be righteous, to be true. amy: a "washington post" investigation has found a republican-led crackdown on alleged voter fraud has overwhelmingly targeted democrats and people of color. "the post" found black and latinx people made up more than 70% of defendants accused of voter fraud in states including florida, texas, and ohio, with

registered democrats more than 2.5 times as likely as republicans to be prosecuted. so-called election integrity units in virginia, georgia, and arkansas failed to obtain a single guilty verdict despite millions of dollars spent investigating alleged irregularities. in michigan, former president donald trump personally pressured two republican members of the wayne county board of canvassers not to sign the certification of the 2020 presidential election after his loss to joe biden. that's according to "the detroit news," which reviewed audio of a november 17, 2020 phone call in which trump told the canvassers they would look terrible if they signed the documents. after the call, the two officials tried but were unable to rescind their votes to certify biden's election win, and filed legal affidavits

saying they were pressured. meanwhile, trump's former attorney rudy giuliani filed for bankruptcy protection in new york on thursday, just a day after day a federal judge ruled that he must immediately pay the $148 million he owes to former georgia election workers ruby freeman and shaye moss. giuliani was found liable in august for defaming the african-american mother and daughter after he falsely accused them of committing fraud as they tallied ballots in atlanta during the 2020 election, leading to a torrent of death threats against them from trump supporters. in his chapter 11 filing, giuliani listed debts of up to half a billion dollars, including nearly $1 million in unpaid taxes. however, u.s. district judge beryl howell remains skeptical, writing -- "such claims of giuliani's 'financial difficulties' -- no matter how many times repeated or publicly disseminated and duly reported in the media -- are difficult to square with the fact that giuliani affords a spokesperson, who accompanied

him daily to trial." the czech republic will observe a national day of mourning saturday as the country reels following its worst-ever mass shooting. the gunman, believed to be 24-year-old student david kozak, opened fire at prague's charles university on thursday, killing at least 14 people and wounding 25 others. he was confirmed dead at the scene. the shooter is also suspected of killing his father earlier in the day before the rampage at the university. video shows a group students balanced precariously on a building's open ledge as they sought to escape the gunman. kozak was reportedly inspired by recent mass shootings in russia. this is a former student of charles university, who was visiting her mother who lives next to the school at the time of the shooting. >> it looks like something unprecedented in the country, and i think everyone is completely shaken.

for us it is worse because we are locals. amy: and in california, a federal judge blocked a state law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public spaces less than two weeks before it was due to go into effect. governor gavin newsom signed the law in september, which would bar guns in parks and playgrounds, medical facilities, places of worship, banks, and on public transportation, among other places. judge cormac carney, who was appointed by former president george w. bush, said the law was "repugnant to the second amendment." california's attorney general rob bonta is appealing the ruling. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. christmas has been cancelled. as the death toll tops 20,000 in gaza, we begin today's show in the occupied west bank in the city of bethlehem, the birthplace of jesus christ. the christmas season is normally

a festive time in bethlehem, but not this year as church leaders have canceled public christmas festivities citing israel's devastating attack on gaza. this is the reverend isaac munther, the palestinian pastor of a landmark lutheran church in bethlehem. he addressed his congregation earlier this month in front of a nativity scene with the figure of jesus christ in surrounded by rubble. >> christmas is a rate of light and hope. christmas is the radiance of life from the heart of destruction and death. in gaza, god is under the rubble. he is in the operating room. if christ were to be born today, he would be born under the rubble. i invite you to see the image of jesus and every child killed and pulled from under the rubble and every child struggling in the hospitals and in incubators.

christmas celebrations are canceled this year for christmas itself will not be canceled, for our hope cannot be canceled. amy: that was the reverend isaac munther, the palestinian pastor of a landmark lutheran church in bethlehem. he spoke in front of a nativity scene with the figure of christ surrounded by rubble. earlier this week, pope francis accused israel of committing terrorism in gaza after israeli sniper shot dead two women. in elderly woman and her adult daughter who tried to save her mother at a catholic church in gaza city where they had sought refuge. politico reports israel recently attacked a church and a convent in gaza even the congressional staffers in washington had urged israel to protect the religious sites and gave them the coordinates of the churches.

we go now to bethlehem where we're joined by reverend mitri raheb, president of dar al-kalima university in bethlehem. he has authored many books including "decolonizing palestine: the land, the people, the bible." it is hard to say merry christmas to you, reverend, professor dr. reverend mitri raheb. talk about bethlehem. >> it is a very sad christmas. i don't think in my entire life i asked. so much sadness but also so much anger about what is happening in gaza. as you said, the celebration -- the festivities were canceled in bethlehem so you don't have christmas lights. you don't have a christmas tree. the people are not up for

celebrations because of the people in gaza -- not only the people in gaza, but we in the west bank, we are experiencing apartheid, colonization by jewish settlers. the death toll, as you said, 20,000 in gaza. in the west bank, in the hundreds. and also the palestinian detainees, over 3000 in the west bank. amy: you have said the story of christmas, the story of the birth of jesus, is more relevant now than ever even though you will not be having festivities around this. >> correct. because the christmas story

actually is a palestinian story. it talks about a family in the north of palestine that is ordered by an imperial decree of the romans to evacuate to bethlehem, to go there and register. this is exactly what are people in gaza have been experiencing these 75 days. it talks about mary, the pregnant woman, on the run, exactly like 50,000 women in gaza who are actually displaced. jesus was born as a refugee. there was no place at the inn for him to be born so he was put in a manger. this is what kids in are experiencing. most of the hospitals are damaged, out of service, and so

there is no delivery place for these pregnant women in gaza. and then you have the bloodthirsty heron that ordered to kill the kids in bethlehem to stay in power. over 8000 kids have been murdered in gaza for netanyahu to stay in power. and you have this message that the angel declared here, glory to god in the highest, peace on earth. which was actually a critique of the empire. because glory belongs to the almighty and not to the mighty. the peace that jesus came to proclaim, it is based on subjugation and military operation but on human -- not on

subjugation and military operation but on dignity and justice. i find it really a shame that in this season where every church hears these words "peace on earth," that the united states is vetoing even a cease-fire. it is a shame. amy: i want to -- good about this report in political, congressional step try to protect churches by sending locations to israel. you are in bethlehem in the occupied west bank. this is about gaza. the israeli military received and confirm the coordinates of the church in covenant and gaza, both of which age groups say were later struck by rockets and snipers. it goes on to say the holy family church in gaza was struck last weekend. the location of the church was included on a list of coordinate

provided to the israeli military by aid organizations and staffers on capitol hill in an effort to protect those sheltering there. we reported in the last few days , among others, about the elderly mother and her daughter who were sheltering at the holy family church -- this is what the pope referred to when he talked about israel engaging in terrorism. first, was hit. the daughter carries her and then she is hit. this is pope francis speaking on his 87th birthday sunday at the vatican. >> and let us not forget our brothers and sisters suffering from war in ukraine, palestine, israel and other conflict zones. may the approach of christmas strengthen our commitment to open paths of peace. i continue to receive from gaza very serious and painful news. unarmed civilians are being bombed and shot at. and this has even happened inside the holy family parish compound, where there are no terrorists, but families,

children, and sick people with disabilities, and nuns. a mother and her daughter, ms. nahida khalil anton and her daughter samar kamal anton, were killed, and others wounded, by the snipers as they went to the bathroom. the house of mother teresa's nuns was damaged, their generator hit. some say it's terrorism. it's war. yes, it's war. it's terrorism. that is why scripture says that god stops war, breaks bows and breaks spears. let us pray to the lord for peace. amy: so that is the pope speaking on his 87th birthday. i want to go on with this politico piece. it's has a church and convent were struck in gaza, listed among christian facilities congressional staffers had flagged to israeli authorities for protection. according to a series of emails from october, the emails, which were obtained by politico, show an increasingly frenzied back

and forth between catholic relief services -- one of the largest christian aid organizations in gaza -- and senate staff over an effort to get a commitment from israel to avoid targeting a number of buildings where staff and siblings were sheltering, they would ultimately be attacked. your response? >> israel has been attacking churches, mosques, hospitals, schools, universities. believe it or not, 11 universities were destroyed in this war. over 200 schools were destroyed. most of the hospitals, except nine, are out of service right now because of israeli attacks. let's come to the churches. this is not the first attack that the pope talked about. the first attack on a christian institution happened to so-called baptist hospital.

then israel had in airstrike on a greek orthodox church where they destroyed the assembly hall of that church where 50 christians were having refuge. 20 were killed and 14 were injured. that israel destroyed a brand-new state-of-the-art arab orthodox cultural and social center. it cost $6 million. it was inaugurated just a few months ago. it does not exist anymore. you cannot see it anymore. the israel attacked another catholic school. last week, and the pope spoke about it, they attacked a center for children with disabilities

that is run by the sisters of mother teresa. they attacked again last week a hospital that is now almost out of service. besides the sniper killing these two women within the holy family compound -- you know what? when some of the parishioners wanted to go out and help them and to save them, israel launched a missile on them. 10 people from that parish were injured in that missile attack. on a deadly basis, contact with those two parishes to see how they're doing -- on a daily basis, i am in contact with those two parishes to see how they're doing. i just received another cry for help that that compound is

surrounded by israeli tanks and israeli snipers are on the rooftops of the neighboring buildings and this is just two days before christmas. these are the christmas gifts of israel for the christian community in gaza. and i see this is the end of the christian presence in gaza. the christian presence in gaza is a 2000-year-old presence. these are not new post christianity came to gaza in the first century. the last centuries, living christians worked there and affluent community in gaza. i think this community is going to be extinct because of israel war on gaza.

3% of the christian community in gaza was murdered in 75 days. 3%. amy: i want to play for you, and we played this earlier in the week, the deputy mayor of jerusalem fleur hassan-nahoum recently appeared on the british news program lbc and claimed there are no christians in gaza. >> why is it necessary to start shooting from having staffers outside a church? >> i saw the reports this morning. there are no churches in gaza so not quite sure -- >> there's the catholic church, isn't there? >> and fortune, there were no christians because they were driven out. >> respectfully, there are christians because i spoke to an mp who has family members who are christians. >> i didn't see the report.

amy: that is the jerusalem deputy mayor speaking on the british news program lbc. your response, reverend? >> we are unfortunately used to israeli lies and fake news that they keep spreading. how they cannot know that there are christian community in gaza? i mean, you spoke before they got the coordinates of the two churches, like they also get the coordinates of the hospitals. remember, these christians every year were applying for permits to come over christmas to bethlehem. so the israeli authorities know everyone by name, picture, age, gender. again, these are the lies. you know why israel can do a lot

this? because they are immune. nobody, because of the american veto, brings the or makes them responsible for what they are doing. and now they are destroying all of gaza. guess who will pay for it? they will call some air countries or york or others to rebuild gaza. once israel is made responsible for its atrocities, they will stop doing that. for me as a pastor, i have to say, imagine if a synagogue was attacked and 20 jewish worshipers in the synagogue were killed by an airstrike by any country. the whole christian world would be in an uproar. unfortunately, we don't hear the christian community actually doing much about the atrocity happening in gaza.

amy: reverend, i wanted to ask you about your latest book "decolonizing palestine," which challenges the support of the current settler colonial state of israel. i was wondering if you could comment on some of the most adamant supporters of the israel i military are u.s. evangelicals . some of the fiercest critics are progressive jews like jewish voice for peace. if you could comment on both? >> in this book, i try to show the current state of israel in its occupation of the west bank and gaza is actually a settler colonial project. that means these are settlers that they come, in this case

mainly from europe, to settle permanently in another country -- not to live with the native people, but to replace the native people and to drive them out of their home country. to do that, they have to create a policing state. they have to demonize the native people as savage, backwards, human animals -- as we are hearing from israelis right now. if you heard netanyahu when he said that israeli troops are entering gaza in october, late october, he quoted the bible and talked about 1 samual

where god is telling saul to go and not spare man, woman, elderly, child, even ox and sheep. so this is a call for genocide. this was a tool done in north america, done in south africa, done in many other countries. so what happened in the united states 400 years ago to the native americans is happening to palestinians today in gaza. this is what i am talking about. this weaponization -- the weaponizing of the bible by christian zionists is something for us that is very troublesome. for us, the christian zionists are a thai semite because -- anti-semite. they don't love the jewish people. according to the ideology, two thirds will be killed in the war

the last third will convert to christianity. basically, there calling for the annihilation of the jewish people. but netanyahu has no problem to share a bed with them. i am so glad netanyahu doesn't present the whole of jewish people. it is a very broad religion. you have the far right to the far left. for me, groups like jewish voices for peace, not in my name, and many other groups that i am in contact with, they are a sign of hope that actually together as jewish, muslims, christians who are interested in equality and human dignity, justice, so people can share the land and religions can live side-by-side -- i think this is what we're calling for.

amy: reverend mitri raheb, thank you for being with us, president of dar al-kalima university in bethlehem. he has authored many books including "decolonizing palestine: the land, the people, the bible." coming up, the united nations security council is preparing possibly to vote on a watered down resolution on aid to gaza after the u.s. repeatedly pushed for delays even though the u.n. is warning more than half a million palestinians about a quarter of the population, face catastrophic hunger and starvation. back in 20 seconds. ♪ [music break]

amy: "ya weli" by dam. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the united nations security council is preparing to vote on a watered down resolution on aid to gaza after the united states pushed for the vote to be delayed four times this week as israel continued its massive assault on gaza that has killed at this point over 20,000 palestinians. reaching about the death of 1% of the gazan population. health officials in gaza say at least 390 palestinians have been killed over the past 48 hours.

the united nations is warning more than 500,000 palestinians in gaza, about a quarter of the population, face catastrophic hunger and starvation. we go now to ahmed abofoul. he is a gaza-born attorney who works as a legal research and advocacy officer at ?al-haq, the oldest palestinian human rights organization. he recent wrote an article titled "we are witnessing a genocide unfolding in gaza: to stop it, the icc prosecutor must apply the law without fear or favour." he is joining us from new york city. we welcome you to democracy now! when you use the term "genocide" you are in international human rights lawyer, explain exactly what you mean and why you believe this applies to gaza. >> thank you for having me, first of all. second of all, the word "genocide" is a legal term specifically defined international law and also a

crime that has elements. once these elements are met, the crime is committed. this term has not been used a lot before the context of palestine. although, we believe the crime has been committed. for example, 19 48. many would argue and i agree was inactive genocide. the only reason we did not call it genocide that is we did not have the concept of genocide. we did not have the genocide convention. it was also used in the context of palestine. this is the only time the u.n. described the situation is genocide. it is defined when there certain underlying acts being committed with the special intent to destroy in whole or part a certain ethnic or religious group. in this case, we believe the

situation in gaza is that of genocide. usually in genocide, the hardest thing to previous the mental element in the special intent to commit genocide. in order to prove that, statements of the perpetrators. in this particular situation, we have numerous statements of genocide intent that are also being translated into actions on the ground. we have seen the destruction, disregard of human life. in the words of biden, the indiscriminate bombing of civilians. it is not only our conclusion is palestinian human rights organizations, as a matter fact, 800 genocidal holocausters have described it as genocide. certain scholars call it a textbook case of genocide. amy: ahmed abofoul, if you could talk personally about gaza,

about your homeland. you grew up in gaza or were born in gaza? in fact, your name ahmed abofoul , didn't someone in your family by that same name just die? >> now over 60 of my family have died, including -- have been killed, to be accurate, including my eldest uncle, some of my cousins. we don't feel like we even have the luxury to grieve. i am considering the level of destruction and the horrific crimes being committed. it is heartbreaking. we have grown up to hear stories of the nakba. we never imagined we would live it. it happened in 1948. the world did not know what was going on. it is quite disgraceful it is a televised carnage in the world

is literally watching. you mentioned the security council was watered down language and will be voted on today. if you look at the situation and look at the voting record, it is thickly -- basically u.s. versus the world. the u.s. is promoting genocide, supporting the genocide. most likely my family was killed by american weapons. our children are being torn apart on tv by support of the american government. the american government is complicit in this genocide. there's blood of palestinian children on their hands. that is why with our partners in the u.s., with the center for constitutional rights and i know you interviewed -- we are suing president biden and blinken and austin not only for complicity

in the genocide, but for the failure to prevent genocide. if there's any country in the world that can influence israeli policy, it is the u.s. i mentioned i come from a refugee family. i am not originally from gaza. over 75% of the population in gaza are refugees. when we say this is the second nakba, it is the second nakba. in 1948, over 78% were displaced and now over 90% of the population are displaced. we have over 60% of gaza's residential units destroyed. most of the population are starving. it is quite shameful that until this very moment the u.s. cannot do the bare minimum of human decency, which is calling for a cease-fire and trying to provide diplomatic coverage for the genocide that is unfolding in gaza. amy: can you account for on the

one hand you president biden warning israel about indiscriminate bombing and on the other hand you have the u.s. dragging his feet all week -- yesterday we thought after the show, i think 10:00 a.m., they were going to be voting. but now it is friday. four times this vote has been delayed. a resolution that will clearly not be for a cease-fire. can you explain the significance of what difference does the u.n. security council resolution even make? is it binding? what would it mean? and what it has been watered down to at this point today? >> i've course. the security council resolutions are binding, although israel has a history of not respecting those resolutions. the u.s. has tried to water down the language not to call for an immediate cease-fire. at the same time, they call for safe and unhindered humanitarian

supplies and aid but at the same time they don't call for a cease-fire. it is a strange formula from the u.s. on the one hand, to what safe and unhindered humanitarian access but not stopping the fire. it was humanitarian aid workers to work under the hell that israel has unleashed on the palestinian population. biden did not only warn the israelis, he made a determination and we agreed with him, israel is engaged in indiscriminate bombing. this is a war crime. then why do you send weapons to israel? the position of the u.s. is quite hypocritical. the u.s. is not showing us leadership. actions speak louder than words. president biden only yesterday tweeted the u.s. supports the rights of the palestinian people

to self-determination. two days before that, the u.s. voted against a resolution on the rights of palestinian people self-determination. we don't want to see words, we want to see actions. the hypocrisy of the u.s. is quite -- principal leadership and true leadership is about the consistent application of international law. double standards don't reflect characteristics of leadership. if you allow me, what is at stake at the moment is not only the dehumanization of the palestinian people and the genocide they're facing, but the whole body of international law is being put to death because basically we saw how the west, led by the u.s., mobilized in the case of ukraine but in the case of gaza, they are failing to do the bare minimum, which is

call for a cease-fire. i think what is also at stake is the credibility and the reputation of the u.s., which always portrays itself as a beacon of democracy. in fact, it is showing it supports genocide. what i think it's also interesting in the situation, it is also putting these "liberal democracy" to test because most polls show americans what a cease-fire, most them across and congress want a cease-fire, but there seems to be a disconnect between what the people want and what the u.s. leadership is doing. we call on biden and the biden administration to listen to their people. listen to their people and do the bare minimum, which is calling for cease-fire. amy: ahmed, thank you for being with us. our condolences on the death of so many members of your family in gaza. ahmed abofoul is legal research

and advocacy officer at ?al-haq organization and we will link to your piece "we are witnessing a genocide unfolding in gaza: to stop it, the icc prosecutor must apply the law without fear or favour." coming up, we speak to brazil's first-ever minister of indigenous peoples. back in 20 seconds. ♪ [music break] amy: this is democracy now! i'm amy goodman. we end today's show with sonia guajajara, brazil's first indigenous cabinet minister and the country's first-ever minister of indigenous peoples. took office a year ago to serve in president luiz inácio lula da silva's administration.

i spoke to her in dubai at the u.n. climate summit and asked her to talk about issues facing brazil following the presidency of the far-right jair bolsonaro. he led brazil from 2019-2022. >> we are in a moment of transition. going back to democracy in brazil. rebuilding the rights that were taken away from us in these past few years, and strengthening actions and spaces for the participation of civil society in the federal government. and so now we need to rebuild and strengthen public policies in health, education, fighting racism and environmental racism, and being able to have more specific measures to reduce the emissions that are causing these changes. amy: can you talk about what president lula is doing right now when it comes to indigenous

peoples' rights, when it comes to extractive industries, restoring the amazon rainforest, ending deforestation in the amazon by 2030? >> president lula created the ministry of indigenous peoples. for the first time in 55 years, our national foundation of indigenous peoples has an indigenous president. we're also running the indigenous peoples' health services. this year's concrete actions were the removal of the invaders from the yanomami territories, which significantly reduced deforestation in that territory. we also managed to get the illegal cattle ranchers out of the apyterewa territory, and of the parakanã people in the state of pará. with only 11 indigenous people demarcated in 10 years, and now eight indigenous lands have been recognized. so we're in the process of

advancing with protection of indigenous peoples' rights and protecting these territories, which is important for reducing deforestation and achieving zero deforestation in the amazon by 2030. amy: can you talk about the significance of the united states as historically the largest emitter of greenhouse gases? what difference it makes, u.s. policy, to the people of brazil, to the indigenous people of brazil? what would you like to most see the united states do or change? >> the united states needs to have more ambitious goals here in the climate discussions and also support those countries that need financial support to protect their forests, to protect their indigenous peoples and their traditional communities.

it is necessary that the wealthiest countries, which emit the most, should help those countries that don't have sufficient resources to pay the bill in order to adopt specific concrete measures. amy: minister guajajara, how does it change things in brazil to have your voice, the voice of indigenous people, for the first time ever included, represented in the brazilian government? >> here at the climate conference, it's the first time that there is an indigenous minister. it is unprecedented. it is also the first time that an indigenous person headed up the brazilian delegation. so i feel very honored to represent minister marina silva here for these five days as head of the brazilian delegation, speaking directly with the

negotiators and participating directly in high-level discussions, playing a proactive role and bringing the voice, which is not only the voice of the indigenous peoples of brazil, but the voice of the indigenous peoples worldwide. there are many indigenous peoples here. and it's been recognized that it's very important to have a ministry, to have a woman minister, participating in this forum, making decisions. for us, this is historic. amy: can you talk about where you were born, where you grew up? >> i was born in araribóia, an indigenous territory in the state of maranhão in the brazilian amazon. it has several different amazonian biomes, including the cerrado. the amazon is also coastal. when i was born, there were still many forests. and today one can notice the drastic change. we've lost more than 60% of our native plants in the forest.

so climate change is not just a problem of the future. we're experiencing the consequences right now. and that is why we must proceed down this road by occupying these spaces, such as the ministry, and also stepping up commitments and accomplishment of goals. amy: and can you also talk about what you're wearing? now, normally i don't ask a woman that question, but your headdress is so magnificent. talk about the feathers, both on your head and also that are draped over your shoulders, and your earrings. >> we continue to use our traditional clothing and other items. but we are at risk of not being able to use the accessories that mark our identities because of the climate crisis. we bring along our symbols of

the people we bond to. and this also reflects how we live harmoniously with nature and how we use what is available to us. so we live with the forest, the animals, and the water and we get from that everything we need, whether it's protected water to drink, food to eat, or the clothing we wear. amy: can you talk about violence against indigenous environmental defenders? it is not only an issue in brazil, but all over the world, a number of environmentalists like in honduras, pretty cancerous, being murdered. -- berta caceres being murdered. how is president lula dealing with this? how does this need to be dealt with? >> we have just emerged from four years in which there was a major incentive for attacking indigenous peoples, invading

their territories. there was an increase in violence that was quite considerable in these past few years. but now we're working with president lula to fight that violence, together with the ministry of human rights, together with the ministry for racial equality and the ministry of the environment, because those attacks stemmed from land conflicts, invasion of territories, illegal logging, illegal prospecting. these are actions that we're now carrying out in a coordinated fashion with other ministries, the ministry of justice, with the federal police, with the environmental institute, indigenous affairs institute all working together to end violence in the territories and in the frontier areas. amy: what is your message to indigenous peoples around the world? and what do you want to see come out of this u.n. climate summit?

>> for the indigenous peoples, we need to prepare for the road that we need to head down in order to reach cop30, which is going to be held in belém in the brazilian amazon. we also need to prepare so that we can have a direct impact on the debates that unfold here at the cop. and oftentimes we are not even close to it. it's very important that we indigenous peoples participate in these forums and there's a group that is directly on top of this. so we are here so that indigenous peoples can have more space in decision-making. and the general message is that we have little time left. the big leaders, government leaders, need not only to take on commitments here, but also to understand that we are in a state of emergency. in order to emerge from that state of emergency, investment is needed, financing is needed, and protection so that we can all protect the planet.

amy: president lula still has plans to do massive offshore oil drilling. as the first indigenous peoples minister, do you condemn this move? are you weighing in on this? do you support this? >> look, in brazil, we're at a moment of transition to clean energies as well. we're building that together. president lula is committed to making that transition. and now we're using what is available to us, such as the wind and the water, so that we can emerge from the energy we're using today, based on destruction, and so that we can have renewable energy that protects the peoples and that does not destroy the environment. amy: last question. earlier this year, ecuador voted to ban oil drilling and protected amazon lands. will you be pushing for brazil to take similar steps?

>> we're involved in that right now. president lula is aware that we need to go forward with this transition. and together with the ministry of environment, we're working to act together and more quickly so that the transition can take place. we urgently need renewable energy. only with such a change will it be possible for us to overcome the emergency situation we find ourselves in today. amy: that was sonia guajajara, brazil's first indigenous cabinet minister and the country's first-ever minister of indigenous peoples. i spoke to her in dubai at the u.n. climate summit. on december 14, brazilian lawmakers overrode a veto by president luiz inácio lula da silva in a move that could threaten land rights for indigenous people. the issue will likely be taken -- will be taken by brazil's supreme court.

to see our full interview with her, a web exclusive, go to democracynow.org. tune in monday for a democracy now! special, tribute to blacklisted lyricist, the men who put the rainbow in the wizard of oz.