01/05/24 01/05/24 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> i am just back from gaza. i am calling for full cease-fire to the gate of suffering of palestinians. and i am calling for accountability for war crimes committed by israel in gaza and accountability for anyone that was complicit in israel's

workers by finding them or supporting the politically. political process that needs to -- amy: has israel intensifies its attacks on what are supposed to be safe zones in central and south gaza, we will speak with the palestinian scientist who fled gaza and just arrived in britain where he has dual citizenship. then hundreds of jewish activists and their allies shut down the california state capitol in sacramento wednesday to demand a gaza cease-fire. we will speak with one of them, dependent of holocaust survivors who is in idf soldier. >> i family has taught me how to recognize genocide, how naked bodies get rounded up for torture and execution, how ethnic cleansing [indiscernible]

the black-and-white images are now in color. in this cycle, we don't need gas chambers because we have u.s.-made bombs. amy: and we will speak with ralph nader about u.s. support for israel and his new book "the rebellious ceo: 12 leaders who did it right." all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in gaza, the death toll from israel's 90-day bombardment has topped 22,600 with another 7000 people reported missing and presumed dead. health officials in gaza say israel killed at least 162 palestinians over the past 24 hours as the idf intensifies its attacks on refugee camps in

central and south gaza, areas once deemed by israel to be safe . doctors in gaza described horrific conditions inside the few hospitals still open. yasser khan is a canadian ophthalmologist who is working in the european hospital in khan younis. >> almost every hour, soma is coming in with an explosive injury or serious injury. people are losing their legs, eyes, lives. health care workers are working 24 hours every single day with no resources. no medications, and aesthetics. everything is out. amy: israeli officials have reportedly held talks with a number of african nations, including the democratic republic of congo, rwanda, and chad, about accepting palestinians pushed out of gaza. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and some of his cabinet members have promoted what they call voluntary

migration from gaza, but palestinians and human rights groups have decried the plan as ethnic cleansing. this comes as israel's ambassador to the united kingdom tzipi hotovely has openly embraced destroying the whole of gaza. she made the comment during an interview on lbc. >> one of the things we realized, every school, every mosque, every house has an access to tunnel. this is ammunition -- >> to stroll the whole of gaza, every single building? >> do you have another solution? this is where the terrorists are tied. amy: meanwhile, the biden administration has criticized south africa for filing a genocide case against israel at the international court of justice. national security council coordinator admiral john kirby was asked about the case on wednesday. >> south africa has filed this lawsuit against israel, accusing them of genocide. israel says it

is liable. does washington agree? where does this put washington -- >> counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever. amy: in other news from israel, an israeli woman who was held hostage by hamas for 51 days is calling on israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to declare a ceasefire. aviva siegel spoke to pbs newshour. >> they can't keep the war going and get the hostages out. he needs to go to a cease-fire and then get them out and he needs to get them out now, as quick as possible. amy: the iraqi government is blasting the united states after a u.s. drone strike in baghdad killed a top commander in an iran-backed militia. an iraqi military spokesperson described thursday's attack as a dangerous escalation and an assault on iraq. pentagon spokesperson brigadier

general patrick ryder claimed the u.s. was acting in self-defense. >> this individual was actively involved in planning and carrying out attacks against american personnel. as we have long said, we maintain the right of self-defense. amy: in iran, funerals have begun for the 84 people killed on wednesday in a pair of bomb blasts in the city of kerman. on thursday, the islamic state took responsibility. the group said two suicide bombers had attacked the crowd who were gathered near the tomb of the iranian general qassem soleimani. the bombings occurred on the fourth anniversary of soleimani's assassination in iraq by the united states. in japan, the death toll from this week's massive earthquake has risen to 94 with over 220 people still missing and feared to be trapped under rubble. earlier today, an 80-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble more than 72 hours after the quake.

civil rights leader al sharpton led a protest thursday outside of the new york office of the billionaire investor bill ackman who helped lead a campaign that led to this week's ouster of claudine gay, harvard university's first black president. ackman is a harvard alum and major donor to the university who has publicly railed against harvard and other schools for supporting dei -- diversity, equity and inclusion --programs. al sharpton vowed to keep protesting outside ackman's office. >> we have started these weekly one our protests in front of mr. ackman's office. the resignation of dr. gay -- until they end dei. that is a war on all of us. dei was designed to bring

fairness and equality to people that had been historically marginalized and eliminated. amy: sharpton was standing in front of someone holding a haitian flag. as part of his campaign to oust claudine gay as harvard president -- she is the daughter of haitian immigrants -- bill ackman helped amplify allegations that she had committed plagiarism in her academic work. but now bill ackman's wife, m.i.t. professor neri oxman, is facing a plagiarism scandal of her own. business insider has revealed oxman plagiarized parts of her doctoral dissertation at m.i.t. on thursday, oxman apologized and admitted making mistakes. new york city mayor eric adams has sued 12 charter bus companies for $700 million, accusing them of illegally transporting over 30,000 migrants from texas at the behest of republican texas governor greg abbott. adams accused abbott of using the migrants as political pawns. >> these companies have violated

state law by not paying the cost of caring for these migrants. that is why we are suing to recoup approximately $700 million already spent to care for migrants bust here in the last two years by the state of texas. amy: a new report by house democrats accuses former president donald trump of repeatedly and willfully violating the foreign emoluments clause of the u.s. constitution. the report found foreign countries, including china, saudi arabia, and qatar, spent at least $7.8 million on apartments and hotels at trump-owned properties while trump was president. congressmember jamie raskin of maryland accused trump of "elevating his personal financial interests and the policy priorities of corrupt foreign powers over the american public interest." saturday marks the third anniversary of the january 6 insurrection at the u.s. capitol.

president biden is planning to mark the anniversary by giving a speech near valley forge, pennsylvania, the site of a key revolutionary war battle. meanwhile, voters in massachusetts and illinois have filed paperwork challenging donald trump's eligibility to run for office, citing the insurrection clause of the 14th amendment. trump is already appealing decisions in colorado and maine to remove him from the ballot. newly unsealed documents related to the deceased convicted sex trafficker and financier jeffrey epstein includes a reference to reports that former president bill clinton once threatened vanity fair magazine against reporting on epstein. one new document contains an email sent by a woman who had accused epstein of trafficking her to prince andrew when she was 17 years old. in the email, she writes about why she was worried about

speaking to vanity fair. she wrote -- former vanity fair editor has denied the incident ever took place. in iowa, a sixth-grade student died thursday in a school shooting in the town of perry on the first day of classes after winter break. five other people were injured, including the school's principal. police say the gunman was a 17-year-old student who came to school armed with a pump action shotgun and a small caliber handgun. police say the shooter died of a self-inflected gunshot. and in berkeley, california, police raided the historic people's park early on thursday morning, ending a long standoff between the university of california, berkeley and community activists.

there are reports at least seven people were arrested and many unhoused people were displaced. in the 1960's, it was the center of the free-speech movements and berkeley. uc berkeley officials have now placed shipping containers around the perimeter of the park where the school plans to build new student housing. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we begin today's show in gaza, where the death toll from israel's 90-day bombardment has topped 22,600 with another 7000 people reported missing and presumed dead. health officials in gaza say israel killed at least 162 palestinians over the last 24 hours as the idf intensifies its attacks on refugee camps in central and south gaza, areas deemed by israel to be safe zones. doctors in gaza described horrific conditions inside the few hospitals still open.

in a minute, we will be joined by a palestinian man who just arrived in britain after fleeing gaza. mohammed ghalayini is an air quality scientist who spent nearly three months in gaza where he had been visiting family. he just returned to manchester, england, wednesday where he has dual citizenship. this is ghalayini speaking at the airport after his arrival in britain. >> israel's brutal bombing. i made the impossible choice -- [indiscernible] it is a choice not available to most palestinians. [indiscernible]

amy: mohammed ghalayini speaking after landing in manchester on wednesday. he joins us now from manchester. you were in gaza with your family. you fled first to egypt on december 10 and now you're home in manchester. can you lay out what you saw? can you talk about israel's bombardment of gaza? >> thank you for having me on. it is quite difficult question to answer but i will try. i guess -- sorry. it was really hard to imagine

things getting any worse on any particular day, but they did keep getting worse. i think that is one way to look at it. amy: can you start off by telling us where you are? we will just go through some of the facts. you had got to gaza to see your family. when did you go? >> i travel to gaza on september 18 for an extended visit, but this is my family but also to look at moving back there for work. i had been out of gaza for almost 20 years. the trip was going i guess as planned. on the morning of october 7, i had got up quite early to harvest olives with my cousins. as i woke up, i so rocket trails.

as the rocket fire lasted more than an hour, it became apparent how significant the day was. then there was a bombing, an israeli aerial bombardment 50 meters from our apartment that shattered all the glass. at that point we started to make the decision to leave the apartment because it is quite close to the beach, so not a great place to be. then began a succession of displacements. first to an apartment about a kilometer away and then to my father's home and idf center, then to a hotel and with gaza that was a safe haven -- shelters journalists and aid workers. i have since learned that has been destroyed as well as my father's home. on october 13, with bombing

happening all around us, we saw power blocks that house thousands of people being bombarded for 36 hours. eventually, they were brought down. destruction was everywhere that you looked wherever you went. on october 13, israel shot in order -- the legal order, i might add, for people to leave, to go south. it let a lot of people into a panic. anyone who had the ability to leave -- we were amongst them. a very difficult choice then because it is an impossible

choice or false choice between i guess your safety and your home. if you consider the headlines, the headline about bombardment in areas of khan younis and this out that were deemed as "save zones," we found out hundreds of thousands of palestinians that nowhere was actually safe in gaza. i think that is all part of this strategy of terrorizing palestinians, showing deliberate confusion. so people at the end of their tether because they have no access to water, scarce food, and no access to health care if people eventually are going to be, where should we go? i truly am of the belief, like evidence suggests, israel is trying to push palestinians into

sinai. supporters will deny it but ultimately, israel is the master of creating facts on the ground and plausible deniability, i guess. i can carry on if you want. amy: let me ask you, you are an air quality scientist. can you talk about the air quality in gaza with this massive level of bombardment? >> i have a cough now. i think throughout my time in gaza, i had a cough and i think it is quite common right now. part of that is because of the number of irritants in the air because of the bombardment. starting with the rubble from buildings when they are pulverized into fine particles that every time there is a gust of wind, create an elevated air

of particulate matter. it does not stop explosive residue and what have you because you also have -- because of the lack of power right now. people are relying on alternative fuels, for example, solid fuel is so common. you walk down any street and thick smoke from countless fires being lit just to substitute for gas. add to that, because of the lack of transport fuel, people are fueling their cars with cooking oil. again, not a good substitute for diesel because it has a higher -- worse emission profile that causes untold public health harms. those are the key air quality --

amy: can you talk about the israeli so-called fire belt, the name of the rep succession strikes that destroy gaza city blocks? >> it is really something horrific to behold because you hear the whoosh of a jet and the explosion in anything, is that it? then you hear 10 more in quick succession that surround or saturate neighborhoods with bombardment. people have nowhere to go. for example, as i was saying, we were in this location in north gaza by the beach and these towers were subject to bombs 24

hour success of fire belts. some people came to us -- came to seek shelter where we were. they said, we could not leave. we were pinned down by bombing all around us. this massive come indiscriminate use of explosive power in densely populated areas without any regard for civilian lives in those areas. it is very cynical because -- i think initially, an israeli litter spokesperson said we are seeking damage, not accuracy in the bombing. but at the same time, they keep saying, we are very targeted and our strikes are only focused on terrorist structure, that tired terminology of terrorism that

they use. and later on we find out more than 50% of the munitions dropped on gaza were not smart, targeted bombs but rather -- it is hard being in it but also being around it, hearing, knowing every explosion is another family being killed and displaced and losing their home. amy: on an instagram post in early november, you said, really sad to hear my dear cousin's uncle's family has been killed by the bombing in gaza city. i did not know them but feel your pain, right. you say you acknowledge their murder on interview with bbc just now and the presenter tried to mince words that they needed to verify. your response?

>> again, ultimate cynical denial of the suffering of palestinians. on the one hand, we are expected to mourn and kind of acknowledge the death of israelis -- as humanitarians, we do. expected to accept the israeli government's narrative of that. on the other hand, palestinian suffering, palestinian deaths are much more documented, each one is dissected and analyzed to deny this, deny the genocide that is going on. i will call it a genocide.

it is the ultimate in dehumanization. every time i report someone i know or a relative that has been killed by israel, i will be asked, do you have proof it was israel? we can't verify it so we can't mention it. it is horrible. amy: aiding members of your extended family have died in gaza -- 80 members of your extended family have died in gaza? >> 15 of my mother's cousins were killed in their home in khan younis in october. late october, another 10 of my mother's cousins. 20 of my father's cousins. and others -- i've almost lost track or lost count. my coping strategy is, in some

way, to try -- you can't avoid it. i think one of the most horrific instances was in december, we got the news six of my cousins, along with their in-laws who were sheltering in one of their homes in gaza city, they have been surrounded by the idf for a couple of days. the israeli army went into the house. they separated the men from the women. being able to separate men from women is telling terms the level of or lack thereof. 15 of the men in the home were shot by the israeli army. they also through explosives

into the rooms the women were sheltering in. and if they were injured as well. this has been documented by the human rights monitor and also a press statement issued by the u.n. office for coordination of humanitarian affairs. the israeli army has warned what it comes to summary executions, they executed their hostages as they were walking toward them bare chested, waving white flags . i am fearful for everyone i know that is in gaza from either meeting and explosive there or death by trigger-happy genocidal soldiers who are like drunk on the power they are wielding. amy: i wanted to get your

response to israel's ambassador to the united kingdom, where you have dual citizenship, who has openly embraced destroying the whole of gaza. she made the comment on a linden radio station lbc. >> one of the things we realized, every school, every mosque, every second house has an access to tunnels. so this is munition -- >> for destroying the whole of gaza? every single building? >> you have another solution how to destroy the underground tunnels? this is where the place the terrorists are tied. amy: that is the israeli ambassador to the u.k.. can you respond? >> of course. she needs to be expelled from the united kingdom. she is a purveyor of fake news that is a way of manufacturing

consent for israel's genocidal actions. the u.k. government needs to expel her. she is a propagandist, not a diplomat. she is someone that is, you know, making the case for israel to continue with this impunity in its war crimes. it is all fake news with no proof. in the end, if you have a position of power, access to the media, then you are often not question. not all media -- i am glad the presenter challenged her, but i don't know how far they went in that piece. ultimately, there is a lot of bad or knows him -- bad

journalism. i guess this is why the so important have independent media like democracy now! and also independent voices on social media making sure that the checks and balances when it comes to political statements and propaganda are in place. amy: i want to ask you a last question. if you could talk about your decision when you left gaza, stayed in cairo to try to readjust, almost afraid to come home to manchester. can you talk about that transition, what you face now, what you are calling for? >> my heart is still in gaza. i did not want to leave gaza because i knew when i was in gaza, i knew i could -- i was there, i was present in the moment and the only struggle

that i was facing was that of surviving and telling our story. now i guess outside gaza, it is a much -- in some ways, -- obviously, i'm glad to be safe but at the same time, i have a very, very heavy weight of responsibility to keep honoring and amplifying the voices of my country people in gaza and making sure we keep up the political pressure to make sure that first of all, there is a cease-fire and israel and its allies are held accountable. i am so glad south africa has brought this case to traditional court for justice -- international court for justice. this would not have been possible without the voices of millions of supporters of palestine protesting and

protesting very difficult conditions -- in very difficult conditions. it is a political climate that is so hostile, accusing you of anti-semitism even though it is the last thing people are doing. i think it is so important to keep up that pressure. i am adding my voice to that. if i may, maybe for a moment, speak to amplify gaza stories, and initiative i set up with friends and campaigners and manchester. we ultimately -- obviously, you know there is a narrative that is predominant in terms of putting the israeli narrative -- there was always space for getting more posting invoices out there and so we did this -- i took testimony and interviewed people in gaza.

we got it published on social media for pushed it to other platforms. it is something we are continuing along with a network of contacts in gaza to make sure the palestinian voices are heard. we are also working on solidarity. for example, we have -- at the moment we are raising money to support families cooking hot meals for their immediate communities. it is about ensuring they have the means for resilience. right now one part of israel's strategy is battering down the resilience of palestinians so that people are so battered and broken that they can't resist. and that is what we're trying to do to help them. amy: there so much more to talk about that we have to end here. mohammed ghalayini is a british

air quality scientist, spent nearly three months in gaza. has just recently returned to manchester, england, on wednesday. cofounder of amplify gaza's stories. coming up, hundreds of jewish activists and allies shut down the capital state -- california state capital. we will speak with a former idf soldier. back in 20 seconds. ♪ [music break]

amy: "raijeen" by 25 artists from the middle east and north africa. the proceeds from the song will be donated to the palestine children's relief fund. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we continue our coverage of gaza as we turn now to the california, where hundreds of jewish activists and their allies shut down the california state capitol in sacramento wednesday during its first floor session of the new year to demand a ceasefire in gaza. >> we shut down the first session of the california state legislature today. [applause] amy: as chants rang out, the activists dropped banners that read "no u.s. funding for

israel's genocide in palestine." another banner noted california taxpayers contribute some $600 million to u.s. military aid to israel each year. the direct action was organized by jewish voices for peace, if not now, and the international jewish anti-zionist network, among others. one of the protesters was a former israeli idf soldier israeli defense force soldier , who will join us in a minute from san francisco. this is meital yaniv addressing their fellow demonstrators. >> my elders say family has taught me how to recognize genocide. how naked bodies are rounded up for torture and execution. how mass grave smells. [indiscernible] they black and white images are

now in color. in this cycle, we don't need gas chambers because we have u.s.-made bombs. amy: that was meital yaniv addressing wednesday's protest that shut down the california state assembly. in organizer organizer with -- an shoresh, a new israeli anti-zionist group based in the u.s. they were born in tel aviv and they are a former idf soldier, which they write about in their new book "bloodlines." welcome to democracy now! can you talk about why you decided to take a stand? and talk about what you did as an israeli soldier and your change of heart. >> thank you for having me and thank you for the work you do. i was raised in a very i would say extremely zionist family but also a very common waving raised in israel. i have a lot of war heroes and

my family, fallen soldiers, air force commanders, and the like, mossad agents. as the child of my father, i was recruited into the air force. after six months of serving my base was moved from tel aviv to the south. it was 2002. i was asked to send planes, fuel planes going into gaza, to bomb gaza. at that time, i did not have the language to understand exactly what was happening. as we return to the base, i had my first panic attack and could not enter the base. the next day, had to come and stand trial and i was grounded to the base for three weeks. in those three weeks, i understand i have to leave the army. knowing in that moment made me what to take my life because it was so against everything i was

taught. that started the process that i would be in for the rest of my life, which is the undoing of that indoctrination and brainwashing and the way the israeli identity has been merged with the zionist identity. what i'm doing with "bloodlines" is to really bring the israeli identity and state to the liberation of the land of palestine. amy: what year was that? what year did you bomb gaza? >> 2002. amy: so we're talking about 20 years. you are in a very elite group, the israeli air force. there are a number of dissenters within that, for example, the one on resistor and others. what it means now for you to speak out and how much support

you have publicly in israel and navy privately people who are afraid to speak out. >> my need to leave the army at the time really came from -- my body said no. we all want to be in the air force for different reasons. we are also 18-year-olds that at the time, you know, we felt the air force has better conditions. it is considered a perk. leaving the army at that time felt in a possible decision and also there was no other decision in my body, so i had to follow that. in terms of being heard, i am trying to be heard as loudly as i can because i do think the only thing that is really unique about my experience is always

raised extremely zionistic and have walked here to the very other shore. i remember each step. from that place i can compassionately relate to where everyone is at. but to reach voices inside israel is extremely hard. i am grateful to be a member of shoresh and that is the work we're trying to do here, find ways to be heard here and there. amy: i should be more specific. as a former idf soldier, you are responsible for assigning planes that the israel -- four sent to refuel planes that were bombing gaza? >> yes. my job was to send, basically, fuel planes. amy: but you did not actually fly planes. >> know, i was on the ground.

amy: if you can talk about the equation as some critics, pro-israel advocates make, of being anti-zionist with being anti-semitic? >> yeah, i think the issue here, i was raised extremely israeli, which also meant i was not raised very jewish -- which is also very common thing. the way the assimilation into israeli identity happened within my lineage was to really remove the jewishness and become this heroic idf soldier identity. from that place, it -- it is almost impossible from that place -- sorry, can you repeat your question? amy: i was just saying if you can comment on those who say to be anti-zionist is to be anti-semitic. >> yes, yes, yes. thank you.

from that merging, the zionist identity, part of that propaganda is to really hold it within the cage of anti-semitism. every time we criticize israel, someone can say you're anti-semitic. in reality, there is nothing anti-semitic about criticizing israel. merging israel judaism is something israel would like us to hold as a way to protect itself. in reality, antisemitism is a very specific thing that we are not causing it and we will not undo it. the only thing we can do is continue to resist it. at the same time, what israel is doing has nothing to do with anti-semitism. it is a genocide. what israel has been doing for the past 75 years as apartheid, occupation. things being used in the west bank are clearly apartheid techniques that have nothing to

do with anti-semitism. criticizing that, walking in streets that are only four israelis that palestinians are not able to walk on, -- there's nothing somatic about criticizing that. that is something we are doing as israeli's. amy: could you talk about how you were informed by the fact you are a descendant of holocaust survivors? >> that is really something i think has formed my identity. that is something also that i think really helps with the undoing of it all. i feel that trauma seed started there. that is something i'm trying to do in "bloodlines" right talk about destroying my great grandmother. in that story of survival, there's also the need to escape and in that need, the need to assimilate into a new identity i

-- other settler colony. in doing that, there wasn't a moment of care to take care of what just happened in their bodies. and that became a need to arm ourselves. i see it as a fear of alienation, also an extreme form of victimhood that is in our bodies. from that place, it always has been very hard when i see my elders to release the arms and tend to that original trauma and seed of the holocaust. amy: i want to ask you what message you have for young people, like the young man who has refused to be an israeli soldier, to these young people and here you are in the united states shutting down the california legislature. your message? >> my message is, first of all,

for everyone who can to find their heart and liberate themselves from this identity we call an israeli identity. there is no need for anyone to serve in the idf. the idf should not exist. the state of israel should not exist. we could have a true connection with our heart. to the u.s. legislators in california, the fact we were even able to take a break while there is a genocide happening is an impossible idea to hold. in this moment when you are back from the break, we shut it down in one day but now you really need to make a decision. in the federal level, we are not being heard. i beg of you, make this stop in whatever way you can. amy: meital yaniv is an organizer with shoresh, a new israeli anti-zionist group based in the u.s.

born in tel aviv and a former idf soldier. their new book is titled "bloodlines." next up, ralph nader on gaza, on what is happening today in the world, and his new book "the rebellious ceo." stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: we end today's show with ralph nader, longtime consumer advocate, corporate critic, and four-time former presidential candidate. we'll talk to him about several

topics, including his about new book "the rebellious ceo: 12 leaders who did it right." he is also the founder of the capitol hill citizen newspaper and has been named by "time" and "life" magazines as one of the 100 most influential americans of the 20th century. ralph, let's begin with u.s. policy on gaza. amid protests nationwide calling for a ceasefire, senior biden education official tariq habash resigned this week, the first biden appointee, over what he called biden's "complete unwillingness to demand an immediate and permanent cease-fire" in gaza. biden is facing reelection amid a broader middle east conflict. ralph, you said, "biden and congress are vigorously enabling the annihilations" in gaza. what do you think needs to happen? >> an important thing in the u.s. is to focus on congress and the white house because they are

waist deep into this genocidal war in gaza. congress is basically a rubberstamp and does not even have public hearings as it shovels billions of dollars to israel. it is about to pass, unless bernie sanders and others who are opposed, $14.3 billion appropriation for israel, military arms, and other aspects of the israeli right ring -- right-wing regime's parties. that is larger than the budget of the environmental protection agency. it is 20 times the budget of the occupational safety and health agency, four times the budget of the national park service, which has 300 million visitors. there is rising opposition to it in the congress, mostly among democrats.

but not enough. i think the jewish voice for peace and other people who are resisting should focus more on the congress. as far as biden is concerned, it gives a new meaning to democracy. he keeps saying publicly israel should reduce its impact on civilian casualties and that committed terry and trucks in. -- humanitarian trucks in. he is sending ships and cargo planes full of munitions to netanyahu. you cannot have humanitarian trucks coming in -- and there needs to be about 700 today -- if you don't have a cease-fire. who is going to go in? they can't get to the destination. the hospitals and clinics have been destroyed or disabled. there are no markets. there is no ability to receive these materials and the israelis

are letting in 10, 20 trucks a day but they are delaying hundreds and hundreds of trucks ready to come in which biden has already paid for. biden is playing netanyahu's game but he is trying to get away with high fluting adherence to international law. we don't hear enough about u.s. treaties, geneva conventions. it is as if the u.s. can do anything it wants in syria and iraq and israel can continue to bomb repeatedly in syria and two other violent acts and the press never raises the issue of law. without law, you have anarchy. you have what you are seeing now. the u.s. is very much involved. people are very concerned about a wider conflict here. the israelis already struck in beirut. you have the red sea situation with the houthi boats.

the u.s. is all over the place. they have aircraft carriers, 24/7 drones over gaza. amy: you are lebanese,-american? >> yes. amy: i what to ask you a question that relates to this. the protests around gaza on college campuses, around the country, ultimately have led to the ouster of two college presidents, les mcgill and claudine gay. i want to ask you about the protest yesterday led by al sharpton outside the new york office of the billionaire investor bill ackman who helped lead a campaign that led to this week's ouster of the harvard university president, the first black president of harvard claudine gay.

ackman, an alum. al sharpton vowed to keep protesting outside his office. >> we have started these weekly one-hour protests in front of mr. ackman's office. he has said the resignation of dr. gay at harvard is not the end, they're going to keep until they end dei. that is declaring a war on all of us ash blacks, women, gays. dei was designed to bring fairness and equality to people that have been historically marginalized and eliminated. amy: that is al sharpton as part of his campaign to oust day, i can help amplify allegations of plagiarism and now his wife is facing her own.

she plagiarized parts of her doctoral dissertation in m.i.t.. thursday she apologized and admitted making mistakes. there was no plagiarism panel set up that would evaluate president gay before she was alternately, i guess you could say, pushed out with a lot of pressure from these major donors like bill ackman. your response before we move into your book on corporate executives who did it right? >> what has been revealed is the big donor to these universities, especially private universities like harvard, yale, princeton, heaven exercising their influence for many years over the curriculum -- it is not surprising harvard law school for decades, never had a course on corporate law -- corporate crime, rather. these large donors have been revealed to have enormous power over the board of overseers over harvard university.

that is the next investigation for a new student newspapers like the harvard crimson. the stuff of plagiarism, it can be serious but not in this case given the review of the president's past writings. the big issue, the slaughter, the suppression of speech on college campuses, dealing with the slaughter in gaza and the fatality count is grossly undercounted. i know you referred to the official hamas health cap where they only count those with names so over 22,000. this is a massive undercount. as the head of the global health department, university in edinburgh said in the guardian the other day, there is going to be half a million gazans who are going to die before the end of this year.

not only from the bombing, but from the bombing in terms of the destruction of the health care system, infectious diseases, polluted water, diarrhea -- which little children, which often a high rate of fatality -- lack of food, no shelter. 85% of the 2.3 million people are homeless. they have no connection to sanitation, food, protection, the winter elements. my estimate now is at least 100,000 have died. more will die every day because of the effects i have just described. the world health organization said they have never seen a situation like this in decades. the amount -- the number of children being killed -- in november it was 150 a day from the israeli bombing compared to two a day in afghanistan and less than one a day in ukraine.

that is the main issue. the campus controversy talking about slurs and ethnic slurs and so forth. what is behind it all is to repress the academic world from speaking out and acting on what our government is doing to make all this possible. and then we also have focus on these corporations. for a lot of this aid to israel, unsuspected contracts for missiles, raytheon, boeing, lockheed martin who are raking it in. people talk about the lobby in this country supporting any israeli government can do no wrong no matter how extreme, we have to talk about the military-industrial complex year on capitol hill pushing for more and more of these immense sales and profits. amy: you just wrote a book. you're deeply critical right now

of the corporations you just mentioned. your book is "the rebellious ceo: 12 leaders who did it right." some may be surprised to see you, this corporate critic, writing this book. in this last minute, and then we will do a post show interview, talk about why you wrote it. >> because there is not enough good yardsticks to evaluate the misbehavior of giant ceos of these multinational corporations who distort markets, control markets, but tell you when you take -- when you criticize them for their munitions production, opiates, for fossil fuels, for high drug prices, or just meeting market demand, these 12 ceos may profit that they reversed the business model, focusing on workers rights, consumer rights and environment. they spoke out against war,

spoke out against -- anita roddick of the body shop spoke out against the cosmetic industries harm on young customers. amy: we have to leave it there but we will do part two and posted at democracynow.org. ralph nader, author