05/23/17 05/23/17 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> we're here to protest against donald trump. we don't want him here. we think he is a danger to israel, u.s., to the world. we want social justice. we want peace. trumphing that donald stands for, we stand against. we're sending a message that he is not wanted. amy: palestinians across the west bank and gaza launched a general strike to protest president trump's visit to israel and palestine. meanwhile, trump vowed to do whatever necessary to broker peace between israel and the palestinians, but offered few specifics.

we'll go jerusalem to speak with nathan thrall, author of the book "the only language they understand: forcing compromise in israel and palestine." then to new orleans where the city removes the last of four confederate statues in recent weeks. >> to literally put the infederacy on a pedestal honor is an inaccurate recitation of our past come is an affront to our present, and abet prescription for our future. amy: white nationalists have staged protests. we will speak with malcolm suber , cofounder of take 'em down nola. in a partial victory for the haitian-american community, the department of homeland security extends temporary protected status for tens of thousands of haitians who fled their country after the devastating 2010 earthquake. >> over 50,000 haitians, some

who have been living in the u.s. for average of seven and a half builtyears, who have their families and homes and businesses here, are facing deportation to haiti. is notas we know, equipped and ready to absorb all of these refugees. amy: as haitians a bit extension should be longer, we will speak with new york city councilmember jumaane williams, who represents one of the largest populations of haitians in the united states. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in manchester, england, at least 22 people were killed in a bombing at a concert arena at the end of a performance by american pop star ariana grande. dozens more were wounded in the explosion, which appears to be a suicide attack. this is 19-year-old sebastian

diaz, who survived the blast. >> we heard the explosion. we just looked behind us and there was chaos. in front of us, people were screaming. towere determining whether stay and seek shelter or on and try to get out. people were running and screaming around us and pushing down the stairs to go outside. people were falling down. girls were crying. we fill these women being treated by paramedics with wounds on the legs. no shoes. it was just chaos. amy: police say they are investigating the explosion as a terrorist incident, and that the alleged attacker died in the explosion. this morning on twitter, isis claimed responsibility for the attack. british prime minister theresa may says the police know the identity of the alleged attacker, but he or she has not been named. a second person, who has also not been named, has been

arrested in connection to the bombing. authorities have named the first of the 22 victims, 18-year-old georgina bethany callander from lancashire. while speaking in the town of bethlehem in the israeli-occupied west bank today, president trump condemned the manchester bombing. pres. trump: i extend my deepest condolences to those so terribly injured in this terrorist attack, and to the many killed and the families -- so many families -- of the victims. we stand an absolute solidarity with the people of the united kingdom. so many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives murdered by evil losers in life. amy: that is president trump speaking after he met with palestinian leader mahmoud abbas

in the west bank today, as part of his two-day trip to israel and palestine. palestinians across the west bank and gaza launched a general strike monday to protest president trump's visit and to show solidarity with palestinian prisoners currently on hunger strike in israeli jails. this is rifa abu jazar in gaza. >> this protest comes as a response to the head of terrorism -- trump stopped and the response to whoever protects the head of terrorism, who describes the resistance of our people to defend their land and resist against the martyrs of their children -- murderers of their children as terrorism. amy: on monday, president trump sat down with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. while speaking to reporters alongside netanyahu, trump denied naming israel as the source of the highly classified intelligence that he gave to russian foreign minister sergei lavrov and russian ambassador sergey kislyak earlier this month, even though no one had ever accused him of naming israel directly as the source.

pres. trump: just so you understand, i never mentioned the word or the name "israel." never mentioned it. so you had another story wrong. never mentioned the word "israel." imply thatalso israel was not located in the middle east. rex, trump: as you know, secretary of state, has done in incredible job. we just got back from the middle east. we just got back from saudi arabia. we were treated incredibly well. amy: as trump made the comment, the israeli ambassador can be seen bearing his head in his hand. trump became the first sitting u.s. president to visit the western wall in the old city of jerusalem, land that was seized from the palestinians by the israeli military during the six-day war in 1967. tonight, trump is flying to the vatican, where he's slated to meet with pope francis on wednesday.

we'll have more on trump's visit to israel and palestine after headlines. cnn is reporting president trump as the director of national intelligence dan coats, national security agency michael rodgers, to publicly state president trump's campaign did not collude with russia to allegedly influence the 2016 election. according to cnn the request , came after former fbi director james comey publicly confirmed in march the fbi was investigating possible collusion between the trump campaign and russian officials. both dan coats and michael rodgers refused to comply with trump's demand, which they reportedly found inappropriate. meanwhile, former national security advisor michael flynn says he'll invoke his fifth amendment rights rather than comply with a subpoena compelling him to testify to the senate intelligence committee as part of an investigation into whether trump campaign officials colluded with russia to allegedly influence the 2016

election. top committee lawmakers say they may hold flynn in contempt of congress if he pleads the fifth, which protects citizens from being forced to incriminate themselves. during the campaign trail, donald trump blasted people who plead the fifth. mr. trump: if you're innocent, what are you taking the fifth amendment? amy: meanwhile, top democrats on the house oversight committee have accused flynn of lying to pentagon investigators last year when he applied for a renewal of his security clearances. in a letter released monday, the lawmakers say flynn told the pentagon he had not received any money from foreign companies, only two months earlier he had received more , than $45,000 in speaking fees from the russian television network rt. it's a felony to lie to federal investigators. flynn's also been accused of not properly registering as a lobbyist for the turkish government last year which is , another felony. president trump is unveiling a $4.1 trillion budget today.

the plan includes massive cuts to social programs will calling for historic increases in military spending. the budget proposes to slash $800 billion from medicaid, nearly $200 billion from nutritional assistance programs such as food stamps and meals on wheels, and more than $72 billion from disability benefits. the plan would also completely eliminate some student loan programs. it would ban undocumented immigrants from receiving support through programs for families with children, including the child care tax credit. in a rare proposed benefit for families, the budget allocates $19 billion for six weeks of paid parental leave for new families, a project that has been spearheaded by his daughter and senior white house adviser, ivanka trump. the budget also calls for a historic 10% increase in military spending and another $2.6 billion to further militarize the u.s.-mexico border, including $1.6 billion to build trump's border wall. the budget projects 3% economic growth, which economists say is

widely unrealistic. unlike previous presidents, trump is unveiling his proposed budget while he is abroad, currently spending the day in israel and palestine before he heads to the vatican tonight. david stockman, former budget director for president ronald reagan, said -- "this budget is dead before arrival, so he might as well be out of town." in a partial victory for the haitian-american community, the department of homeland security announced monday it has extended haitians' temporary protected status, or tps. tens of thousands of haitians were given tps after an earthquake devastated their country in 2010. the new extension will allow them to continue to legally reside and work in the u.s. for the time being. immigrant rights advocates cautiously welcomed the decision, but voiced concern the dhs failed to extend tps for the usual 18-month increment, leading some to wonder if this is a precursor to mass deportations. we'll have more on haitians' temporary protected status later

in the broadcast. in kashmir, protests erupted today amid news that an indian military officer has received an award from the indian army, after the officer reportedly ordered his soldiers to tie a kashmiri civilian to an indian army jeep and parade his body through the streets the last month. viral video of the incident shows farooq ahmad dar strapped to the front of the moving jeep. army officials says the military officer decided to use the civilian's body as a human shield against kashmiris who were throwing stones. the video has sparked widespread protests against the indian military and demands for independence. in colombia, major protests and strikes continue for a seventh-straight day in the port city of buenaventura as residents demonstrate against widespread violence in the region and a lack of basic services. the government has launched an increasingly violent crackdown against protesters, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more, including children.

despite the crackdown, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of buenaventura over the weekend. the national afrocolombian peace council says residents of the region are living through a humanitarian crisis with assassinations, kidnappings, threats, torture, the targeted killing of community leaders, and mass displacement by extraction projects in the territory. in mexico, journalists protested monday in the state of michoacan to demand authorities do more to investigate the disappearance of one of their colleagues salvador , adame pardo, who was kidnapped by gunmen five days ago. he's been a journalist for more than two decades and is currently the director of the television station 6tv. his kidnapping comes amid a wave of murders of mexican journalists. back in the united states, the supreme court has ruled north carolina lawmakers unconstitutionally gerrymandered two congressional districts in order to strip voting power from the african american community. it's the latest ruling by the

supreme court finding that southern states, including alabama and virginia, have engaged in racial gerrymandering in order to concentrate black voters into fewer districts in cash districts to weaken their voting power. and in denver, colorado, 33-year-old ingrid encalada latorre has won a temporary stay of deportation after she sought refuge in a quaker meeting house to avoid being deported to peru. she is a mother of two u.s.-born children. she has been living in the quaker meeting house since last december. this is ingrid encalada speaking after leaving the church saturday. >> i think we need to continue to fight for immigration reform. president trump has said he would work for us. it is time for the rubber the president to work for immigration reform. we need to work locally to ask our governor and mayor hancock to make denver a sanctuary city will stop amy: among the suit came out to support ingrid on

were jeanette vizguerra and saturday arturo hernandez-garcia, two other undocumented denver residents who both sought refugee in churches in recent years. they both won stays of deportation earlier this month. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. juan: and i'm juan gonzalez. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. we begin today's show in new orleans where on friday, the city removed the last of four confederate statues in recent weeks. hundreds of people gathered to celebrate as the massive bronze statue of confederate general robert e. lee came down. it was the first of the series of monuments to be removed during daylight. workers wore bulletproof vests and face coverings to conceal their identities as they used a crane to remove the statue from a 60-foot-high pedestal.

new orleans mayor mitch landrieu said threats and intimidation necessitated the overnight work and extra safety precautions. afterward, landrieu delivered an address about the city's efforts to remove the monuments that he says celebrate the "lost cause of the confederacy." >> the historic record is clear. robert e lee, geoff davis, the statues were not directed to just honor these men. but as part of a movement which became known as the cold of the lost cause, this colts had one goal and one goal only, through monuments another means, to rewrite history, to hide the truth, which is that the confederacy was on the wrong side of humanity. aftererected 166 years the founding of our cities, 19 , thesefter the civil war monuments that we took down were meant to rebrand the history of our city and the ideals of the

confederacy. these statues are not just on an metal, not just innocent remembrances of a benign history. these monuments celebrate a fictional senate has confederacy, ignoring the death and enslavement and terror that it actually stood for. and after the civil war, these monuments were part of that terrorism, as much as burning a cross on him once on. they work erected us and a strong message to all who walked in the shadows of about who was still in charge in this city. amy: white nationalists have staged a series of protests and issued threats in the lead-up to the memorials' removals. a car belonging to one of the workers had also been set on fire. though the four most prominent confederate monuments have been removed, activists are calling for new orleans officials to remove all monuments, school names, and street signs in new orleans dedicated to white supremacists. 're joined by malcolm suber, cofounder and coordinator with take 'em down nola.

welcome to democracy now! can you talk about the history of the take 'em down nola movement and her reaction to these four statues being taken down? >> yes. first of all, take 'em down nola is a continuation of the decades long struggle of black people in the city to rid ourselves of the presence of these white supremacy monuments. take 'em down nola was founded 2.5 years ago. of the brain wake is some taking down the confederate flag and south carolina and the shooting central stem. we thought it was necessary for us to come together and really press the city to step up its efforts were renew our efforts to get rid of these white supremacy monuments. so just coincidentally, the

mayor announced he wanted to get rid of four statues around the same time. from the very beginning, our position was, we are not satisfied with you just saying -- the mayor saying there would only be four statues removed when we knew that, due to our historical research, there were more than 20 confederate statues , hundreds of street names, and 30 school names. in all, there were 130 140 confederate memorials in the city that needed to be removed. so our position with the mayor has been, if you truly believe that these confederate memorials are here to terrorize and to remind black people about who is in charge in the city, then you should expand your reach. as far as we're concerned, we welcome these four being down,

but we have plenty of work to do and we are asking the mayor to join us in this effort, rather than ask as to be satisfied with these four. juan: malcolm suber, your reaction to -- of the louisiana house just passed a bill that would make it more difficult remove any monument honoring war heroes, including confederate monuments? actionsction to those and the threat that of come against the city just for those few monuments that have been removed? course, thenk, of whole history of what supremacy organizations in the south has been one of terrorism. so even though they don't march in the streets with sheets any longer, they have organized issuinges and are still all kinds of threats against myself, against the city officials and everybody else who they can think of.

but again, history proceeds and we are not afraid to challenge these white supremacy institutions. of course, it a real reflection of how bad race relations are in the state of louisiana and in new orleans is that every white legislator in the louisiana house representatives voted last monday to require a popular vote to have any of these confederate oftues removed, especially any soldier, including those who were traders who fought in the confederate army. -- traitors who fought in the confederate army. that revealed their true position was to support white supremacy. as a result of that, all of the -- all 23 of the black representatives walked out after the vote. and rightly and justifiably

called it another white supremacist assaults against black people in this staples of amy: i went to turn back to new orleans mayor mitch landrieu speaking last week about the efforts to remove the four monuments to the confederacy. >> we forget, we deny how much we depend on each other, how much we really need each other. we justify our silence and inaction by manufacturing noble causes that marinate in the store denial. -- his store denial. we still find a way to say wait, wait, wait, not so fast. dr. martin luther king jr. said, wait is almost always meant never. we cannot wait any longer. we need to change and we need to change now. no more waiting. this is not just about statues. this is about attitudes. it is about behaviors as well. if we don't change to become

more open and inclusive society, then all of this would have been in pain. amy: malcolm suber, if you could respond to the mayor of new orleans? >> of course, they say if you really do believe mayor landrieu, if you really do believe that we can't wait and we should get rid of all of these statues, then you have got to extend that reached to get rid of all of them. let's go for it with a desk afford with a clean slate. let's get rid of all of the confederate street names and confederate names on our schools , and the rest of the confederate statues. we just believe there is some inconsistency in the mayor's position. if you really believes what he says and is that just putting words out for public consumption, then he should join take 'em down nola and put a timetable as to when we would get these things done. then we can celebrate and go forward and talk about beginning to really address the many

problems of the black community, including 50% male unemployment, including 50% of our children living in poverty, and of course, new orleans is the most incarcerated place in the entire world. juan: i want to ask about the who hasnt governor asked mitch landrieu to turn over the confederate monuments to his office. he met with landrieu, but city officials said the state would have to submit their proposals for acquiring the monuments along with any other interested groups. this is the lieutenant governor speaking on monday. >> i just want to do the right thing with them. i think driving this thing out is that helping tourism. it is not helping the city. it is truly not helping the state. i think the people are passionate about preserving wantry, are those people to feel comfortable they're

going to not sit in a yard somewhere or not be put back up where visitors from all over the world can come see the history of louisiana. and that is what we are for. juan: your response? >> well, billy none gets her is a white supremacists, believes in white supremacy. we don't take seriously his argument that tourists come to new orleans to brave themselves -- bathe themselves in white supremacy. they come to enjoy the food, coulter, and very few people come here out of any love or desire to learn about the history of the enslavement of african people and the oppression of african people in the jim crow era. we think these are thinly veiled arguments to support white supremacy. and our position in take 'em down nola about not only should

these things be removed, but they should be destroyed. we don't believe they should be on display in any context. as the mayor said, these things were put a purpose fully to celebrate white supremacy and the oppression of another people, and we don't think the city should be going forward getting ready to celebrate its 300th birthday, that it should be going forward with a clean slate and getting rid of all confederate monuments. to bryannt to turn stevenson speaking about the findings of their 2015 report lynching in america confronting the legacy of racial terror. he called the displacement historical markers at sites where lynchings occurred. the racial difference can make you a target of violence and terrorism. it is something we have been dealing with for a long time.

we haven't talked about it. one thing we want to do by correcting these markers and monuments is to get communities to begin to reflect or soberly on what this history represents. you go to germany and you're forced to deal the legacy of the holocaust because there are markers and monuments everywhere. this the opposite in country. we celebrated things, in my judgment, we probably should not be celebrating. you find confederate memorials and monuments of your dedicated to the people who were defending slavery, trying to reserve slavery, yet nothing about the pain and anguish and suffering and injustice that those institutions creative. amy: that was bryan stevenson of equal justice initiative, speaking to us from montgomery, alabama, on democracy now! malcolm suber, your response to what he is saying? >> we agree completely with what he is saying. these memorials all across the south in every courthouse in every county throughout the south, they have a confederate soldier's monument. they don't teach our kids in

school that these people were indeed traitors. the united states made some fundamental errors after reconstruction. . all -- first of all, the battle flags and these traitors should not have been allowed to participate in the politics of this country. because of that legacy, instead of doing as they have done in germany and outlawing all of these things that are reminders of enslavement of african people, they celebrate it. as long as they celebrate it, they won't ever understand that these things are daily insults to african people and to our allies, and they must be gotten rid of if we are going to move forward on the basis of freedom and equality. amy: malcolm suber, thank you for being with us cofounder and , coordinator with take 'em down nola. when we come back, we go to jerusalem. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: "ultraviolet" fka twigs. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. juan: isis has claimed responsibility for an attack on a concert arena in manchester, england, monday night that killed 22 people. meanwhile, president trump has arrived in bethlehem as he continues his two-day visit to israel as part of his first trip abroad as president. on monday, trump placed a note in the ancient stones of jerusalem's western wall and met israeli leaders. he vowed to do whatever is necessary to broker peace between israel and the palestinians, and called a peace accord the ultimate deal, but offered few specifics. pres. trump: i believe that a new level of partnership is possible and will happen. one that will bring greater

safety to this region, greater security to the united states, and greater austerity to the world. this includes a renewed effort at peace between the israelis and the palestinians, and i think the prime minister -- i think the pro-minister for his commitment to pursuing the peace process. it is not easy. i have heard it is one of the toughest deals of all. but i have a feeling that we are going to get there eventually. i hope. juan: during a meeting with israeli leaders, trump appeared to generate discomfort when he mentioned his stop in saudi arabia and implied israel is not located in the middle east. rex, trump: as you know, secretary state, has done an incredible job. we just got back from the middle east. we just got back from saudi arabia. we were treated incredibly well. pres. trump: as trump made the

comment, israeli ambassador to the united states ron dermer can be seen burying his face in his hand. during his remarks, trump said he also saw the possibility of a new alignment of muslim nations and israel against iran. pres. trump: these leaders voice concerns we all share about isis , aboutiran's rising ambitions, and rolling back its gains, and about the menace of extremism that has spread through too many parts of the muslim world. i am inc. urged that they pledged cooperation to confront terrorism and evil ideology that drives it so hard. amy: during his appearance alongside israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu on monday, trump also pushed back against reports that he had disclosed highly classified information to the russians during his oval office meeting with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and russian ambassador sergey kislyak.

pres. trump: just say you understand, i never mentioned the word or the name "israel." never mentioned it in the conversation. so you had in other story wrong. never mentioned the word "israel." amy: "the new york times" reported the information that trump had passed along had come to the united states from israel, but it did not allege that he mentioned the word "israel" in meeting. -- during the meeting. all of this comes as palestinians across the west bank and gaza launched a general strike monday to protest trump's visit to israel and palestine, and to show solidarity with palestinian prisoners currently on hunger strike in israeli jails. this is rifa abu jazar in gaza. >> this protest comes as response to the head of terrorism -- trump -- and the response to have her projects we of terrorism, who describes the resistance of our people to defend your land in resisting against the murderers of their children. amy: for more, we go now to jerusalem where we are joined by nathan thrall, a senior analyst at the international crisis

group covering gaza, the west bank and israel. , his new book is titled, "the only language they understand: forcing compromise in israel and palestine." nathan thrall, welcome back to democracy now! can you talk about the significance of president trump's trip both to israel and the occupied territories and talk about what he is said so far and the response? >> well, the trip so far, and it has just ended, is not all that significant. the real significance is anticipating whether he is going to attempt to start a peace process, whether he's going to attempt to start a peace process with the regional state, with the sunni-arab states he just visited. and it appears he does intend to do so. it appears the parties, both the israelis and the palestinians,k willn not to upset him and probably go along with at least

starting a process. that has not been trivial for previous a ministrations to do. of course, if you start the process, that is by no means a guarantee he is going to conclude one successfully. i think both sides are counting on the notion that he is easily distracted. and when you faces obstacles, as he inevitably will, he will just move on to the next thing. so i think what we're facing right now is great uncertainty on both sides with respect to trump -- which both sides both regard as a threat and an opportunity. there is a sense that their israel ignorance, both on the part of the president and the team around him, and so much so that each side could potentially take advantage of the ignorance and change or shift u.s. policy in their direction. so everybody is walking on and shells right now. they're trying very much not to upset trump. very uncertain whether he is capable of retaliating against

one site if he feels they are an obstacle to his achieving what appears to be a real priority for him, and the real priority for both sides is to try and stay on trump's good site for now without doing anything that is to domestically difficult for each one. juan: nathan thrall, clearly, trump is not a conventional american leader as far as foreign-policy establishment is concerned. it uses adjusted that he is treating the israeli-palestinian question as basically a real estate deal, a real estate transaction. could you talk about that? >> sure. i mean, there is a sense that trump is not at all the holding to the views of the u.s. foreign-policy establishment really on anything, but especially on this conflict.

sense that he does look at this as a real estate transaction. he has a bold subheading inside his book "the art of the deal" called "use your leverage." that is the locust of the fear on the israeli side with respect to trump. it is the notion that he could really try and exert rascher on israel -- assert pressure on israel if israel were in not to of anto the outlines american proposal for settlement of the conflict or the outlines of an american proposal on which the two sides would negotiate. and work out the details. and trump -- during his campaign, he said some things that were frightening to supporters of israel. he refused to blame one side for the impasse. he even refused to back down when he was criticized for refusing to do so.

and he does appear to really prioritize this conflict and see it as something that could create a legacy for him. the question is, does he intend to use as leverage? is he capable of using his leverage? if he is, we're looking at a totally different iseli-palestinian peace process than we have seen in the pa. am naan thrall, n yotalk is and ronald lauder what his relationship with donald trump is around israel and palestine? there has been a lot of lauder's about ronald influence on trump. they have known each other for a long time. he is a very wealthy american businessman. he had, in the past, been close to netanyahu.

they are estranged now. he had been an envoy for netanyahu in the 1990's and negotiating when he was prime minister then in negotiating with syria. i mean it counts, he was not a very good one. at this point, he is said to be very influential over trump on the israeli-palestinian conflict for a couple of years now. he has been one run the region try to promote his own peacemaking initiative. the people who have looked at this plan have ridiculed it as being ignorant of kind of the basics of the conflict, but that is the administration that we are dealing with. trump is a personal relationship with this man -- has a personal relationship with this man. he has a plan and a team and appears to be telling, if the reporting is correct, appears to be telling trump the palestinians are ready and willing to make a deal and that netanyahu is probably the

obstacle. again, if the reporting is .orrect if so, i think that is very troubling to the israelis. at the same time, there are real limits on how much of her role netanyahu play if refuses to deal with them. juan: in a recent article you wrote for the guardian, you said "the real explanation for the past decades of failed peace to negotiation's is not mistaken tactics or imperfect circumstances, but that no strategy can succeed if it is premised on israel behaving irrationally." what did you mean by that? what i meant by that is that in the past, u.s. administrations have had a notion that both sides really want an agreement. and it just takes a bit of

american the solicitation to bring them together and to convince, in particular, to convince israel in its own self-interest to reach peace because if they don't, then they're going to become a pariah state and be forced by the entire world to give citizenship to all palestinians. that is this very stark choice that israel is imminently going to face. clearly, it is in its rational interest to avoid doing that. the whole purpose of zionism is to have a state for the jewish people. they will lose that if they give palestinians -- citizenship to all palestinians. this is the conventional wisdom among american commentators and inside the u.s. government. of the fact is, it is not a matter of just convincing israel of its rational self interests, because it is not actually in israel's self interest to make an agreement and give palestinians a state today. it may be in the future when circumstances change, but today, any prime minister would be

crazy to make peace with the palestinians now without being forced to. even if they knew for a fact that in the future they were going to be forced to make a deal, they've ever interest in waiting until that day comes, seeing if that day comes. today they are enjoying security quiet from the palestinians in the west bank. they have enjoyed it for years. they have full security control. their forces are on the border with jordan. they have very little to gain when they're going to pull out tens of thousands of their own citizens, cause indoor miss domestic ofenormous people. you have polls that show the majority of israelis are opposed to giving up sovereignty over .he temple mount

that would be a necessary component of any agreement. so basically, what you're talking about is in israeli prime minister has to say to himself, i am ready to end my political career, create the worst to mystic turmoil this country has ever seen, face potential assassination, and offer what? what am i avoiding by doing that? if i take the other path and i just don't do the deal, what do i face? i face a very comfortable situation that i have today. amy: nathan thrall, what about the palestinian hunger strike, this major strike going on in israeli jails? talk about what it is about and its connection to trump's visit right now. so the hunger strike is primarily led by the fatah fac tion.

although other factions are participating in it. it is now in its 37th day. the demands of the hunger strikers is to improve the conditions of prisoners. there is a list of 14 demands that they have. the most important of them is to end administrative detention, to improve health conditions in the prison. the affect of this -- i hope you can hear me with the helicopters overhead. the affect of this is really to create a problem for the palestinian leadership, which is trying to promote a process with trump, trying to be on trump's good site, and talking about something that is totally disconnected from what most palestinians care about today, which is the hunger strike that is overwhelmingly supported by palestinian in the west bank and gaza, a huge proportion of palestinian families -- nearly all of them have relatives that

are in prison -- they are all extremely supportive of the hunger strike and concerned about the hunger strikers. these people are now receiving medical attention and being pulled into medical facilities. at the same time, there is this image of theirs president sitting and meeting with trump, who has not said too many things that ought to make palestinians happy, and talking about engaging in yet another round of negotiation, vowing there will not be in imposed solution -- meaning, of course, that the united states won't put pressure on israel. there is already extreme skepticism that any of this effort at restarting negotiations would succeed, but to have this take place while palestinians are concerned about something so pressings the lives of these prisoners, really makes it quite tough for the

palestinian leadership. amy: finally, the impact of what has happened in manchester at the ariana grande concert where , a concert people that just attracted tweens, very young teenagers, the impact it has with isis now claiming responsibility on, well, the area where you are in israel and palestine? >> the primary impact i think is that it makes things harder for the palestinians because this news was then used to highlight the issue of palestinian terrorism and the issue of payments to families of palestinians who have fought against israel and been killed

or imprisoned. that is a big issue in the united states. it was re-raised now in part because of this attack. it is also the case the palestinians feel they have very little to offer the united states, and they are trying to see what they can do to be in trump's good graces and to try to persuade him to press for a deal. so one of the few things they can say is, well, we are providing secured for israel. israel's own security commanders are complement and is on a job we have been doing. there is no state coming. emphasizeve tried to their own value in countering extremism in the region that they will be part of this coalition of sunni state and with the united states confiding isis and stressing the importance to the united states of supporting the moderate palestinian leadership. amy: nathan thrall, thank you so

much for being with us senior , analyst at the international gaza, theup covering was bank, and israel. his new book is titled, "the only language they understand: forcing compromise in israel and palestine." we will be back in a minute. ♪ [music break]

amy: "i am not political" by palestinian hip-hop artist tamer nafar. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. juan: in a partial victory for the haitian-american community, the department of homeland security announced monday it has extended haitians' temporary protected status, or tps. tens of thousands of haitians were given tps after an earthquake devastated their

country in 2010, and the new extension will allow them to continue to legally reside and work in the u.s. for the time being. immigrant rights advocates cautiously welcomed the decision, but voiced concern the department of homeland security failed to extend tps for the usual 18-month increment, leading some to wonder if this is a precursor to mass deportations. the haiti advocacy working group tweeted -- "haitian #tps extended for six months by trump administration. but decision foretaste of coming trouble #deportation" on the campaign trail in september, donald trump visited little haiti in miami, florida and vowed to be a champion for the haitian-american community. pres. trump: whether you vote for me or you don't vote for me, i really want to be your greatest champion and i will be your champion, whether you vote for me are not. amy: that was candidate donald trump speaking last year in little haiti. if the trump administration

refuses to extend tps after the six-month reprieve expires up to , 55,000 haitians could be forcefully repatriated to their fragile, struggling homeland. last month, the acting director of u.s. citizenship & immigration services, james mccament, wrote a letter to homeland security secretary john kelly suggesting the haitians should be deported as early as january. in the letter, mccament said conditions in haiti have improved considerably. his conclusion and recommendation contradicts an assessment done by the obama administration in december. under obama, the state department examined the same circumstances and recommended that the haitians be allowed to remain in the united states. human rights advocates note haiti is still reeling from hurricane matthew which, in october 2016, destroyed the country's southwest peninsula. the hurricane killed more than 1000 people and decimated villages and farmland. haiti is also suffering from a devastating cholera epidemic that erupted after the earthquake. well, for more, we're joined now by jumaane williams, nyc council member for district 45.

his district represents one of the largest populations of haitians in the country. welcome back to democracy now! this, yes, itto was a stay of deportation or an extended of tps -- an extension that allatus, but are expecting. >> the expectations are so low, we have to say, ok, we got something but in any other circumstances, we really did not. we expected and hoped to get a lot more. the truth be told, we had concerns under the obama administration. but at least when it came through, it was 18 months. you don't know what to expect orange man, him the with these types of things. what does it really do we have to live with a cloud over your head? i think this is an extension of the assault on immigrant communities and the lack of

recognizing humanity of people. to get a job and you may have to leave in six months, that is hard. you have a cloud over your head. it is difficult. i don't think anyone has any real sense of intelligence of what is going on in haiti, whether it is the earthquake, cholera, or the hurricane. the situation now, especially after the hurricane, the most recent major devastation? was notarthquake, haiti in a position to be as prosperous as it could have been or should have been. that is a long history we should discuss one day. in the earthquake hit. then cholera. many believe that the u.n. brought cholera with them. and then the hurricane. they celebrities and cameras have left, but the devastation

still exists. not a lot has been done to address them the way we want them. even though people of sit money -- that is another story, where the money has gone -- it is no way ready to receive the people who left. things have been exacerbated. people are saying this extension of six months instead haitians to get theirhs is a affairs in order. >> it is a concern. i believe this is just an assault on the immigrant communities, particularly black and brown immigrant community's. 18 months is the usual. six months, maybe. amy: your area of flatbush, can you describe it? >> absolutely. combined with the 45th, the largest group of haitians. i think we have florida beat. we have a huge group of folks who are very concerned. 20,000 people across the state.

a large part of them are in my district. they are already dealing with mass hysteria around immigration policies in general. now if you're haitian, or you have a family member with tps, imagine a concern now. people talk about public safety. how do you deal with those concerns when you have a aboutity that is reeling what is going to happen with immigration in general? that you may be deported in six months? you're going to send them back to a country who really is not ready to receive them. there is no one with any kind of consciousness that can say haiti is ready to receive 60,000 people. the truth is, i don't believe this country can support 60,000 support 60,000 people. but they can continue this mass hysteria that i think benefits this country in a way that is another top of discussion, to keep folks on a second-class position for themselves while

benefiting from all of the services and talent they bring. juan: i want to change the topic slightly on another issue you benjamin within the itty council, the soon to be coming in a puerto rican day parade. there's been a lot of controversy raised over the fact the parade leaders have decided oscar lopez rivera who is just released from prison after more than three decades, in prison by president obama. thent to get your -- i know city council has to take a stand that some companies have said they are not going to participate and now that the police chief of new york city has said he will not participate in the parade, either. >> it is not a slight change, it is a complete change on the discussion. i plan on being there. i wasn't until i started getting tweets asking me not to go. it is always interesting to me. one, he is not associated with

any violent acts. it is interesting to me that people believe when folks are fighting for their freedom or fighting for equity and justice, that they can just write a letter asking for those things and they are given to them. there is been no social justice, no equity, no freedoms given anywhere in this world i think that hasn't been given or taken without some kind of pressures. we celebrate those things when we look back. but during the time period, we pretend us people are crazy and don't know what they're talking about. and for those you're not familiar with the case of oscar lopez rivera coming to the states? juan: he was released about a week ago finally from home detention after being released from prison and sent to detention in puerto rico and him legally went to chicago, -- immediately went to chicago, his hometown, where he was received as a hero. many of the latino elected

officials, and now puerto rican day parade, which is in two weeks, the largest gathering of puerto ricans in the united states. the significance of him coming to new york city after spending more than 30 years in prison -- clearly, a lot of controversy. there were more people in favor of him being freed from prison even if they did not agree with his believes than are saying he should be welcomed as a hero. but still, the decision of the parade committee is an opportunity for the people to have free speech. >> you should not be telling people who their hero's should or should not be. he never associated with any violence. don't forget, nelson mandela was listed as a terrorist well into the 20th century. younding on which side said, usually if you're on the side with the power and privilege, you view these things a little different. amy: we want to thank you, jumaane williams, for joining us, new york city council member new york.ct 45 in

a final correction from our headlines. we reported on a another undocumented mother when he a temporary stay of deportation after seeking sanctuary in a church. the speaker in the clip was actually an undocumented mother and activist jeanette missouri. ingrid was granted a temporary deportation last week after she sought sanctuary in a quaker meeting house in denver. jeanette missouri also -- jeanette visit guerra also depok after she sought sanctuary in wn in a unitary in church in denver. that does it for our show. happy birthday to mike difillippo! and a belated happy birthday to simin farkhondeh. democracnow!s looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]

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