03/22/16 03/22/16 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from pacifica, this is democracy now! >> it is also a very said day for europe as europe and its capital are suffering the same thing that this region has known and known every single day, now seeing it elsewhere. amy: terror in europe as bomb blasts rock brussels. two explosions at the airport and one at a belgian subway

station have left dozens dead and scores injured. now investigators look into whether the attacks were related to friday's arrest in brussels of salah abdeslam, the logistician for last year's paris attacks. we'll speak with peter bouckaert from human rights watch. then omonday, l of theajor presidential candidates except bernie sanders appeared before the annual conference of the pro-israel lobbying group aipac. donald trump promised his support for israel. >> when i am president, believe me, i will veto any attempt by the u.n. to impose its will on the jewish state. it will be vetoed 100%. >> many of the young people here today are on the frontlines of the battle to oppose the alarming boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement known as bds.

we must repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate, and undermine israel and the jewish people. amy: hillary clinton and donald trump addressing aipac. we will host a debate. we'll speak with yousef munayyer of the u.s. campaign to end the israeli occupation and robert freedman, former president of baltimore hebrew university. and ahead of today's primaries in arizona and utah, demonstrators shut down a highway outside phoenix to delay a trump rally over the weekend. one activist was detained by ice, despite being a u.s. citizen. >> yesterday when we were arrested, i know the two colleagues i was arrested with were released. because my last name is gonzalez, a was immediately questioned by ice and placed in a detainer. after they were able to go home, ias an immigration custody. this just proves the hatred and the profiling that trump is promoting is the same that exists --

amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the belgian capital brussels explosions have hit the international airport in a city metro station, reportedly killing more than two dozen people and wounding scores of others. ill gems federal prosecutor said that two blasts at the airport were carried out by a suicide bomber. they were also reports of shots being fired before the explosions at the airport, which occurred at about 8:00 in the morning brussels time. about a now or later, and other explosions hit the metro station . the reports say 15 people died at the metro station, and up to 13 at the airport with more than 100 wounded at both locations. the attacks come just four days after authorities in brussels arrested salah abdelsalam, a suspect in a november paris attacks that killed 130 people

will stop he had fled to brussels after the paris attacks after his arrest in a raid friday, the belgian interior minister had warned the country was on the highest level of alert for a possible revenge attack, telling public radio " stopping one cell can push others into action." the prime minister condemned today's attacks as "blind, violent, and cowardly" and called for "calmness and solidarity." more after the headlines. in bamako, the capital of mali, unidentified gunmen attacked a hotel used by european union military officials. authorities said one of the gunmen was killed and no eu personnel were hurt. president obama and cuban president raul castro met at the revolutionary palace in havana for the first such official monday contact between cuba and the united states in more than half a century. in a joint news conference, obama heralded a new day in relations with cuba.

castro called for the united states to lift the trade embargo on cuba and return the guantanamo naval base. >> the blockade is the most important obstacle for our economic development and the well-being of the cuban people. that is why removing it is essential for us to normalize bilateral relations. it will also be beneficial for cuban migrants who want the best for their families and their countries. when advancing towd normization,t will also be necessary that the illegally occupied territory at the guantanamo naval base is returned. amy: cuban president raul castro also sought to defend himself against a reporter's question about political prisoners in cuba, saying -- "give me a list of the political prisoners and i will release them immediately." castro criticized the u.s. record on human rights, saying cuba found it "inconceivable that a government does not defend and secure the right to healthcare, equal pay and the rights of children." obama said the u.s. should not be immune to such criticism.

>> as you heard, president castro has also addressed what he views as shortcomings in the united states around basic needs for people and poverty and inequality in race relations. and we welcome that constructive dialogue as well, because we share ourat when we deepest beliefs and ideas, with an attitude of mutual respect, that we can both learn and make the lives of our people better. amy: president obama heads to argentina tomorrow, becoming the -- to meet with right-wing president mauricio macri. obama is expected to heed a call by human rights groups and begin declassifying u.s. military and intelligence records that could reveal more about the u.s. role in argentina's military dictatorship in the 1970's and

1980's. all three remaining republican candidates and democrat hillary clinton addressed the pro-israel aipac conference monday. donald trump faced a boycott by rabbis who said they were offended by trump's remarks against mexicans, muslims and , jews and wanted to "shine a moral light on the darkness that has enveloped mr. trump's campaign." hillary clinton sought to cast herself as a stronger ally to israel than donald trump, attacking trump's recent declaration he would be "neutral" when negotiating a peace deal with israelis and palestinians. many say clinton's address as an attempt cast herself to trump's right on israel. as president,why i will make a firm commitment to ensure israel maintains its qualitative military edge. the united states should provide israel with the most sophisticated defense technology

so it can deter and stop any threats. that includes bolstering israeli missile defenses with new systems like the arrow three and davis slowing, and we should work together to develop better tunnel detection, technology to prevent arms smuggling, kidnapping, and terrorist attacks. amy: clinton's democratic rival, vermont senator bernie sanders, skipped the aipac conference, saying he needed to continue campaigning in the west states ahead of today's primaries and caucus. but he did address the issue on the campaign trail. >> i am here to tell the american people that if elected president, i will work tirelessly to advance the cause of peace as a partner and as a friend to israel, but to be successful, we also have got to be a friend not only to israel,

but to the palestinian people -- [applause] where in gaza, unemployment and we have there a poverty rate which is almost as high. amy: we'll have more on aipac and the candidates' speeches later in the broadcast. voters are heading to the polls for primaries today in utah and or sze on a, idaho is also holding its democratic caucus with republicans and america samoa to delegates. massachusetts senator elizabeth warren took aim at donald trump monday writing on social media -- "let's be honest -- donald trump is a loser. listen to the experts who've concluded he's so bad at business that he might have more money today he'd put his entire inheritance into an index fund and just left it alone." trump struck back by attempting -- attacking warren's past claims she has native american heritage. in response to a reporter's

question, trump referred to warren as "the indian." >> a little bit about what hillary clinton said in her comments to aipac come also elizabeth warren today on social media when asked -- calling a loser. >> you mean the indian? amy: the justice department has said it may not need apple's help to unlock an iphone used by a suspect in the san bernardino, california, shooting rampage. apple has publicly refused to unlock the iphone, saying it would create a backdoor the government could use against other phones. but a hearing in the case scheduled for today has been postponed after the government said it has been approached by an outside party with a possible means of unlocking the iphone. a newly disclosed u.s. base in northern iraq has come under attack again from isil, two days after a u.s. marine was killed in a rocket attack at the base in the town of makhmour. the death of staff sergeant louis cardin took revealed the existence of the new base and took place during an announced deployment of u.s. troops to the

-- an unannounced deployment of u.s. troops to the area. while the deployment began about two weeks ago, it was not announced until sunday, the day after cardin's death. the deployment of u.s. troops to an area where isil is active marks the latest sign of deepening u.s. involvement in iraq. the united states and the philippines have signed an accord allowing the pentagon to use sections of five military bases, deploying conventional forces to the philippines for the first time in decades. the bases include one just a few dozen miles from the contested spratly islands in the south china sea. scientists have published a major new paper warning climate chge couldause cattrophic stms beyonany seenn modern timeand the ss of swhs of the lar ice eets. whe countrs aroundhe world have agrd on 2 drees celus of warming above pre-industrial times as a limit for global warming, the paper warns such a rise would be dangerous. the world is already halfway to the 2 degree mark. former nasa scientist and leading climatologist james

hansen was one of 19 co-authors. he spoke in a video accompanying the report. >> these feedbacks raise questions about how soon we will pass points of no return, in which we lock in consequences that cannot be reversed on any timescale that people care about. consequences include sea level rise of several meters, which we estimate could occur this latt, nextor at century, if also feel emissions continued at a high level. that would mean loss of all coastal cities, most of the world's large cities him and all of their history. amy: the report comes after last month shattered climate records, becoming the warmest month in recorded history, surpassing the previous record, set in december. georgia could lose its bid to host the super bowl if georgia governor nathan deal signs a so-called religious liberty bill seen as allowing discrimination against lgbt people. the bill would let faith-based groups refuse to provide services that violate their

religious beliefs. it specifics pastors can't be forced to perform same-sex weddings and individuals can't be forced to attend them. nearly 500 businesses, including apple have opposed the measure , and the nfl said friday it could use its own anti-discrimination policies to "evaluate potential super bowl host sites." more than 40 millionaires have asked new york state to raise their taxes. the millionaires said wealthy people should pay more taxes to help struggling new yorkers, address child poverty and homelessness, and repair crumbling infrastructure. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. in the belgian capital of brussels, explosions of its international airport and the city metro station, reportedly killing more than two dozen people and wounding scores of others. belgium's federal prosecutor said the two blasts at the airport were carried out by a

suicide bomber. there were also reports of shots being fired before the explosions at the airport, which occurred about 8:00 in the morning brussels time. about an hour later, and other explosion hit the metro station. early reports say 15 people died at the metro station, up to 13 at the airport with more than 100 wounded at both locations. the attacks come just four days after authorities in brussels , whoted salah abdelsalam is a suspect in the november paris attacks that killed 130 people. he had fled to brussels after the paris attacks. after salah abdelsalam's arrest in a raid on friday, the belgian interior minister had worn the country was on the highest level of alert or possible revenge attack, telling public radio "stoppg one cell can push others into action. the european federal policy chief spoke earlier today in jordan. >> it is also a very sad day for europe as europe and its capital are suffering the same thing

that this region has known and , but every single day we're still waiting for more precise news on the dynamics of the attacks in brussels. it is quite clear the routes of the pain we are suffering around our region are very much the same, and that we are united and not only suffering, our victims, but also reacting to this act and preventing violence. amy: we're joined by peter bouckaert, human rights watch costs -- human rights watch's emergencies director. he is just returned from the greek-macedonian border were he as been working with refugees. can you talk about the places that were hit, the explosions? your response to what happened today in your country of belgium? >> yes, these attacks are really

brought belgium to a standstill. they started with an attack at the departure hall in the a.m..t at about 8:00 as people were absorbing this news and having this occur during rush hour, the ball back metro station is in the center of brussels, right around were all of the european institutions are based, was hit by a second blast in which at least 15 people were killed. right now the public transport system has been shut down, the eurostar and the real systems have been shut down, and many public buildings in belgium have also been shut down out of fear of further threats. amy: and can you talk about what has happened following the arrest of salah abdelsalam this weekend, one of the suspects in the november attacks who did not low himself up. he was found just a block from

his childhood home. can you talk about the community he is from that you know well? >> yes, he comes from a relatively marginalized community. it is unnecessarily a poor feelsity, but certainly much separate from the rest of belgium. it is mostly a migrant committed the, mostly moroccans another north africans who have never really been integrated into belgian society. and for months, he was able to hide out in this neighborhood. it is very clear that belgium does have a problem with radicalization, which certainly has come out of the the marginalization that some of these communities feel. and most of the paris attackers actually came from belgium. it is quite clear the attack was planned. amy: and the significance of the areas that were hit? you have the airport at rush

hour, and that looks like it was a suicide bomber. we don't know how many dead, and the range of more than a dozen, and many scores wounded. and then you have the metro station. this particular metro station is right near the european union and the european parliament? >> that is correct. these are really to central targets. the stations are where most of the european bureaucrats get out of the metro to get to work and these attacks took place just after 9:00 as people were getting to the office, including my own colleagues at human rights watch. they left the metro just minutes before these explosions took place. is certainly has shook belgium to the core. many people are adjusting at their offices right now. amy: we're trying to reach someone in brussels. to say the least, the phone and internet is very spotty.

peter, you just returned from the border. we spoke to you here in new york when you come in for a day, you can generally deal with refugees. can you talk about the climate in europe? and if you think this in any way relates to what we're seeing now, whether in paris in november or today in belgium. >> i think we need to understand there are two crises taking place in europe. one is the crisis of many young radicalized men and women heading from europe to fight in syria, and now returning to carry out some of these attacks, and in the refugee crisis of hundreds of thousands of people who are fleeing from the exact same terror that these radicalized youth are bringing to europe now. it is unfortunate and many of the european mines and minds across the europe, the two crises have become -- and refugees themselves have come to be seen as a security threat.

what europe needs to address is the chaotic situation at its borders at the moment, which these radicalized youth certain chicken managed. but at the same time, it has to provide refuge from people fleeing from the same terror that occurred in paris a few months ago and paris -- brussels just this morning. amy: overall right now, the approach when something like this happens, we saw in november when the horrific terror attacks took place in 130 people were killed, a very serious crackdown. the rating of people's homes, particularly people in the arab community in paris. what are your concerns right now about what will come out of this , now belgium on the highest alert? we should take a slightly longer-term historical perspective and see what happens after the united states during the bush and administration overreacted very strongly to the

9/11 attacks. many of the problems that we face today are at least related to that overreaction. it is very important europe deals with the security threat it faces. certainly, there are significant security threats with young people returning radicalized from syria, but that reaction and the security response has to be proportionate. it is important that it doesn't target people that have nothing to do it this. another some of the underlying social issues in belgium and france and other european marginalization and the joblessness and helplessness in some of these communities is also a threat because this is really a struggle for the hearts and mind .f young people in europe an overreaction will just feed into the extremism that we saw in brussels today. amy: peter bouckaert, thank you for being with us human rights , watch's emergencies director. he is speaking to us from geneva, but he is from belgium, were these horrific attacks took

place today at the airport and a local metro station. at the current count, looks like 28 people have died, scores of people have been injured, but those numbers seem to be going up. when we come back, all the major presidential candidates addressed aipac yesterday, the pro-israeli government lobbying group in washington, except for bernie sanders. we will have a debate on what they said. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. are going towe talk about the candidates

addressing aipac yesterday in washington, d.c. enter presidential candidates except bernie sanders who continued out on the campaign trail. the first, i want to get response from our guest to what has taken place now in belgium. it looks like at the latest count, 28 people have died, scores have been injured in explosions at both the brussels airport as well as the metro station in brussels. our guest are yousef munayyer, executive director of u.s. campaign to end the israeli occupation, and robert freedman visiting professor of political , science at johns hopkins university. robert freedman, this just took place around 3:00 eastern time, 8:00 in the morning and rush-hour in brussels. can you respond? >> well, it is clear this is a current this act and terrorism, the deliberate killing of civilians, whether it is by isis

,errorists or by palestinians has to be deplored and has to be dealt with. the irony of this coming to the next part of our discussion is that i'm sure mr. trump will seize upon this to demonstrate tougher action is needed against muslim immigrants to the united states and against those who want to be refugees coming to the united states, and that too, is deplorable. amy: yousef munayyer, your response to the brussels attacks? >> well, i would reject many characterizations that likens the political violence that takes place under occupation and systems of occupation, like you see in israel and palestine, to the horrific attacks that we saw today in belgium. and i think the attacks today really underscore the urgent crisis and catastrophe that is

taking place in syria and the need for the international community to redouble its efforts to address in a serious that is goingwar on there that really has given of therough the failure syrian state, the vacuum of power that exists between syria thatraq, to this monster we have come to know as isis, which has metastasized around the globe. and i think, you know, this was clear when we saw the attacks take place in paris several months ago. and at the time i wrote in fact errors was just the beginning. and until the international community focuses on bringing back civil war to an end, it is going to be hard to see how prices can be defeated. so long as they have a territorial base in syria and elsewhere, unfortunately, we're going to continue to see these kinds of attacks take place

regardless to how tight security becomes across europe and elsewhere. amy: yousef munayyer, this morning you tweeted "if an attack like this morning some brussels were to happen in october in europe or especially the u.s., get used to saying "president trump." why? >> well, it is a real possibility that people can be scared into voting for a candidate that has preyed on the fears of people. and if donald trump has done one thing, it is precisely that. whohe has preyed on those have been willing to listen to the xenophobia, to the nativism, to the idea that the united states must shut itself off from the rest of the world, must close its store see anyone coming in that is different in any way, must hold a wall. -- must build walls.

i think in the wake of the horrific events like this come oftentimes, as we saw after 9/11 , as we saw after other events like this, the voting public is not always thinking with the most clear and rational mind and is often thinking with raw emotion. i think the dangerous thing is if you have a nominee that is donald trump for the republican party, one of the major parties in the united states, he is a chance of becoming president. and if an attack like this were to happen, i think his chances increase exponentially. amy: i want to turn right now to what took place yesterday in washington. all three remaining republican candidates and democrat hillary clinton addressed the pro-israel aipac conference on monday. clinton sought to cast herself as a clinton ally to israel than donald trump, repeatedly alluding to trump's recent declaration he would be "neutral" when negotiating a peace still between israelis and palestinians.

many saw clinton's address as an attempt to cast yourself to trump's right on israel. >> it is also why as president i will make a firm commitment to ensure israel maintains its qualitative military edge. the united states should provide israel with the most sophisticated defense technology so it can to terror and stop any threats. that includes bolstering israeli with newefense systems systems like the arrow three and davis sling, and we should work together to develop better detection, technology to prevent arms smuggling, kidnapping, and terrorist attacks. amy: that is hillary clinton .esterday addressing aipac donald trump faced a boycott by rabbis who said they were offended by trump's remarks against mexicans, muslims come

and use of wanted to "shine a moral light on the dark as that enveloped mr. trump's campaign." during his address, trump sought to cast himself as a strong ally of israel. >> the palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the united states and israel is absolutely totally unbreakable. [applause] tableust come to the willing and able to stop the terror being committed on a daily basis against israel. we will move the american embassy to the eternal capital of the jewish people, jerusalem. senator bernie sanders was the only want to skip the conference, saying he needed to campaign at of today's primaries in arizona and utah and the democratic caucus in idaho, but he did address the issue on the campaign trail. >> i am here to tell the

american people that if like to president, i will work tirelessly to advance the cause of these as a partner and as a friend to israel, but to be successful, we have also got to be a friend not only to israel, but to the palestinian people -- [applause] unemployment, and we have their a poverty rate which is almost as high. amy: that is bernie sanders speaking in salt lake city. for debate on the candidate speeches, we continue it yousef director the executive of u.s. campaign to end the israeli occupation, and robert freedman a visiting professor of , political science at johns hopkins university and the former president of baltimore hebrew university. let's begin with you, robert freedman.

professor, talk about the candidates yesterday before aipac, the american israel public affairs committee. issues which six cut across all the candidates that deal with iran, the question of moving in a can embassy to jerusalem, the issue of palestinian terrorism, the issue of supporting israeli security, relation with israel, and especially human netanyahu, and the security council resolution if it takes place on an arab-israeli peace agreement. if you look at the main candidates and here i'm looking not only at the speeches, but also of the two-hour discussion on cnn following the speeches, i think you find the following -- on the iran deal, clinton, keep the deal, but mistrust and verify it. trump, abolish it, negotiate a new deal. kasich, suspended because of the missile test.

cruz, flat out abolish it. sanders, keep it. on moving the embassy to jerusalem, clinton said, no, because of the negative affect on the middle east. trump, kasich, cruz -- well, trump said yes, kasich said he would study it, cruz said yes and center said no. of palestinian terrorism and incitement, so-called cultural of martyrdom and death taught in palestinian schools, everybody was critical. clinton, trump, kasich, and cruz denounced it. sanders said, but you have to look at the very negative situation in gaza economically. the question of supporting israeli security, again, clinton, trump, kasich and cruz, all supported it strongly. sanders was a bit weaker on this. on relations with netanyahu and israel, clinton, trump, kasich and cruz, all move to say they want to improve it.

his cnn talkn said, well, you to look at netanyahu is a lot of the cause of the problems. on settlements, clinton criticized it. sanders strongly criticized it. trump, kasich, and cruz did not discuss it at all. on the un security council resolution on the arab-israeli conflict assuming the french initiative comes through, clinton said she would veto, trump said he would veto, kasich said he would veto, cruz said he would veto. sanders did not discuss it but said he would work for a hard for a palestinian-israeli peace agreement. those are six or seven issues where they really different. what i took away from this, interestingly enough, was that kasich and clinton were actually fairly close on a lot of the issues. i would not say so much that clinton was the to the right of

trump, i was a rather that trump was to the left of cruz and kasich was to the left of both of the others. now, how this works out in reality following the election, of course, is one thing to make promises before the election, but another to make promises and carry them out afterwards. very quickly in response to yousef munayyer, killing civilians deliberately for political reasons is terrorism whether it takes place in jerusalem or whether it takes place in brussels. claiming this is a reaction, it is ok for young lady or young man to go and kill israel he civilians because this is, you know, protesting the occupation, is simply wrong. and this is why the main candidates old announced it and announced it loudly. amy: yousef munayyer, your response? >> i don't think anyone is justifying the murder of anyone else. what i was responding to,

though, was the mischaracterization of the type of political violence that we see in israel and palestine as something similar to the type of violence that we saw today in brussels. there is clearly a context of occupation, the denial of people's rights that are going isin palestine -- which allowing this system of inequality to continue, allowing the incentives for violence to remain in place. and i don't think that is in any way the same as the type of terrorism and type of worldview and the type of extremism that is involved in isis. and i would like to say as well, while i appreciate the nuanced enumeration of the different thations of the candidates

you presented, i really don't see that great of a difference between all of these candidates. and i think, frankly, one of the biggest problems that was on display was the ritual of the candidates for president before a pro-israel interest group. essentially, lining up one after the other to outbid each other in their support for israel -- a state which is conducting a military occupation over the lives of millions of people, denying millions more basic rights to return to their homes and villages as refugees, all while collecting billions of dollars of american military aid and then using those very weapons to commit heinous human rights violations. and violations of international law through the expansion of the settlements that were almost not

mentioned there. we heard may be a brief, brief comment from hillary clinton about it, which was quickly wrapped up in another line about how she would make sure that the united nations would never be allowed to act on israeli settlements if she was to be president. amy: let me go to a clip and get your response to hillary clinton addressing aipac yesterday, speaking out against settlements but said she would not support any solutions enforced by the united nations, the one you're referring to. parteryone has to do their by avoiding damaging actions, including with respect to settlements. now, america has an important role to play in supporting peace efforts. and as president, i would continue to pursuit of direct negotiations. and let me be clear, i would vigorously oppose any attempt by outside parties to impose a

solution, including by the un security council. amy: yousef munayyer? these are extremely empty words. and i think it really highlights the corruption of u.s. policy on this very issue, specifically, the issue of settlements. in the late 1960's and 1968, there was a national intelligence estimate that was put together regarding israel after they have began their occupation of palestinian territory in the west bank and gaza. it said of the israelis continued occupy this territory for two to three years and built settlements there, it would be impossible for them to turn back the land. that was in 1968. as recently as last week, the israelis continued again to expropriate land, deep inside the west bank, this time outside of jericho in an area nowhere near the green line, and the response from the state department was simply, well, we find this troubling and it leads

us to question the intentions of the israelis and whether or not they are committed. if all you can do over the course of five decades is respond to israeli settlement expansion and colonialism with empty words while continuing to fork over billions odollars ensurehat the atus quo ntinues, then you are really only giving the green light to the israelis that this is a-ok. for clinton to make a comment like that, i thi iseally just a reminder of the corruption of american poly o this iue, whic frankly transcends the american political divide in the united states as well. amy: professor friedman, your response as well? >> i agree with him on one issue, and that is the problem caused by the settlements. i happen -- this program is called democracy now! and i happen to be a member of an organization called peace now, which has been deploying the settlements from the beginning

and i deplore them as well, whether it is rel, which is sort of like a bone in the mouth of state --e palestinian which i'm a supporter of the two state solution strongly, as by the way, is mrs. clinton, which she also said in her presentation -- i share the problem of the settlement expansion. yet yousef munayyer tends to overlook a few issues of history. palestinians were offered a state by the u.n. 1947, rejected in 1968 can up with a plan, a good two state solution including sharing jerusalem, palestinians rejected it. they rejected it in 2008. this most recent effort by the united states during a nine-month effort, the didstinians and mr. abbas

not even respond to the american plan. so one can talk about occupation and occupation, but unless and until the palestinians are willing to come out with an agreement on a two state solution, number 1 -- amy: let's take each of your points at a time. yousef munayyer, on this point? >> look, there is a lot of things to respond to here, which . think are patently incorrect starting in 1947 with the claim that the u.n. offered the palestinians a state. the reality is, they imposed, wanted to impose an outcome that would actually deny the palestinians sovereignty over land in which they lived and offer them a fraction of the territory in which they constituted a majority of the population. go through alln of the history. i think the history is very clear. if you look at the trend over time, the trend is simply best

-- palestinians have been continually removed from their land from 1948 until today. that trend continues largely uninterrupted. but let's focus on the issue in which we ostensibly agree here, which is on this question of friedman hasnd mr. said he is a supporter of peas now. the problem i have with this line of advocacy is that it is never followed up with any sort of policy prescriptions which would actually change israeli behavior as it relates to settlements. we hear lots of empty words when it comes to the settlements are not good, the settlements are a problem, the settlements pose a challenge to a two state solution. and yet the actions that follow th, both from the united states government and in terms of the advocacy of people -- even in groups that oppose these settlements -- is almost never

to call for different policies in relation to the support for israel that enables this kind of settlement expansion to happen. if you are saying that settlements are wrong, but at the same time support unending military aid to israel, you are saying one thing with your mouth and something very different with your actions. and over the course of 50 years -- 50 years. the occupation is june is entering its 50th year. we assume huge growth in the number of settlers and huge growth in the number of settlements. the west bank looks like swiss cheese. yet we have people who are still talking about creating an independent palestinian state here and not doing anything to actually change israeli behavior which is destroying that. or anyonefreedman else was to be taken seriously and at their word when they say they agree that settlements are a problem when it comes to the two state solution, we want to hear at the same time policy presiption, s. polic

prescriptions that would change israeli behavior as it relates to the settlements. otherwis just taing aboutt likehis is providing cover for the settlements, providing cover for the occupation, and providing cover for the status quo. amy: i want to turn to hillary clinton again in her speech before aipac, slamming bds, the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement. >> many of the young people here today are on the front lines of the battle to oppose the alarming boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement known as bds. [applause] whencularly at a time anti-semitism is on the rise across the world, especially in europe, we must repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate, and undermine israel and the jewish people. [applause]

i have been sounding the alarm for a while now. as i wrote last journal letter to the heads of major american jewish organizations, we have to be united in fighting back against bds. many of its proponents have demonized israeli scientists and intellectuals, even students. to all of the college students who may have encountered this on campus, i hope you stay strong. keep speaking out. don't let anyone silence you, bully you, or try to shut down debate, especially in places of learning like colleges and universities. [applause]

anti-semitism has no place in any civilized society -- not in america, not in europe, not anywhere. amy: that was hillary clinton yesterday addressing aipac. professor robert freedman, your response to the bds? >> there are two related issues here. first of all, i have to respond hisousef munayyer because view of history honestly does not coincide with mine. but in one area where he seems to be unaware of what is going on, there are regular protests and israel against the settlements led by peace now. there are attempts, lobbing of the knesset. unfortunately, the future of a two state solution, the peace now people are not in the majority and the israeli that is a democracy. they continued to advocate and continue to oppose the settlements. that is number one.

number two, this $3 billion plus a year military aid, perhaps yousef has not been in israel or gaza when rockets continue to fly from gaza into israel, killing israeli civilians. now, israel pulled out of gaza in 2005, 2006 under ariel sharon. what has moved the israeli body politics to the right is the fact that instead of peace, israel got rocketed in return for pulling out of gaza. now, that should be noted and hence, the united states in supplying aid for iron dome, no david sling, arrow three, which will be used against the threat from iran, which is called for the destruction of israel -- was recently inscribed in first the on the rockets, and this was pointed out by a number of speakers at aipac yesterday. but this is the first thing.

the second thing amy: let me go -- >> let me answer bds. bds is very, very important. the people who support bds seem to be ignorant of other problems in the middle east. more than one quarter million people have died in syria. 40,000 plus are dying, kurds, in turkey. not only that, countries like china support syria, as well as attacking their own muslim populations. russia has slaughtered people in chechnya. nobody is talking about stopping educational ties with china -- chinese universities or with russian universities or with turkish universities. the concentration seems to be, well, israel is bad, we have got to stop educational ties with israel. now, folks, there is a lot of crying about islamophobia that

one hears every day. but singling out israel when there are so many worse things happening in the world, i think is in fact anti-semitism. amy: yousef munayyer, yet the last word. >> let me just a couple of things. not only have i been to israel, i was born in israel and i have family throughout israel, the west bank, the gaza strip and refugee camps around the area. nobody has a deeper appreciation of what american weaponry does in the middle east as i do, precisely because i have seen it in both directions. i understand what it means when one ton american-made bombs dropped on apartment buildings in the gaza strip, killing scores of civilians. so i think one of the reasons that bds exists is precisely because of folks like professor freedman who talk a certain game

about settlements, but refuse to actually call for any change in policy that would change israeli behavior. the failure of governments to violations of international law and human rights abuses at the israeli state carries out is the reason why civil society has taken up this objective and is working to use boycott, divestment, and sanctions to make that change happen. let me just say one last thing about the argument that the professor put forward here. --is the same exact argument and you can go back and read the op-ed pieces that were written for southlogists african apartheid. it is the same argument we's to hear back in the 19 70's and 1980's when people were saying it is time to do vast the apartheid system in south africa . they were saying, look, they're all kinds of horrible things going on in africa and elsewhere, why are you signaling out south africa?. to understand

the blacks in south africa have it so much better than blacks elsewhere in africa? the arguments are almost word for word the same. and the reality is, the outcome has to be the same as well and the apologists for apartheid cannot be allowed to win. it is only through the efforts of civil -- civil society to hold israel accountable for its violations and abuses of palestinian human rights that we are going to see any kind of change on the ground, especially if governments like the united states government, which is playing such a large role, continued to abdicate in the responsibility of doing something. amy: i want to thank you both for being with us, yousef munayyer robert freedman and. when we come back, we go to arizona, one of the primary states to find out what happened

to a u.s. citizen. why washe put in the han of e? stay witus. ♪ [music eak]

amy: "nunca mas" no more by la santa cecilia performing here at our democracy now! studios. to see our whole interview with them as well as many other performances, go to democracynow.org. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. democratic and republican voters are heading to the polls today in utah and arizona, with democrats in idaho as well underscoring the battle over , immigration reform. in arizona, demonstrators shut down a highway leading to a rally for republican presidential candidate donald trump outside phoenix saturday, delang the rly aheadf -- delaying the rally. three people were arrested including jacinta gonzalez, a leading immigrant advocate who had locked her neck to a van's window as part of the roadblock. gonzalez was then transferreto immigration custody -- despite beg a u.s.itizen. s. immigtion andustoms enforcemt, or ic release e followg statemt

saying -- joe arpaio has been monitored by the u.s. justice department for what it calls a systematic disregard for basic constitutional protections. well, jacinta gonzales joins us right now. welcome to democracy now! talk about what happened you this weekend. >> welcome as you said, we decided to protest detroit prevent and shut it down by using our bodies and putting ourselves on the line. we did this because we understand trump is more than just a candidate, that the political spaces he is opening up is bringing us against our community. we're seeing it in the state legislature in arizona. germanynti-immigrant bills that could possibly -- there are many anti-immigrant bill zika be possibly sign in this week. also saw the machinery in place

right now for racial profiling is alive and well. many of the words of donald trump is saying he is going to do are already in existence. we know as a community, we have to be up to resist and pushed back. amy: you are arrested with two other people. what happened to them? >> they were released. they were able to get out of the jail much earlier. because of my surname, i was singled out for interviews. i defended my constitutional rights and i was retaliated against. for that reason i was held overnight in the jail and then transferred to immigration custody. this just proves that racial profiling is alive and well in arizona and trump is opening up more space to liven up that debate and to encourage people to promote policies of hate. for us, do so important to push back againsthis currt admistrationhatays it i against the policies of trump but what we're seeing in jls is ty'reoing theame thin ndomotg racial proling,

in eence, thequivale o president trump or to become to be the president of the u.s., they're handing him a car with a full take of gas to deport communities, incarcerate them, and racial profile. that is why we must push back. amy: donald trump is not president yet, yet do you see his rhetoric having an effect on legislation, for example, in arizona? >> yes, like i mentioned, we are facing several anti-immigrant goals as well as anti-refugee bills, bills that are in 10 women and increasing incarceration. this is a space that is being opened up because of the trump campaign. he is livening up racial hatred in america and that is why we are continuing to resist. governor ducey will have to face the dilemma this week. you will have to decide if he is on the side of trump or laws like sb 1070 that have proven to be unconstitutional, or on the

side of the constitution and immigrant rights and family unity? protesting donald trump, but you were arrested under the bush of administration -- i mean, rather, under the obama administration. of course, president obama is the president today. >> yes. this is what we're seeing over and over in our communities, detainers, immigration enforcement has consistently -- raids have been up with obama. raids have been up with obama. there's a

( music ) man in background: elena? come on!

narrator: artists have long been fascinated with the world of entertainers: musicians, actors, circus troops. they were a continuing theme of one of the most famous artists of our time: pablo picasso. his drawings and paintings from the early 1900s captured the lives of such performers, both onstage and off, and his images are still reflected by live circus performances in paris today. ( circus music ) ( applause )