At his blog, Vs. the Pomegranate, Joseph Shahadi has posted his interview with Ashley Marinaccio, Robert A.K. Gonyo and Casey Cleverly, the Co-Artistic and Literary Directors of Co-Op Theatre East who are putting on a production of My Name is Rachel Corrie in New York.

Snippet:

ASHLEY: I have been thinking about the loss of innocence… we have a young Rachel (age 12) and the older Rachel and we decided to split her in two to reveal a loss of innocence after experiencing life in a war zone.

I think a stage full of Rachels would be a great approach too. We had spoken (in the beginning) about having more than 1 older Rachel.

JOE: When the original production came to New York it was controversial. When I attended the theatre there were people standing outside, passing out fliers refuting the veracity of her testimony. I declined to take one so I am not sure what their individual points were, although I have read that the Israeli Army claims that the house that she was protecting with her body was above tunnels employed by terrorists.

ROBBY: We’re confident that there is no way Rachel would have knowingly protected a “network of terrorists” so to speak. It’s going to be disputed either way. What’s important to take from this is that this girl believes in a cause so strongly she makes the ultimate sacrifice.

— Read the whole interview at Vs. The Pomegranate

PALESTINIAN ARTISTS DAM TO PLAY BENEFIT SHOW FOR OLYMPIA-RAFAH SOLIDARITY MURAL PROJECT

OLYMPIA, WA — DAM, a leading Palestinian hip hop group and local artists Xperience and DJ Sweetelite, will play the Capitol Theater, 206 5th Avenue SE, in Olympia, April 21st at 7:00pm. Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased at Rainy Day Records or online through Buyolympia. Proceeds will benefit the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project.

Berd Whitlock writes: “Amy Goodman appeared in Olympia on Sunday, March 29, 2009 as part of her book tour, Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times, which she co-wrote with her brother, David Goodman. She demonstrated her wonderful wit and way with words before a crowd of several hundred.

Photo by Berd as well. The Flickr set is here.

Here are some photos and a list of the sponsoring and affiliated organizations:

Voice of Palestine, Canada will be interviewing Craig and I this coming Tuesday, March 31, 2009, from 8 to 9 pm (PDT). Craig and I have just returned from Gaza as part of the CodePink delegation, and we will talk with Voice of Palestine about the dire situation in Gaza, the CodePink humanitarian mision and  about the sixth anniversary of Rachel ‘s death.

Voice of Palestine broadcasts weekly on Vancouver Cooperative Radio (CFRO) 102.7 FM in Vancouver, Canada. People outside of Vancouver can listen to the show live on the Internet.

Israel’s Unlawful Use of White Phosphorus in Gaza

This 71-page report provides witness accounts of the devastating effects that white phosphorus munitions had on civilians and civilian property in Gaza. Human Rights Watch researchers in Gaza immediately after hostilities ended found spent shells, canister liners, and dozens of burnt felt wedges containing white phosphorus on city streets, apartment roofs, residential courtyards, and at a United Nations school. The report also presents ballistics evidence, photographs, and satellite imagery, as well as documents from the Israeli military and government.

VIa Rain of Fire | Human Rights Watch.