This week on Crossing The Line: it is one of the great paradoxes of the modern Middle East, when peace with the Palestinians is in sight, Israel will turn violent.

This is quite understandable though, when one realizes that the entire raison d'etre of the Jewish State is based on the principle of establishing 'greater Israel." Today, we'll speak to Middle East commentator Rannie Amiri about the curious case of the Israeli state, then later in the podcast an extended commentary by Mumia Abu Jamal regarding the recent G-20 summit.

This week on Crossing The Line: Israel continues it's nearly two-year closure of the Gaza Strip as thousands of medical patients take to the streets to protest this past week.

With the continued sealing off of all Gaza's exits how can humanitarian relief be given to the strip's 1.5 million residents who are facing a grave crisis, and more importantly how can Gazans be allowed to sustain their own futures rather than be wards of the UN. Melinda Borne, program director of United Palestine Appeal will join us to talk about it.

This week on Crossing The Line: two US Congressmen visit Gaza and are stunned by the destruction they see, but neither utters a word of criticism about Israel's three-week assault on the region.

Meanwhile, President Barrack Obama calls for a reduction in nuclear weapons between the US and Russia, but why isn't Israel being challenged to do the same?

Investigative journalist and Crossing The Line correspondent, Nora Barrows-Friedman will spend the hour with us addressing these issues, plus settlement expansion.

This week on Crossing The Line: after 21 years of distinguished academic service, Joel Kovel the former Algir Hiss Chair of Social Studies at bard College is fired over his criticism of Zionism, we'll speak to Kovel about the firing and what lead to it.


Also this week,  an Internal Israeli army investigation finds no fault on the part of soldiers that many human rights groups say committed war crimes during the three week assault on Gaza, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recalls the PLO Ambassador to Russia, Afif Safieh, after he attended a rally in support of the region. Businessman and journalist Sam Bahour will talk about the Israeli internal investigation, Abbas' latest move regarding Safieh, and the current political climate in Palestine.