Important u. K. General election since the 2nd world war its also the 1st christmas election since 923 in all the head of Un Security Council discussions on the birthplace of jesus palestine occupied with angloamerican military support coming up in the show is israel trying to destroy the birthplace of jesus we asked the 1st female mayor of bethlehem where a boon about Israeli Occupation and accusations of the ethnic cleansing of christians from palestine. And fighting for justice in the middle east and one of britains most celebrated composers how it played on his Legendary Music for the snowman and composing for everyone from Princess Diana to the United Nations ahead of his performance tomorrow with welsh met so soprano Katherine Jenkins at the Royal Albert Hall possible coming up in todays going on the ground a 1st after tomorrows u. K. General election let alone the fallout from the u. S. Inspector generals report into obama corruption in the usa will come christmas when millions of people of the book all around the world look to bethlehem in palestine to celebrate the birth of jesus christ but is what is happening in bethlehem arguably just as political as the Major International stories we have covered on this program this year we can go now to bethlehem in palestine joining me is bethlehem Forman Vera Babu and thanks so much vera for coming on to if you could just paint as a picture of what beth them is like this year because obviously theres a wall is the aida. Banks the woman in black the woman in black jewish Womens Organization protesting Israeli Occupation tell me what its like this year its christmas the spite all the challenges and christmas this year was. Very beautiful very light and the Christmas Tree at the end of me vendor is huge a number of attendants were there the tree of badly ham looked gorgeous the motor was the joy of christmas and the joy of christmas is this year all over the place in every city in the west bank in. The hold and im a large area car everywhere people are celebrating the joy of christmas the last time around there we spoke to may around one selman he described christmas celebrations in bethlehem as almost an act of defiance against the defacto u. K. U. S. Backed Israeli Occupation do you think that occupation is still on the minds of all the pilgrims that will be there celebrating this year well actually the wall speaks for itself the wall by itself is an occupation so when you look at when youre at the city you enter the city definitely there are a normal conditions however our persistence to contact the celebration of christmas in the city of the nativity in the city of birth of peace it is yes a determination that we are there to celebrate christmas despite all the playing actions and despite all the american policy we have the right to live joy to live peace and this is what we express in our celebrations and through our message of peace not only to us for do not live repeat is but to the whole world this well you mentioned the wall what exactly has happened to beverly. Christians over certain 86 percent. Of christians of have left the wall is being blamed for that as well as illegal new or patients around bethlehem when we talk about the christian presence in there in palestine and in general and the christian presence in bethlehem in particular the political situation since the 1967 enhanced and then forced and encouraged the degrees of the christian presence and migration of christians from bethlehem in specific many of the christian bethlehem ites before 967 immigrated seeking Job Opportunities and seeking better conditions other parts of the world including latin america the u. S. The moment israel did its consensus all who were not inside lost their national id number thus. The continuing political factors coming from the 1st intifada the 2nd intifada and the war mainly the war encouraged many of the Young Palestinian families to immigrate so we are talking about 2 very important things the prevention of those christians who were outside before 96. 00 to 7. 00 to come back as palestinian citizens to live in the west bank and gaza and it is duerson them plus the political situation ensuing the building of the wall which by itself prevents Job Opportunities it prevents normal conditions this encourage the Young Christian families as well as the muslims but actually due to the fact that christians are less in number it was more recognisable unfortunately in 2007 the palestinian Statistics Department did its last consensus the number of the palestinians living in the west bank are 3000000 and in gaza 2000000 the number of the christians living in gaza in the west bank and East Jerusalem are only 67000. 00 it is even less than one percent and to be clear this the fact do ethnic cleansing about as julian christians as predated Donald Trumps rise in the United States when you were mayor in 2016 you said the christian population a drop 12 percent thats a leaven 1000 christians leaving do you expect more christians to leave what with the threads of israeli arbitrary detention in the coming weeks even as we approach christmas definitely i hope not but another very important point that we should not wait for more christians to leave until we find a solution usually this is the question that is raised all the time do christians leave because of the predominant. Political actions are run by israel or the decisions and policy of the us the words the palestinian israeli conflict today my question is when this resolution with take it before strand with equitable situations where the 2 state solution that ensures the dignity of all of us palestinians as christians and muslims the question is not why the christians believe the question is when there is a lucian it should will take place to ensure the presence of justice solution football sites do you expect many of our guards as christians to visit bethlehem this year israel of course has been bombing at the gaza strip in the bar 72. 00. Hours definitely depends on the israeli permissions to the christians usually and normally it is not a big number it doesnt exceed 100. 00 would you go so far as to agree would say there was a University Study that suggested theres been an actual de facto ethnic cleansing of christians because of the occupation because of discrimination and learned theft let alone the economy which has been impacted of course by by the u. S. U. K. Armed occupation and definitely the absence of a Peace Process and then just resolution for the palestinian israeli conflict affects the presence of the christians in this part of the world the conditions on ground creates combined of willing immigration but the conditions on the ground like countries cation walling checkpointing in bethlehem we have the highest rate of unemployment 27 percent the wall is disastrous the checkpoints are disastrous people are sandwiched people are cornered and by itself. This is discrimination no human rights are witnessed it is not the matter that you live inside the wall to eat work and sleep no it is more than that palestinians are like the rest of the word our global citizens and what is up light on every citizen in the world should be applied on the palestinian including its muslim and christian in habitants and population of course the british and American ArmedIsraeli Government claims they need a wall circling jesus says birthplace for Israeli National security you know this is a very important question are we as it by listed as palestinians in need as well for it is sense of security as peace is important for us security for Israel Security is also very important for every palestinian the absence of security is also a very predominant factor for the people to leave the area usually it is always discussed that israel is predominantly need to ensure its security and thats why they need to build all this actually within the ward inside the ward we live with this sense of insecurity of palestinians im not sure whether the archbishop of canterbury representing the Anglican Church as messages but pope francis i understand is sent relics this year from the vatican. Allegedly from jesus is a manger you surprise that more christian leaders around the world are not making more of an issue the de facto ethnic cleansing of christians from bethlehem yes this is strange and dirty turn and there it is the return of the relic to bethlehem is a message by itself immobility the words of the Nativity Church the words the nativity of peace today when the relic of the cradle of the nativity is back to bethlehem definitely pope francis while approving this return of the relic has a message. And art of the world a word that we need to turn of peace to the cradle of peace in bethlehem in particular as lot guess pieces that present from bethlehem as long as peace is walled in bethlehem peace will never prevail because the main act of defiance on behalf of Palestinian Christians and muslims and atheists and in other communities has been the great march of return in gaza how is bethlehem taken the news that on last friday is great much richer some 64. 00 civilians have been wounded nearly 20 children including a paramedic according to palestinian sources bethlehem is part and parcel of the palestinian pain what took place in gaza it during this time of christmas when we all pray for peace what dicks place in gaza today while we are celebrating peace definitely enhances another meaning to why do we need to celebrate christmas since christmas is that message of peace with the we direly need. Were talking about children we are talking about injuries we are talking about as duress and definitely those people when they go when they conduct whatever it is considered a right of existence. Is very important not only for gazan but for every palestinian their pain is our pain and that is a message to every citizen in the world during this christmas time to see what they explain its a writer for existence it said out of dignity and very liberal thank you after the break walking in the air of tomorrows christmas election we speak to our late composer of classic christmas composition the snowman all the more go everybody were going underground. When the bell came in 2000. Oh theres a lot of money printing going on people say wheres the inflation the government says theres no inflation and then a lot of people say well actually health care and education are skyrocketing in value you dont count and thats why youre misreading inflation and this has been going on for years. We found it we found the missing inflation. Impeachment mania has dives drawn on both sides of the political divide the i. G. Report clearly demonstrates the f. B. I. Abused its powers when targeting trump world. Committee is hell bent on impeachment articles ideological obsession. Welcome back were in the studio one of britains most renowned composers how like as well as his iconic music from the snowman hes composed for everyone from Princess Diana to ridley scott to the United Nations and tomorrow he plays his piece walking in the with legendary mentor soprano Katherine Jenkins at the royal Albert Howard thanks for inviting us into your studio we can talk to much about tomorrows general election in britain because of reporting restrictions that hear about your performance tomorrow with the legendary soprano Katherine Jenkins of the Royal Albert Hall yes id like. To be also to do it i did it a couple of years ago. On the spur of the moment because. I have a dia friend musical director Anthony Inglis he said you know my bit of fun for you to come along and conduct walking in there would you do so he said you only live next door so a minute wouldnt be too difficult to get through to the albert hall if you being surprised about how successful it is i think youre saying when you choose hundreds of millions of hits millions of hits are very surprised indeed and in fact the week off to the film came out it was nominated for an oscar but of course you have famous for many other things not just that iconic christmas composition but on the snowman i understand it was one of channel 4 the british bred 3 new t. V. Stations 1st ever films and you said it should be your music rather than any dialogue a friend of mine a film director had come over from canada Jerry Patterson and he said im just going to pop into this. Animation studio called television cartoons. And we walked in there and the director of the company john kurtz he said would it be possibly said could you spare a couple of minutes because ive done a little demo of something called the snowman an 8 minute and a matic pencil evony i said yes but id love to see it. So he put it on and the minute i show this image of the snowman and the boy flying. I thought its a marvelous image and i said i have had a tune in my head for years that ive never known what to do with i think it would work for this and i think more than that i think you could make a whole film without dot org and just do it with the music and joan said no no i dont know what youre talking about so i say well can i do a demo for you he said if youd like to and john took it to the the new director of channel 4 it had literally opened that Jeremy Isaacs looked at it and he said absolutely bring that will make i think you know it was in a way it was something i had wanted to do all my life id always believed you could make a film and a story we just musing tell me about bernard home and famous for citizen kane forever hitchcock how he kind of took you under his wing. Burnet herman. Through my agent lees keys and she said to me would you like to me that herman i said i would love to because of course he is absolutely the doyenne of of film composers of all time with citizen kane behind him and psycho and so on and hes the 1st thing he said me do you know where i could find a thera main in london and i said ive never seen any so i said to tip in a while i know what it does but theres a new machine that ive just bought cold a movie synthesizer and ive just bought it from dr american self and it will do exactly what her mean does and even more and its got its got a ribbon control which you can control with your finger and he said great i want to hear where is it i said its in my flat he said lets go so thats how by relationships i played on the next film. That he did which was called twisted nerve might by the bolting and he said would you also the various pieces of jazz need to be written for i said to do what have i have a very extraordinary career in a way that i started as a as a classical pianist i want to see a classical scholarship the role economy. Piano but while i was i got more interested in film and i got very interested in film 0 spent all month on the National Film theatre to some t. V. And after i left the academy there was a projectionist i was there for about 2 years and then i missed music so much and i thought i actually want to know how to play it will be soul music and all that music and rock this is the music if i want to know about it i left there and got a job in a pub would you believe where you had to play after everything one day i was playing in a band in the Adelaide Club and a guard came up through and he said would you would you do. Would you would you come along to abbey road and to an old dition i went along and i became a pianist in residence at abbey road and i also played on phil and then it was the avengers film music bridge the score theyve put me so many different films you made the hunger the avengers was extraordinary because id actually started. Playing piano out of and. And Laurie Johnson actually wanted to go to to leave he was he had always written me as if adventures which was huge was going out in 93. 00 countries it was the biggest Television Show in the world and but he wanted to do this film and he said to burn it herman it was a great friend and he said is there anybody who could actually take over from me and just well he said you know youre pinnace could and he knows your style and so i took over as as a musical director and composer at elstree so that thats what then led me into from they i started to do feature films i started to be offered them all round and. Another thing i did in the same week was i did a commercial which won the prize for the best commercial of the year which also brought did so but to work that i nearly died thats another story ok but then how come you may be transferred from film music to become in a way a kind of cooled composer understand you did the music for Princess Dianas 30th birthday how did you make that transition i thought i cant keep writing commercials and commercial music at that point i moved to sussex and i started to study serious music and Chamber Music and Everything Else and the music that i really felt was my own music i was it was then asked to write the do list by ridley scott which was his 1st great film studio like you would gain with the establishment you can get more establishment than quietly and not running more establishment than writing music for the United Nations organ tell me a bit about the un the un. I mean via Buckingham Palace and and the foreign and Commonwealth Office the head of the foreign call them both those office called me and said we want we want to write a piece or we want you to write the piece because its the 50th anniversary of the United Nations president will be the whole of the all of the top broth of the of the United Nations plus. The house of lords and a lot of m. P. s and the Prime Minister and the whole royal family and i know i wrote it in fact and at the last minute i called it charter for peace because it with it was written at the end of the war but general smuts and Winston Churchill and i thought. Offering to say this organization is to preserve peace but it was seen as controversial that the un of truly which is founded for world peace i for some reason that if we had a vast array of media all lined up ready to film it and at the last minute it was decided from above that it would not be filmed and it would not go out and serve virtually nobody knew about it and i i mean. Perhaps the worst because id called the charter for peace is there and is there a tension between being in an establishment composer and famously you played at the ante rockwood demonstrations in Trafalgar Square just poking about un rights peace around the world is there a tension there no i dont see that at all i mean. I think the great advantage of being in this country has always been that one has the right to express ones opinion and one has a right to hold any opinions which. Which one chooses to hold and i have many very very unorthodox opinions all various things there has been a lot of. Stuff written about recently that the 3 big bang can coral. Pioneers will coax clear bre legend theyre all dead now if you work with one of them it will cook yes ive just been asked to write a piece for that front it made such an impression that i was also then if i could score for a large monastery in mid sussex. With worth having at the end of the hour but said to me he said next year is the 1500s birthday benedict and i wrote this very big oratory on. It last about 17 minutes. And it was 1st performed even in 1000. 00 me and and amazingly which is right out in the country to an audience of 1700. 00 which was sort of extraordinary then nothing much happened until it was taken up by. So david wohl will kochs he said i want to do this all over the world it is it is a great piece he called it actually a work for all centuries which was a very nice thing to Surrey Howard like thank you a great pleasure well before how a deaf plays at the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow hell play us out with walking in the air in a moment thats it for the show will be back on saturday with ledger journalist and filmmaker john pilger to take us through the aftermath of the u. K. General election and what it will mean for the dirty war on the n. H. S. His latest documentary to be broken next week he has had like with walking in the air. To. Our land and. To a. God. Or. God. Or the. Powerful blasts than gunfire reported outside a major u. S. Outpost in afghanistan in the very same paragraph the doubleton paid a surprise visit to less than a fortnight ago. News comes as a damning report is released showing light on how top american officials have been routinely distorting facts and figures on the war in afghanistan in an attempt to convince the public the drawn out war is winnable. Former f. B. I. Chief sailed the horowitz report into trump russia delusion is vindication Inspector General horowitz himself doing bunks their interpretation saying its quite the opposite. So many basic and fundamental errors were made by 3 separate human pick investigators