We will go to bethlehem, the birthplace of jesus christ. Public christmas festivities have been canceled in the occupied west bank city as israel intensifies it assault on gaza. We will speak to a prominent Palestinian Christian theologian in bethlehem. In United NationsSecurity Council is preparing to finally vote on a watered down resolution on aid to gaza after the United States repeatedly pushed for the vote to be delayed even though the u. N. Is warning more than 500,000 palestinians, about a quarter of the population, face catastrophic hunger and starvation. It is quite shameful and disgraceful because they are complicit in this genocide. They have the lives of palestinian children on their hands. This is another nakba with a genocide unfolding before our eyes. Amy plus we speak to sonia guajajara, brazils firstever minister of Indigenous Peoples. And so now we need to rebuild and strengthen Public Policies in health, education, fighting racism, and environmental racism, and being able to have more specific measures to reduce the emissions that are causing these changes. Amy all that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Palestinian officials report 390 people have been killed and more than 700 injured in israeli strikes on gaza over the past two days. In one of the latest attacks, an israeli air raid killed four people, including bassem ghaben, the director of the israelicontrolled Karem Abu Salem border crossing, whod been working to bring desperatelyneeded aid into gaza. This comes as the United Nations reports more than a half a million palestinians are starving amid israels siege and unrelenting bombardment of the gaza strip. Arif hussain is chief economist with the u. N. s world food programme. The world right now, there are 130,000 people who are in catastrophic levels of hunger, meaning they are starving. In gaza, more than half a million. That is four times more. That is what makes this totally unprecedented. Amy on thursday, hamas ruled out any more exchanges of captives until israel agrees to a full cessation of aggression. Meanwhile, israel for the seventh time has severed gazas phone and internet connections. The committee to protect journalists reports more media workers have been killed in the first 10 weeks of israels assault on gaza than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year. See pj said it was particularly concerned about a pattern of targeting journalists and their families by the Israeli Military. On thursday, scores of al jazeera staffers help protests at the networks headquarters as well as the site of a school in gaza where camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa was killed in a drone strike. The same attack injured al jazeera arabics gaza bureau chief wael dahdouh, who lost his wife, son, daughter, and grandson in another strike last month. A number of journalists rallied around him at the same time in as the journalist stood in the doha studios and the school where it was bombed. This is al jazeera correspondent tamer alsmadi. We stand here at al jazeeras office with a number of representatives to highlight what israel did, killing journalists. Not just samir but more than 90 who were martyred due to israeli airstrikes and deliberate targeting. Amy jordans foreign minister ayman safadi has warned the failure of the u. N. Security council to pass a resolution on gaza will mean dangerous double standards as the u. S. Delayed a vote thursday for the fourth day in a row. The u. S. Delegation has insisted indicated it would back a new resolution with watereddown language which is set for a vote today. In earlier vetoed Security Council resolution called for a ceasefire. The u. S. Vetoed that. Ultimately now to urgent steps to allow safe and unhindered delivery of aid to gazas civilians. A Human Rights Watch investigation has found metas content moderation policies are increasingly silencing voices in support of palestine on its facebook and instagram social media platforms. The 51pagereport released this week by Human Rights Watch documents more than 1000 cases of meta censorship in 60 countries in what hrw calls a a pattern of undue removal and suppression of protected speech including peaceful expression in support of palestine and public debate about palestinian human rights. Here in new york, thousands of protesters led by Union Organizers marched through the streets of manhattan thursday evening to demand a ceasefire and an end to the influence of the powerful lobby group aipac, the American Israel Public Affairs committee. Protesters marched past aipacs offices holding banners displaying the hundreds of thousands of dollars in Campaign Contributions received by new York Lawmakers chuck schumer, kirsten gillibrand, and hakeem jeffries. Meanwhile, dozens of Israeli Jewish activists gathered for a vigil today outside the u. S. Embassy in jerusalem, calling for a ceasefire and mourning the 20,000 palestinians killed in gaza. France is closing its embassy in niger indefinitely amid ongoing tensions between the two nations following the july military coup which ousted president mohamed bazoum. The french ambassador to niger left in september. Around 150 french troops are departing niger today, the last of the soldiers to leave since the withdrawal started in october. But the military junta has not ordered u. S. Military bases to close, where over 600 troops remain in the largely failed fight against jihadist groups. The Biden Administration has approved two more permits for the Mountain Valley pipeline, or mvp, which would carry 2 billion cubic feet of fracked gas through virginia and west virginia. On tuesday, the federal Energy Regulatory commission granted mvps request to increase its Gas Transportation rates after the companys estimated Construction Costs ballooned to over 6. 6 billion, nearly double its initial projection. The ferc also granted mvp more time to complete work on a proposed 75mile extension into north carolina. Indigenous environmental activist jason crazy bear keck said in a statement fercs decision to extend mvp southgates certificate of public need, which subjects our streams, rivers and Community Members to seizing of land and irreversible pollution, against our will, with no proof of need, is a crime against us and future generations. Millions of residents in Southern California remain under flood advisories today as an many received a months worth of precipitation in less than an hour in what meteorologists called a onceinamillennium rainfall event. This comes as forecasters are predicting a snowless Christmas Holiday for parts of canada and much of the u. S. East coast and midwest, with rain and record highs forecast in chicago and minneapolis. This month climate scientists confirmed 2023 will officially be the hottest year on record, with Carbon Dioxide levels in earths atmosphere at their highest level in about 14 million years. In tacoma, washington, a jury acquitted three Police Officers in the 2020 killing of 33yearold manuel ellis, an unarmed black man. The officers violently arrested and beat ellis on the side of the road. He died while in handcuffs and telling officers, i cant breathe. The Pierce County medical examiner ruled the cause of death was homicide from oxygen deprivation due to physical restraint. Following the verdict thursday, Community Members took to the streets to demand justice for manuel ellis. This is organizer and incoming city councilmember jamika scott. We are not going to sit here and cry. Were not going to pout. We are not going to let a not guilty verdict in a Kangaroo Court turn us from what we know to be righteous, to be true. Amy a Washington Post investigation has found a republicanled crackdown on alleged voter fraud has overwhelmingly targeted democrats and people of color. The post found black and latinx people made up more than 70 of defendants accused of voter fraud in states including florida, texas, and ohio, with registered democrats more than 2. 5 times as likely as republicans to be prosecuted. Socalled Election Integrity units in virginia, georgia, and arkansas failed to obtain a single guilty verdict despite millions of dollars spent investigating alleged irregularities. In michigan, former President Donald Trump personally pressured two republican members of the wayne county board of canvassers not to sign the certification of the 2020 president ial election after his loss to joe biden. Thats according to the detroit news, which reviewed audio of a november 17, 2020 phone call in which trump told the canvassers they would look terrible if they signed the documents. After the call, the two officials tried but were unable to rescind their votes to certify bidens election win, and filed legal affidavits saying they were pressured. Meanwhile, trumps former attorney Rudy Giuliani filed for bankruptcy protection in new york on thursday, just a day after day a federal judge ruled that he Must Immediately pay the 148 million he owes to former Georgia Election workers ruby freeman and shaye moss. Giuliani was found liable in august for defaming the africanamerican mother and daughter after he falsely accused them of committing fraud as they tallied ballots in atlanta during the 2020 election, leading to a torrent of Death Threats against them from trump supporters. In his chapter 11 filing, giuliani listed debts of up to half a billion dollars, including nearly 1 million in unpaid taxes. However, u. S. District judge beryl howell remains skeptical, writing such claims of giulianis Financial Difficulties no matter how many times repeated or publicly disseminated and duly reported in the media are difficult to square with the fact that giuliani affords a spokesperson, who accompanied him daily to trial. The Czech Republic will observe a national day of mourning saturday as the country reels following its worstever mass shooting. The gunman, believed to be 24yearold student david kozak, opened fire at Pragues Charles University on thursday, killing at least 14 people and wounding 25 others. He was confirmed dead at the scene. The shooter is also suspected of killing his father earlier in the day before the rampage at the university. Video shows a Group Students balanced precariously on a buildings open ledge as they sought to escape the gunman. Kozak was reportedly inspired by recent Mass Shootings in russia. This is a former student of charles university, who was visiting her mother who lives next to the school at the time of the shooting. It looks like something unprecedented in the country, and i think everyone is completely shaken. For us it is worse because we are locals. Amy and in california, a federal judge blocked a state law that would have banned carrying firearms in most public spaces less than two weeks before it was due to go into effect. Governor gavin newsom signed the law in september, which would bar guns in parks and playgrounds, medical facilities, places of worship, banks, and on public transportation, among other places. Judge cormac carney, who was appointed by former president george w. Bush, said the law was repugnant to the second amendment. Californias attorney general rob bonta is appealing the ruling. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Christmas has been cancelled. As the death toll tops 20,000 in gaza, we begin todays show in the occupied west bank in the city of bethlehem, the birthplace of jesus christ. The Christmas Season is normally a festive time in bethlehem, but not this year as Church Leaders have canceled public christmas festivities citing israels devastating attack on gaza. This is the reverend isaac munther, the palestinian pastor of a landmark Lutheran Church in bethlehem. He addressed his congregation earlier this month in front of a nativity scene with the figure of jesus christ in surrounded by rubble. Christmas is a rate of light and hope. Christmas is the radiance of life from the heart of destruction and death. In gaza, god is under the rubble. He is in the operating room. If christ were to be born today, he would be born under the rubble. I invite you to see the image of jesus and every child killed and pulled from under the rubble and every child struggling in the hospitals and in incubators. Christmas celebrations are canceled this year for christmas itself will not be canceled, for our hope cannot be canceled. Amy that was the reverend isaac munther, the palestinian pastor of a landmark Lutheran Church in bethlehem. He spoke in front of a nativity scene with the figure of christ surrounded by rubble. Earlier this week, pope francis accused israel of committing terrorism in gaza after israeli sniper shot dead two women. In elderly woman and her adult daughter who tried to save her mother at a Catholic Church in gaza city where they had sought refuge. Politico reports israel recently attacked a church and a convent in gaza even the congressional staffers in washington had urged israel to protect the religious sites and gave them the coordinates of the churches. We go now to bethlehem where were joined by reverend mitri raheb, president of dar alkalima university in bethlehem. He has authored many books including decolonizing palestine the land, the people, the bible. It is hard to say Merry Christmas to you, reverend, professor dr. Reverend mitri raheb. Talk about bethlehem. It is a very sad christmas. I dont think in my entire life i asked. So much sadness but also so much anger about what is happening in gaza. As you said, the celebration the festivities were canceled in bethlehem so you dont have christmas lights. You dont have a christmas tree. The people are not up for celebrations because of the people in gaza not only the people in gaza, but we in the west bank, we are experiencing apartheid, colonization by jewish settlers. The death toll, as you said, 20,000 in gaza. In the west bank, in the hundreds. And also the palestinian detainees, over 3000 in the west bank. Amy you have said the story of christmas, the story of the birth of jesus, is more relevant now than ever even though you will not be having festivities around this. Correct. Because the christmas story actually is a palestinian story. It talks about a family in the north of palestine that is ordered by an imperial decree of the romans to evacuate to bethlehem, to go there and register. This is exactly what are people in gaza have been experiencing these 75 days. It talks about mary, the pregnant woman, on the run, exactly like 50,000 women in gaza who are actually displaced. Jesus was born as a refugee. There was no place at the inn for him to be born so he was put in a manger. This is what kids in are experiencing. Most of the hospitals are damaged, out of service, and so there is no delivery place for these pregnant women in gaza. And then you have the bloodthirsty heron that ordered to kill the kids in bethlehem to stay in power. Over 8000 kids have been murdered in gaza for netanyahu to stay in power. And you have this message that the angel declared here, glory to god in the highest, peace on earth. Which was actually a critique of the empire. Because glory belongs to the almighty and not to the mighty. The peace that jesus came to proclaim, it is based on subjugation and military operation but on human not on subjugation and military operation but on dignity and justice. I find it really a shame that in this season where every church hears these words peace on earth, that the United States is vetoing even a ceasefire. It is a shame. Amy i want to good about this report in political, congressional step try to protect churches by sending locations to israel. You are in bethlehem in the occupied west bank. This is about gaza. The Israeli Military received and confirm the coordinates of the church in covenant and gaza, both of which age groups say were later struck by rockets and snipers. It goes on to say the Holy Family Church in gaza was struck last weekend. The location of the church was included on a list of coordinate provided to the Israeli Military by aid organizations and staffers on capitol hill in an effort to protect those sheltering there. We reported in the last few days , among others, about the elderly mother and her daughter who were sheltering at the Holy Family Church this is what the pope referred to when he talked about israel engaging in terrorism. First, was hit. The daughter carries her and then she is hit. This is pope francis speaking on his 87th birthday sunday at the vatican. And let us not forget our brothers and sisters suffering from war in ukraine, palestine, israel and other conflict zones. May the a