Voltaire Network

Silvia Cattori

Swiss journalist. After having extensively written about diplomacy in South-East Asia and the Indian Ocean, she was witness to operation « Protective shield », launched by the Tsahal against the Palestinians. Ever since, she has devoted her work to raising global awareness of the conditions endured by the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

183 articles

français 58 English 29 عربي 10 Español 43 русский 4 italiano 20 Deutsch 11 Português 8

Exclusive Interview

Mordechai Vanunu: "Iran poses no threat"

by Silvia Cattori

Mordechai Vanunu: "Iran poses no threat"

10 November 2011
Against the current backdrop of Israeli talk of pre-emptive strikes against Iran’s alleged military nuclear facilities, Voltaire Network is republishing this exclusive 2005 interview of Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu. Twenty-five years ago, this former Israeli nuclear technician exposed the existence of his country’s nuclear arsenal, tearing down the wall of Israel’s secrecy and hypocrisy. To this day, Israel - in unison with the United States - refuses to confirm the existence of its nuclear arsenal.

Interview with Gilad Atzmon, Israeli-born musician, author and philosopher

Gilad Atzmon talks about his latest book “The Wandering Who?”

by Silvia Cattori

Gilad Atzmon talks about his latest book “The Wandering Who?”

Geneva (Switzerland) | 30 September 2011
In his book, "The Wandering Who?", Gilad Atzmon goes where no one else dares to tread. He challenges what he considers to be the myths and the tribal mindset underpinning the founding of the Zionist state and its racially-driven policies. Repudiating the concept of ’chosen-ness’ that separates the Jews from the others, he has abandoned his to ’become an ordinary human being.’ His book has been acclaimed by eminent Jewish intellectuals. He responds to Silvia Cattori’s questions.

Freedom Flotilla 2

Too many headwinds to take to sea but the struggle goes on

by Silvia Cattori

Too many headwinds to take to sea but the struggle goes on

5 July 2011
Under pressure from Israel and the United States, the embattled Greek government has prohibited the Freedom Flotilla from sailing to Gaza from its ports. But for its organizers, the fight has just begun and Israel will be kept under pressure by civil society who will continue to denounce the illegality of the blockade, and endeavor to reach Gaza. Dimitri Plionis, one of the Greek spokesmen for the Flotilla, responds here to the questions of Silvia Cattori.

An Interview with Gilad Atzmon

Israeli occupation: Calling A Spade A Spade

by Silvia Cattori

Israeli occupation: Calling A Spade A Spade

Geneva (Switzerland) | 27 February 2011
Gilad Atzmon is an outstandingly charming man. He is often described by music critics as one of the finest contemporary jazz saxophonists. But Atzmon is more than just a musician: for those who follow events in the Middle East, he is considered to be one of the most credible voices amongst Israeli opponents. In the last decade he has relentlessly exposed and denounced barbarian Israeli policies. Just before his departure on a European Spring Tour, “The Tide Has Changed “, with his band the Orient House Ensemble, he spoke to Silvia Cattori.

Interview with Hazem Jamjoum

Through piracy, Israel has revealed its true nature to the world

by Silvia Cattori

Through piracy, Israel has revealed its true nature to the world

Geneva (Switzerland) | 8 June 2010
The extraordinary brutality of the army that abusively describes itself as “the most ethical army in the world” has ended up in exposing to everyone the true face of Israel. It must be noted that such brutality would never have been possible without the complicity of Western political circles and media. Hazem Jamjoum, 28, a Palestinian scholar who passed through Geneva on the same day as Israel’s deadly storming of the Freedom Flotilla, replies to the questions of Silvia Cattori.

Khaled Amayreh: A dangerous juncture in Palestinian history

by Silvia Cattori

Khaled Amayreh: A dangerous juncture in Palestinian history

11 March 2010
While the Israeli Government is projecting an "economic peace" with the Palestinians and the French Government is calling for the recognition of a fictitious Palestinian State - deprived of land and sovereignty - Silvia Cattori has interviewed one of the leading intellectuals of the Palestinian resistance: Khalid Amayreh. According to him, the Western countries are in deep denial over the colonial reality of Palestine, which they only perceive through the prism of their Palestinian collaborators.

"What is the lesson to be learned from the Holocaust?": an interview with Hedy Epstein

by Silvia Cattori

"What is the lesson to be learned from the Holocaust?": an interview with Hedy Epstein

Lausanne (Suisse) | 9 January 2010
85-year old Hedy Epstein is back in the limelight. Last week in Cairo, she embarked on a hunger strike to protest the ongoing blockade of Gaza. A Jewish Holocaust survivor whose parents perished in Auschwitz in 1942, she emigrated to the US in 1948 and first visited Palestine in 2003. Revolted by the Israeli Government’s oppression of the Palestinians, she has devoted her life to drawing public attention to this reality. Back from a visit to Palestine in January 2008, she was interviewed by Silvia Cattori.

Sami El Haj creates the Guantánamo Justice Center

by Silvia Cattori

Sami El Haj creates the Guantánamo Justice Center

Geneva (Switzerland) | 30 July 2009
On 29 July 2009, we had the privilege of meeting with Sami al-Haj, an Al Jazeera journalist and cameraman who was imprisoned in Guantánamo for more than 6 years and who was passing through Geneva. On that occasion he told us about the foundation of the London-based humanitarian organization « Guantánamo Justice Center" which he chairs, as he will formally announce at the press conference taking place in that capital on 30 July 2009. This NGO will be steered by the former British prisoner, Moazzam Begg, in his capacity as Secretary-General and will have branches in Geneva and Paris.

Guantanamo

Sami El Haj, Al Jazeera journalist, tells his story

by Silvia Cattori

Sami El Haj, Al Jazeera journalist, tells his story

Geneva (Switzerland) | 30 July 2008
Standing straight and tall, an impressive and deeply introspective man, Sami El Haj walks with a limp and the help of a walking stick. Neither laughter nor smiles light up the refined face of this man, old before his time. A deep sadness pervades him. He was 32 years old when, in December 2001, his life, like that of tens of thousands of other Muslims, became a horrific nightmare.

The Incredible story of Youssef Nada

by Silvia Cattori

The Incredible story of Youssef Nada

Geneva (Switzerland) | 25 July 2008
Under the cover of the « war against terror », the United States and the European Union have granted unlimited powers to secret services and police. Emergency measures which were introduced on a provisional basis in 2001, outside any judiciary control, have become permanent. Since September 2001, at least 80,000 people, mainly Muslim, would have been kidnapped, kept in secret prisons, and tortured by CIA and FBI agents. Hundreds of others have been put on the UN « black list ». That’s what happened to the businessman Youssef Nada, 77 years old, an Italian citizen of Egyptian origin, accused by U.S. President, G.W Bush of financing Al-Qaeda. Two judiciary investigations resulted in a non-suit, but Mr. Nada didn’t get his name deleted from the UN « black list » (*). His assets remain frozen; he is barred from travelling to or transiting in any country. He can’t go outside the tiny enclave of Campione - an Italian enclave inside Swiss territory - where Silvia Cattori went to meet (...)

An Interview with Aharon Shabtaï

Israel, “guest of honour” in Paris and Turin, does not deserve to be invited

by Silvia Cattori

Israel, “guest of honour” in Paris and Turin, does not deserve to be invited

Jaffa/Tel Aviv (Palestine/Israel) | 27 February 2008
When the announcement that Israel would attend the "Fiera del libro" of Turin, (*) came out, an immediate wave of protest arose in Italy; and many personalities supported the boycott call, made by the Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian Writers’ Associations. In France, strangely enough, the same invitation, to the "Salon du livre" of Paris, did not make much noise. Alone, the Israeli poet Aharon Shabtaï has refused to participate in these events, contrary to the 39 Israeli writers who accepted to be part of the Israeli delegation to these two exhibitions. Aharon Shabtaï explains here why these events –which he qualifies as "promotion of propaganda" for Israel-, must be boycotted, as well as any cultural event where this apartheid State is celebrated.

No to the apartheid 2 states solution

Omar Barghouti: « No State Has the Right to Exist as a Racist State »

by Silvia Cattori

Omar Barghouti: « No State Has the Right to Exist as a Racist State »

Rome (Italy) | 7 December 2007
Omar Barghouti belongs to a new generation of Palestinians who never adhered to the solution of « Two States, Two peoples ». They are advocating, instead, the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) of Israel as well as a «secular, democratic state» solution, where Palestinians and Israelis would share equal rights, after historic injustices are redressed and the refugees are allowed to return.

Hedy Epstein and Greta Berlin: “We Are Committed to Sailing to Gaza – Ahoy!”

by Silvia Cattori

13 August 2007
Hedy Epstein and Greta Berlin, two among other personalities promoting the project, "Sailing a boat to Gaza" explain, in the interview they gave to Silvia Cattori, why the boat "Free Gaza" will not sail this summer as initially planned, but next spring.

An Interview with Greta Berlin

Sailing to Gaza

by Silvia Cattori

Sailing to Gaza

Lausanne (Suisse) | 7 June 2007
Greta Berlin, 66 years old, is a businesswoman from Los Angeles, CA. She is the mother of two Palestinian-American children and has been to the occupied territories twice in the past four years with the International Solidarity Movement. She is also a member of Women in Black Los Angeles. She is one of many other people, who have organized an unusual project, sailing a boat to Gaza. They intend to challenge Israel’s claim that they no longer occupy Gaza. Talking to her, she explains why she and the other courageous people are going.

Interview with Count Hans-Christof von Sponeck

United Nations implications in war crimes

by Silvia Cattori, Hans von Sponeck

United Nations implications in war crimes

23 March 2007
For Hans Christof von Sponeck, the former assistant secretary-general of the UN, the United Nations, far from garding the respect for international law and the consolidation of peace, have themselves become a factor of injustice. Thus, the sanctions imposed on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq caused a human disaster, whereas treaties such as the nuclear non-proliferation treaty are used to ensure the domination of certain powers and to threaten others. It is time to change the system completely.

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