The Palestine Pod

Honey I Shot the Kids

This week Lara and Michael discuss how several Palestinian youth were murdered, execution-style, by the Apartheid State’s Yamam Brigade responsible for dressing up as and infiltrating Palestinian circles. Michael reminds us that zionists do not just murder people for armed resistance, but they also assassinate thinkers, people who can sway public opinion, foreign generals, and most recently scientists. Michael also throws back to the very first anti-zionist Jew murdered by the Haganah in 1924, Jacob De Haan. Lara provides a BDS update that includes Texas lawsuits, Harvard students boycotting Sabra, and Death on the Nile. Michael covers how Lebanon broke up an Israeli spy ring and the Palestine Pod discusses the latest in US and Israeli reactions to Amnesty International’s report finding Israel guilty of running an Apartheid regime.

Amnesty International a.k.a ”antisemitic terrorists”

This week Lara and Michael hash out the good and the bad from Amnesty International’s recent report documenting Israel’s Apartheid against Palestinians and dissect the Zionist response (i.e loose cannon false accusations of antisemitism and/or terrorism). Lara queries how many more reports we need before we will believe Palestinians and demand an end to the Apartheid regime? The Palestine Pod somewhat rejoices following news of Meta’s (formerly Facebook) recent removal or various Israeli cyberstalking accounts because as Michael reminds us: only Facebook gets to spy on our data! Lara relishes in the fact that FOX News inadvertently promoted the arguments against zionism and settler-colonialism in one of its articles by heavily quoting a recent University of Chicago SJP Instagram post and failing to present any convincing rebuttals. Lara and Michael conclude this week’s episode by chatting about Yair Lapid's response to the ADL letter on settler terror, calling it a “stain" on Israeli society that he will totally look into and not ignore. 

The Tantura Massacre

On this episode of The Palestine Pod, Lara and Michael do a deep dive into firsthand accounts/primary sources of the massacre at Tantura. We cover it both from the testimonies of the perpetrators and the few people who survived. Lara reads a survivor's account included in The Palestinian Right of Return Under International Law, a book by Professor Francis Boyle. Michael dissects footage from an upcoming documentary entitled Tantura that just premiered at Sundance as well as the attempts by Dr. Illan Pappe and graduate student Theodore Katz to bring the horrors of the massacre to light, and everything the Israeli government did to silence those who dared to speak out. Michael covers the demolition of the Salhiya family home and provides updates on what has been happening in Sheikh Jarrah since much of the world stopped paying attention.  We reference the Occupation’s war on Palestinian elders and the ADL asking Israel to tone down the terrorism. Lara provides a brief update on the Burnat brothers, and the episode concludes with updates on the successes of Palestine Action in their efforts to kick Elbit Systems out of the UK.   

Art and Activism with Tamer Nafar

This week Lara and Michael sit down with the talented and outspoken Palestinian rapper, Tamer Nafar. We speak to Tamer about his music, the recent uprising in May, his family history and what it's like being a Palestinian living inside the occupation. Lara contemplates what it would mean for her to return to Palestine, and Tamer talks about the inspiration for his songs, including a song about refugees returning home and why he would want them there. Michael geeks out about Tamer's rap lyrics, and we discuss living in the moment, especially when the moment is historic. 

Best of 2021 Pt. 2 - A Brisk Jog Down Memory Lane

This week we recap episodes 16-38 and rediscover some of the highlights with guests including Farah Nabulsi, Laila El-Haddad, Qaher Harhash, Lyla June, Hadar Cohen, Malak Mattar, Rifk Ebeid, Jon Elmer, Joe Gaza, Joudie Kalla, Max from Palestine Action, Noam Shuster, Noor Elkhaldi, and Samer Fidy. It's an episode that catches you up to the present with some of the best of from 2021. We'll be back next week with brand new content! 

Best of 2021 Pt.1 - A Stroll Down Memory Lane

This week we take a stroll down memory lane and relive the best moments from the first 15 episodes of The Palestine Pod. From its inception in March 2021, we hear the most influential moments from guests including Amer Zahr, Nora Barrows-Friedman, Miko Peled, Dr. Steve Salaita, Massoud Hayoun, Adnan Barq who reported live from the ground in East Jerusalem during the assault on Sheikh Jarrah and Gaza in May 2021, Anwar Hadid & Vin Arfuso up through the interview with Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela from the Royal House of Mandela. It's an episode full of highlights you won't want to miss!

Palestinian Hustle with Samer Fidy

This week Lara and Michael sit down with the founder and CEO of Palestinian Hustle, Samer Fidy. Samer shares the journey that led him to start the Palestinian-owned small business that donates a portion of every sale to charities in the United States fighting food insecurity, and NGOs on the ground in Gaza providing clean water. Samer speaks of his desire to teach his children about responsibility and giving back to both local and global communities. Michael jokes about Samer’s affinity for Starbucks and contemplates whether or not one should strike up a conversation with your barista about Palestine. Samer surprises the Palestine Pod with stories of his past career pursuits then shares wild memories from his time living in Palestine. Finally, The Palestine Pod announces a limited apparel drop in collaboration with Palestinian Hustle, available on both our websites. 

Whose Identity Will They Steal Next? With Noor Elkhaldi

This week Lara and Michael sit down with Noor Elkhaldi, Palestinian-American fashion model/influencer, and host of the popular podcast Arab-American Psycho, discussing the success of her podcast, its origins, and the meaningful conversations she has had on it with Palestinians like her mother, Hawaiian activists, and other people impacted by colonialism. Lara and Michael do a deep dive into Noor's family history learning that she only found out her parents were refugees this year because of their reluctance to relive past trauma. Noor reflects on traveling to Palestine as an American citizen and the privileges she experienced over Palestinians on the ground. Noor reminds us of Zionist cultural appropriation of Palestinian food, and the beautiful and rich Palestinian food community in New York. Finally, Noor enlightens the Palestine Pod on her experience being a visibly Muslim woman in fashion, with the perils and the joys included. 

RIFQA & Memories That Could Have Been

This week Lara and Michael discuss RIFQA, Mohammed El-Kurd's newly released book of poetry, pondering some of the book's messages like "anger is a luxury we cannot afford." Indeed, Palestinians are expected to be calm and composed while being ethnically cleansed. Lara and Michael talk mental health and the toll Palestinian liberation takes on the lives of those who engage in the work. Lara considers the passages of the book that resonated the most with her, including the reflection "I cried not for the house but for the memories I could have made inside.” Lara imagines what could have been if not for the gangs of Zionist militias who stole Palestine, and expelled and murdered much of the native population. Mohammed El-Kurd writes it's been over "70 years and we have not yet lived a day." Life and time stand still for Palestinians who are waiting to return to Palestine, waiting for rights, waiting for justice. Finally, we discuss a recent B'tselem report that connects settler violence to the state policy of stealing Palestinian land (duh). Michael makes the parallel between the extracurricular terrorist activities of the settlers in Palestine and the KKK in the US. 

Judaism compels us to Free Palestine with Noam Shuster

This week Lara and Michael sit down with Israeli comedian and activist, Noam Shuster Eliassi. We talk about Noam's family history, her mother is an Iranian Jew and her father was born in Jerusalem to Romanian parents who survived the Holocaust. We chat about Noam's desire to preserve the traditions and return even just to visit the birthplace of her mother and honor her Iranian lineage which spans back thousands of years. She expresses her empathy and understanding of Palestinians desire to return to Palestine. We discuss why both Noam and her father refused to serve in the IDF, and the trials and tribulations they faced as a family for being refuseniks. Michael discusses the story of Givat Amal a once Palestinian village ethnically cleansed by the European zionists who resettled the Mizrahi's in areas without adequate infrastructure. Only to also kick them out violently in order to build high rise condominiums. Noam talks about how her Mizrahi identity and her upbringing around Palestinians allowed her to better sympathize with the plight of Palestinians. We conclude by cementing that we all play our own roles, Noam from on the ground, Lara as a Palestinian in exile, and Michael as an American Jew. It is not radical to demand equality among people, and freeing Palestine will free Israeli Jews from being occupiers.