The Palestine Pod

Declare a Firing Zone, Expect Fire

This week Lara and Michael discuss the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court to ethnically cleanse 2400 Palestinians from their homes in the south Hebron hills in the region of Masafer Yatta. The IOF designated land that Palestinians have lived on for many generations as a “firing zone,” as a means to confiscate the land and confiscate Palestinians from their homes. This move comes on the heels of news that the occupation approved thousands of illegal settlements on Palestinian land for Jewish settlers only. Lara and Michael cover the continued effort by settlers to break into the Al Aqsa compound. Lara and Michael talk about the Apartheid State’s pathetic attempt to dress up the apartheid wall. Michael comments on cases where Israeli police are pressured to drop murder cases where Jewish Israelis are the suspects and Palestinians are the victims and concludes by commenting on the recent news that the ADL has declared war on anti-zionists and leftist groups.

Vampires and Blood Libel with Michael Malarkey

This week Lara and Michael sit down with actor, musician, and strong Palestinian ally Michael Malarkey. We talk about how Michael Malarkey came to his understanding of the situation in Palestine, what motivated him to speak out in support of Palestinians, and we do a deep dive into Michael's family history where we learn his grandfather was born in Nazareth. Malarkey's research into Palestine sent him down a rabbit hole of US imperialism, and the global domination of capitalist interests. We discuss using social media as a tool to educate people and the material consequences of being so outspoken in support of Palestine. Michael Malarkey talks about the importance of siding with your own humanity over a collective or individual identity. We cover the ways in which history has been whitewashed in Palestine and connect that to the ongoing debate about Critical Race Theory in the United States. Finally, we wrap up by discussing Michael Malarkey's upcoming music and film projects and how he hopes to make more art with Palestinian filmmakers and musicians. 

Looking Into It

This week Lara and Michael discuss the deja vu of watching Zionists desecrate portions of the Al Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. The occupation also assaulted journalists, men, women, and children, locking people inside the mosque so that Israeli settlers could waltz around the Al Aqsa compound. We held space for the seemingly neverending list of Palestinians murdered by the occupation in recent weeks. We talk about western media never affording Palestinians the opportunity for self-defense, whereas those same media outlets provided how-to guides for resistance in Ukraine. We talked about how every time the occupation murders a Palestinian, the only thing they have to say is "we'll look into it" and nothing ever comes of those so-called investigations. 

Embracing Jewish Anti-Zionism with Rabbi Rosen

This week Lara and Michael sit down with Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago. They made headlines by becoming the first (progressive) Jewish congregation in the United States to add anti-Zionism to their core values. We discuss why they changed from non-Zionist to anti-Zionist. Rabbi Rosen talks about uplifting Jewish life in the diaspora and how diasporic consciousness serves our understanding and solidarity with all marginalized groups. We cover, what it means to be a Jew? Does being a good Jew mean supporting a settler-colonial apartheid state or are there other ways to express your Judaism? Rabbi Rosen explains how Zionism not only has nothing to do with Judaism but it's not supported by Jewish tradition. We discuss the internet's reaction to the decision to identify as anti-Zionist and the media coverage. Rabbi Rosen makes the point that Zionism actually requires anti-semitism to prosper. This explains the various ways Zionists have collaborated with antisemites over the years, including collaboration with Nazis, which continues to this day with support for the Azov Battalion in Ukraine. We talk about defining Zionism by its actions. We close by reliving Rabbi Rosens' personal path to anti-Zionism, and how it's never too late to change your mind when confronted with the facts and morality. 

 

Resistance for me, not thee

This week Lara and Michael celebrate the 50th episode of The Palestine Pod. We do a quick recap of guests and share our appreciation for everyone who has enjoyed the project so far. We cover the various shootings that occurred over the past few weeks. Some at the hands of the occupation, and some at the hands of Palestinians resisting. We discuss the difference in reaction when Ukrainians resist using violence vs. when Palestinians resist using violence. We dissect how the Israeli media is trying to justify the occupation of Palestine while supporting the right to self-defense from the occupation in Ukraine. We discuss the real origins of terrorism and the gravity of the violence that Palestinians face every single day. A former Israeli general promises Palestinians another Nakba. The so-called “safest place for Jews” needs to recommit itself to security apparently, by beefing up its police budget. We cover the occupation's reaction to Palestinian resistance which includes a stupidly named “Operation Break the Wave” and how that includes tear gassing hospitals. US Senators obstruct justice in the name of “fighting antisemitism” and we also cover Land Day and the various protests around the world commemorating the Palestinians who lost their lives protecting their land. We talk about how the Israeli lobby is gunning for Lowkey, and the New York Times finally mentions the Amnesty International Apartheid Israel report, some 52 days late, and only as a footnote.

A Seat at the Table with Ahmed Eldin

This week Lara and Michael sit down with Palestinian journalist, documentary filmmaker, and GQ heartthrob, Ahmed Eldin. Ahmed joins us to discuss his upcoming documentary (which is still under wraps) and how the terminology surrounding Israeli apartheid and occupation of Palestine is shifting in the public arena. We chat about overt and subtle media censorship from Instagram deprioritizing certain videos to outright banning accounts, and the inability to speak freely when working in a major newsroom. We cover some of the most recent egregious double standards from the Russia/Ukraine situation. We also talk about how Palestinian resistance has been criminalized in an effort to scare people away from talking about justice for Palestine. We end with a lighthearted conversation about how the Palestinian people are not waiting around for their so-called leaders to take action. Individual Palestinians both on the ground and in exile are taking liberation into their own hands.

Erasure with Nerdeen Kiswani

This week Lara and Michael sit down with the New York-based revolutionary activist and organizer Nerdeen Kiswani. Nerdeen is a 3L at the CUNY School of Law where she is the head of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). She's the chair of Within Our Lifetime a Palestinian-led community hub that organizes Palestinians in the diaspora whose goal is to revitalize the revolutionary spirit of the Palestinian community abroad in pursuit of a free homeland. Her account @wolpalestine and @thepalestinepod were deleted off Instagram without warning or explanation. We discuss the efforts we underwent to get our accounts back, censorship, and the erasure of all Indigenous peoples in the world and on the internet. 

Civilized Armed Resistance

This week Lara and Michael do a deep dive into the hypocrisy, double standards, and outright racism exhibited by media when covering Ukraine vs. Palestine. We muse about what makes someone civilized and why the media glorifies armed resistance in Ukraine but deems any such action by Palestinians as terrorism. We cover how both pictures of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi and videos of bombs being dropped in Gaza were manipulated to garner support for Ukraine until people found out both happened in Palestine. We cover the preferential treatment Ukrainian refugees receive in contrast to refugees coming from Africa and the Levant. We also discuss how Black people are being stopped from fleeing in Ukraine and the existence of Nazis (funded by the US and Israel) within the ranks of Ukrainian resistance. We talk about a former Air Force Captain for the IOF who says the Israeli government and military are "terrorist organizations run by war criminals" and has started a movement to encourage soldiers to quit. Finally, we discuss an article about young Jews dedicating their social media presence to undoing the brainwashing of Zionism, where Michael is mentioned by name. 

Double Apartheid with Nisreen Salem

This week Lara and Michael speak with Nisreen Salem, a photojournalist from Occupied East Jerusalem. She conducts the interview from inside a family’s house in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah where she documents protests that occur every night. We provide updates on the situation in Sheikh Jarrah with the Salem family and others. Nisreen breaks down the specifics of the Jerusalem court freezing (but not cancelling) expulsions, and ordering Palestinian families to pay the courts and the Israeli police. She explains how Sheikh Jarrah is the last stand for Palestinian freedom of movement in Jerusalem because 4 of the 6 areas in East Jerusalem have already been ethnically cleansed by the Apartheid state. Nisreen tells us about the Afro Palestinian experience, including racism from both Israeli and Palestinian society amounting to what she describes as “double apartheid.” Nisreen describes how she was assaulted and abducted by the IOF for doing journalism. We discuss how the occupation uses the trauma of Black Jews to advance settler-colonial aims while deporting Black Jews, invalidating their Jewishness, and in some cases sterilizing Ethiopian women. We conclude with the story of how Nisreen's family was displaced first in Africa, and then again from 1948 Palestine.

Overthrow Abbas

This week Lara and Michael sit down with Diana Buttu, a fierce human rights lawyer, former PLO negotiator, Palestinian citizen of Israel and political analyst at the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU). Diana offers her views on the Amnesty International Report and on current events on the ground in the aftermath of the May 2021 uprising. She tells the Palestine Pod the story of how her father’s family was ethnically cleansed from his village near Nazareth. Lara and Diana analyze Israel's absurd relationship to the law, and Michael asks Diana what we can learn from the South African anti-Apartheid struggle. Diana also shares behind the scenes stories from her time negotiating for the PLO.