
The Mondoweiss Podcast
At Mondoweiss, our beat is Palestine and the movements, activists and policymakers who affect what’s happening there. We cover Palestinians’ stories of occupation, resistance and hope – stories that show us all how the world’s struggles interconnect.
Latest episodes

Nov 8, 2023 • 2h
63. But We Must Speak: On Palestine and the Mandates of Conscience
Israeli bombs continue to rain down on the Palestinian residents of Gaza. As of this recording, over 9,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, a figure that includes over 3,700 children. Multiple experts on international law and the history of genocide have said that Israel’s actions do indeed amount to genocide. In this episode of the podcast, we’re going to hear a program staged by the Palestine Festival of Literature on November 1, titled: But We Must Speak: On Palestine and the Mandates of Conscience. The event featured: Michelle Alexander, the acclaimed civil rights lawyer and author of The New Jim Crow; Professor Rashid Khalidi in conversation with National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates; Pulitzer Prize-winning Mojave American poet Natalie Diaz; Scholar and international legal expert, Noura Erakat; and poet, activist, and Mondoweiss's Culture Editor, Mohammed El-Kurd. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical, independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Learn more about the Palestine Festival of Literature. View a video of this event. Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser, leave us a review, and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Mastodon Instagram Facebook YouTube Bluesky Twitter WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn

Sep 26, 2023 • 25min
62. Antony Loewenstein on Israeli exports of weapons and surveillance tech around the world
The impact of the Israeli occupation of Palestine extends far beyond the disputed borders of the region. Israeli companies – many with close ties to the government and military – export weapons and surveillance technology across the globe. Palestinians and their communities serve as test subjects, where potential clients can witness the impact of Israeli technology in an urban warfare setting. Award-winning journalist Antony Loewenstein details this dynamic in his book "The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World". It was published by Verso earlier this year. Mondoweiss U.S. correspondent Michael Arria recently spoke to Lowenstein about his reporting. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical, independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Visit Antony's website. Purchase "The Palestine Laboratory" at Verso Books. Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser, leave us a review, and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Mastodon Instagram Facebook YouTube Bluesky Twitter LinkedIn

Sep 11, 2023 • 33min
61. Mohammed El-Kurd and Raeda Taha on Palestinian identity, martyrdom, and revolutionary honesty
Earlier this summer, we announced that Mohammed El-Kurd, the Palestinian poet, journalist, and activist, was joining our staff as the Culture Editor. This is the first podcast episode Mohammed has produced for us, and we're excited to share it with you. He is joined by the playwright Raeda Taha. – – – Support our work Help us continue our critical, independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate. Articles and Links mentioned in the show Follow Raeda Taha on Instagram. The martyr's daughter: a review of ‘Where Can I Find Someone Like You, Ali?’, Jamal Najjab Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head to Podchaser, leave us a review, and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe

Aug 28, 2023 • 1h 45min
60. Unpacking Christian Zionism with Rev. Dr. Don Wagner
Today we’re excited to share an episode from the Latitude Adjustment Podcast looking at the role Christian Zionism plays in continuing persecution of Palestinians. Eric Maddox completed his graduate research in Conflict Transformation from Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the Occupied West Bank, collecting oral histories from the 1948 War. He is the founder and director of the Palestine Podcast Academy, and the host of Latitude Adjustment Podcast. He interviewed Rev. Dr. Don Wagner, a friend of Mondoweiss, and expert on Christian Zionism. From Latitude Adjustment's show notes: While there have been different strains of Christian Zionism dating back to the Sixteenth Century, the most politicized, powerful, and violent iteration of the movement has its roots in the contemporary Christian Evangelical Church. Modern Christian Zionists hold that the ethnic cleansing of roughly 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in historic Palestine in 1948 by Jewish Zionists was the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy in which the so-called Holy Land must be resettled by the Jewish people in order to usher in the return of Jesus Christ as the messiah. Modern Christian Zionism is distinct from the modern form of political Zionism that arose amongst the European Jewish community in the late 19th Century. Don Wagner is a Christian theologian, a former minister, and author. He received a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. He is also author of, "Glory to God in the Lowest: Journeys to an Unholy Land". If you want to hear more from the Latitude Adjustment Podcast and the Palestine Podcast Academy, check our show notes for links. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Don Wagner's articles at Mondoweiss Latitude Adjustment Podcast Glory to God in the Lowest: Journeys to an Unholy Land, Don Wagner Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Aug 11, 2023 • 34min
59. Conditioning U.S. aid to Israel and anti-Palestinian smears at Florida State University
Today we have two interviews from our US correspondent, Michael Arria. First he speaks with Josh Ruebner about the shifting politics around U.S. aid to Israel, and later, he checks in with the victim of an anti-Palestinian smear campaign at Florida State University. We begin with U.S. aid to Israel. The fight in Congress continues to build over the billions of dollars we send to Israel every year. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen is the latest to call for conditioning US aid to Israel, joining other high profile figures such as Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others. At the same time, however, a high-profile delegation of Democrats in the House Representatives were in Israel meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu. This trip was sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and they have been furiously promoting it online over the past several days. Many, if not all of the Congress members on the trip filmed videos for AIPAC’s social media channels in which they profess their love and admiration for Israel. Phil Weiss, our founder and senior editor, said they looked like hostage videos. So, what is happening with the issue of aid funds for Israel? Michael spoke to Josh Ruebner about the history of US aid to Israel and the emerging fractures in Congress over this enormous amount of money. Josh is the author of Israel: Democracy or Apartheid State? and Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace. He is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. Then to Florida. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently announced that it was opening an investigation into Florida State University's handling of a smear campaign targeting one of its students. Ahmad Daraldik was elected FSU student senate president in June 2020, but immediately faced backlash from campus groups, pro-Israel organizations, and even local politicians over his criticisms of Israel. Social media posts Daraldik made as a child, while facing Israeli oppression, were dug up in the process. Michael spoke to Ahmad about the smear campaign, his original complaint, and the historic Education Department probe. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Bowman, Sanders and 12 reps demand Biden 'shift policy' over Israel's 'systemic violence against Palestinians', Phil Weiss The Democratic consensus on Israel is beginning to fracture, but leadership is not budging on issue, Michael Arria Leading liberal Zionist voices call for ending U.S. aid to Israel, Mitchell Plitnick The Shift: Establishment voices question military aid to Israel, Michael Arria Historic civil rights complaint filed against FSU over anti-Palestinian environment, Michael Arria Florida lawmakers are trying to oust FSU’s Palestinian student senate president over a post he made as a 12-year-old, Michael Arria Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Jul 16, 2023 • 1h 12min
58. Miko Peled and Phil Weiss on centering Palestinians and saving Jewish culture from Zionism
Mondoweiss was founded by Phil Weiss, a career journalist, while he was on staff at The New York Observer. In 2006 a wealthy young man named Jared Kushner bought the Observer. After tolerating Phil’s writing on Israel for a brief period, Phil was forced out by Kushner, but he was allowed to keep his blog. Phil is a magnanimous guy and he credits Kushner with freeing him from the world of mainstream journalism to pursue his interest in Israel and the fascination with it that much of American Jewish society clings to. We get asked a lot about the name of the site, Mondoweiss. It was the name of the blog version when it was hosted at the Observer and Phil kept it when he left. One definition of the word “mondo” is “very, or extremely”. So the name “Mondoweiss” was meant as a lighthearted joke that the site would be “extremely Weiss”, because initially Phil was the only author. But the site has grown and evolved into a full-fledged news and analysis publication with staff in the United States and Palestine. We are one of the only U.S.-based publications with a full Palestine news bureau and not simply one reporter in the region. So Jared Kushner might have hoped to prevent Phil from gaining an audience for critical takes on Israel, Zionism, and the American Jewish community, but instead he helped launch an important media outlet in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. This episode of the podcast features an extended interview with Phil, conducted by Miko Peled, the veteran Israeli anti-occupation campaigner. They discuss the origins of Mondoweiss, how Zionism destroyed American Jewish culture, and many other topics. It was originally published on Miko’s podcast in January of this year in three parts. We are excited to share it with you here in one program. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Visit Miko Peled's website Subscribe to Miko's podcast Jared Kushner fired me over Israel ten years ago, Phil Weiss Read more from Phil Weiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Bluesky

Jul 7, 2023 • 38min
57. Unpacking Israel’s attack on the Jenin refugee camp
Israel’s military invasion of the Jenin Refugee Camp, dubbed “Operation Home and Garden” came to an end late Tuesday night. It left at least 12 Palestinians dead, and one Israeli soldier. Israel has, predictably, declared the operation a success. They say 120 Palestinians were arrested and weapons caches were destroyed, including bomb making materials. The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said: “in the last two days we interrupted the weapon production process, seized thousands of bombs, some small and some large, and destroyed dozens of factories, workshops and laboratories.” Our reporters have not yet been able to verify his claim that “dozens” of locations related to the armed resistance in Jenin were destroyed. While the military and political leadership in Israel gloats, Palestinians in Jenin are telling a different story of the largest attack on the camp since 2002’s Operation Defensive Shield. In this assault, Israel deployed up to 2,000 troops backed by armored vehicles, attack helicopters, and warplanes. They turned family homes into sniper positions. They fired tear gas and live ammunition into hospitals- in one case rendering the Emergency Room facilities unusable and forcing staff to treat injured people in the building’s main hallway. They destroyed large portions of the refugee camp’s vital infrastructure, digging up roads throughout the camp with armored bulldozers, knocking out segments of the electrical system, and damaging key water pipelines. As the story from inside the camp emerges, it is clear that this invasion was not an easy one for the region’s most powerful military. The resistance groups in the camp appear to have put up a strong defense, preventing the Israeli military from exercising full control over the area. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may have thought they would have a repeat of the 2002 invasion. They clearly did not. Today I’m joined by our Palestine News Team to discuss all of these events and what the ramifications are, politically, for Palestinians, Israelis and the international community. Yumna Patel is our Palestine News Director, based in Bethlehem. Faris Giacaman is our Managing Editor, based in Ramallah. Mariam Barghouti is our Senior Palestine Correspondent, currently in the United States. And Tareq Hajjaj is our Gaza Correspondent, based in Gaza City. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show ‘The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated’: an eyewitness account from the Israeli assault on Jenin - Mustafa Sheta Will Gaza respond to Israel’s operation in Jenin? - Tareq Hajaj ‘The Nakba reborn’: What a Palestinian journalist saw while covering the Jenin invasion - Mahammad Abed Biden plays Netanyahu’s lapdog– but many in U.S. are critical of Jenin onslaught - Phil Weiss Israel might try to make Jenin the new Gaza - Yumna Patel Video: Palestinians in Jenin confront PA after deadly Israeli invasion - Ahmad Al-Bazz Jenin: the fight over the capacity to resist - Abdaljawad Omar Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Tumblr

Apr 25, 2023 • 1h 4min
56. Alice Rothchild on bringing the Palestine story to young adult fiction
Alice Rothchild is doctor, writer, filmmaker and activist who has spent decades in key social justice movements. She is the author of three books, Broken Promises, Broken Dreams: Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience was released in 2007, On the Brink: Israel and Palestine on the Eve of the 2014 Gaza Invasion, came in 2014, and Condition Critical: Life and Death in Israel/Palestine, was published in 2017. This year Cune Press will publish her first young adult novel, Finding Melody Sullivan. It is the story of a half-Jewish, half-Catholic, 16-year-old girl told against the backdrop of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Phil Weiss spoke to Alice recently about the book, and about her journey from a Conservative Jewish upbringing in New England to become an outspoken activist for Palestinian freedom. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Visit Alice Rothchild’s website to learn more about her writing. Watch the documentary, Voices Across the Divide. Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Apr 14, 2023 • 50min
55. The impact of Israel's raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
The Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem encompasses several key sites central to Islam, including the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest site for Muslims, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have ascended to heaven, where he spoke to God. The compound sits on the Temple Mount, where the ancient Hebrew temple once stood. Today we have a conversation with our Palestine news team about the events surrounding Al Aqsa during Ramadan this year. As readers of our site and listeners to this podcast are surely aware, the Israeli government carried out several raids of the Al Aqsa compound in the last few weeks, leaving one Palestinian dead and hundreds injured and arrested. The Zionist propaganda machine has been working overtime to paint Palestinians as poor caretakers of these sacred spaces, claiming that children playing soccer, or the very presence of fireworks prove that they don’t deserve to be there in the first place. Yumna Patel, our Palestine News Director, leads the discussion with Mariam Barghouti in the West Bank, Tareq Hajjaj in Gaza, and myself. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Israel attacks Al-Aqsa two nights in a row, beating worshipers at holy site, Mariam Barghouti Palestinians fear war is near as Israel attacks Gaza during Ramadan yet again, Tareq Hajjaj These are the settler groups seeking to take over the Aqsa Mosque compound, Jeff Wright Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Apr 1, 2023 • 19min
54. What do the protests in Israel mean for Palestinians living under apartheid?
Protests continue in Israel. Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked back his government’s push to overhaul the Israeli judicial system, but did not abandon the effort. Instead, the government will take it up again in a few months when the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, returns from its spring recess. As part of the agreement to delay the legislation, a new national guard force will be created under the control of the National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Dr. Yara Hawari, senior political analyst at the Palestinian thinktank Al-Shabaka, says, "Itamar Ben-Gvir is an extremist, he’s someone who has consistently called for violence against Palestinians throughout his political career." In today’s episode, Mondoweiss Palestine News Director Yumna Patel speaks with Dr. Hawari about developments in the protests, and what they mean for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and apartheid. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at https://mondoweiss.net/donate Articles and Links mentioned in the show Analysts say Palestinians will pay the price for Israeli ‘democracy’, Yumna Patel Knesset passes bills shrinking Supreme Court powers and strengthening Shin Bet, Mariam Barghouti ‘Soft gloves’ police treatment of Jewish protesters reveals Israeli racism, Phil Weiss Why the main players behind the Israeli protest movement are bringing the confrontation to a head, Razi Nabulse Balad-Tajammu’ party says Israeli protest movement is fighting for “a democracy for Jews only”, Jonathan Ofir Subscribe to our free email newsletters. Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. Click here to post a tweet! If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and leave us a review and follow the show! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen Amazon Apple Podcasts Audible Deezer Gaana Google Podcasts Overcast Player.fm RadioPublic Spotify Stitcher TuneIn YouTube Our RSS feed We want your feedback! Email us Leave us an audio message at SparkPipe More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Daily Headlines Weekly Briefing The Shift tracks U.S. politics Palestine Letter West Bank Dispatch Follow us on social media Facebook Mastodon Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
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