Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron Maté

For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Award-winning Israeli journalist Gideon Levy is such a scathing critic of Israel’s policies and outspoken defender of Palestinian human rights that he’s only narrowly escaped physical attacks, even needing to have a bodyguard. But the Haaretz columnist and author wasn’t always like this. He describes his former self as “a full member of the nationalistic religious orgy [of Israel]. We were all under the feeling that the whole project of Israel is in existential danger. We all felt that another Holocaust is around the corner.” So when Israel won its 1967 war on Palestine, he didn’t think of killed Palestinians and Israel’s occupation: “We felt that victory in 1967 was like a messianic miracle, and we were so grateful for this. We didn’t ask any questions. We didn’t see any Palestinians.” Levy was 14 at the time. And, as he realized years later, “totally brainwashed.” He is now one of a very small number of prominent Israeli voices speaking out against Israel’s assault on Gaza and its brutal occupation. Joining Useful Idiots from Tel Aviv, Israel, he shares what he sees happening in his country. “There are three things that let Israelis live in peace with the occupation,” he says. “The belief that they’re the chosen people. The belief that they’re victims. And the dehumanization of Palestinians.” He discusses how Israeli media spreads these three beliefs, and how Netanyahu and his far-right government exploit them to bomb hospitals and humiliate Palestinians on a daily basis without pushback. Levy sees the two state occupation as no longer possible. A one state of apartheid is the status quo and a one state with equal rights as the ideal, but an unlikely one for now: “I don’t see any hope from any direction. Israelis will not wake up one morning and say ‘oh this occupation, this apartheid, we don’t like it so much. Let’s put an end to it.’ This will never happen. It will only happen when Israel is punished for it. And this is not going to happen because the international community basically supports the occupation. The United States supports the occupation.” Subscribe for the full interview with Gideon Levy where he explains how young people in both the US and Israel view the war, the horrors he’s witnessed in the West Bank, Israel’s “Nazi proposals” and why the two-state solution is dead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: Ted Cruz on Liberal Women's Sex Lives https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/ted-cruz-on-liberal-womens-sex-lives?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web “They’re targeting journalists,” says Anan Quzmar, a volunteer with the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate. “But it’s maybe a wider segment of the Palestinian society. The target is the foundations of Palestinian society.” Anan speaks to us from the West Bank city of Tulkarm, reporting on the estimated 97 journalists who have been killed by Israel. “These people represent a portal for hope for the people of Gaza. They deliver their voices to people around the world. And targeting them is basically killing hope.” Anan shares the stories of his journalist friends and heroes who have been hunted, killed, or forced to flee by Israel. He goes on to explain that it isn’t just Israel, but the US, President Biden, and our corporate media who are inciting this genocide: “They are complicit in justifying, facilitating, and covering up for an ongoing genocide.” Just this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that it is the Palestinians who are the aggressors and Israel who is the victim. This comes after Biden doubled down on his false claims of seeing photos of beheaded babies and state-media propagandists like Jake Tapper and Dana Bash pushed unverified claims of mass rape. These tactics contribute to the US strategy of dehumanizing Palestinians and selling a genocide. Subscribe to hear the full interview with Anan Quzmar where he debunks claims that Hamas is using human shields (and proves that Israel does use them), calls out Israeli journalists who are cheering on the murder of Palestinian journalists, and what he’s witnessing living in the West Bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the latest interview with former UN official Craig Mokhiber: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/former-un-official-biden-is-inciting?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: Biden tells Jews they're not safe in America https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/biden-tells-jews-theyre-not-safe?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Gazan writers Muhammad Shehada and Yousef M. Aljamal, both students of Refaat Alareer, join us to remember their teacher. Refaat, who was a guest on Useful Idiots in October at the beginning of Israel's assault on Gaza, was killed this week in a targeted attack by Israel. Watch the full interview with Refaat here: https://youtu.be/Nk0x_s_h-pU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full interview with Craig Mokhiber: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/former-un-official-biden-is-inciting?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: Biden tells Jews they're not safe in America https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/biden-tells-jews-theyre-not-safe?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web International human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber served as the director for the New York office of the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, but resigned over the UN’s failure to stop what he, and others, calls a "textbook case of genocide" in Gaza. He describes the politicalization of the organization and the West’s refusal to follow international law. “If you have a message coming from the United States and their western allies that says these rules do not apply to us or to our western friends, or in short-hand, they do not apply to white people, but they do apply to the rest of the world, that is maybe the last nail in the coffin of these international laws.” “The security council belongs in a Cold War museum,” he says. “It is an entity that empowers five permanent members with a veto that is usually used to prevent any action to the benefit of normal human beings. The US in this case used its veto to prevent ceasefire, and after each veto, thousands of more Palestinians are being massacred in Gaza. It’s an act of complicity.” So when Israel commits war crimes that are empowered by the US, it is no longer only their crime: “Just to put it simply, this assault on Gaza is being perpetrated by Israel and the United States. The US is a party to this.” And given that Biden has repeatedly claimed that he saw photos of beheaded babies (even after his staff urged him not to and the White House walked it back), we asked Craig: Can the argument be made that Joe Biden is inciting genocide? His response: “Absolutely.” Subscribe to watch the full interview with Craig Mokhiber on the fear used to silence UN officials, and Israel’s allegations of rape on October 7. 00:00 Intro 00:43 The Four Food Groups of News 11:45 Craig Mokhiber interview 12:15 Resigning from the UN 20:43 What should the UN do? 30:38 UN staffers protest 34:20 Is it genocide? 46:49 Why is Biden lying? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full interview with Ilan Pappé: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/israeli-historian-ilan-pappe-on-genocide?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: CNN Declares Palestinian Civilian Death Ratio 'Tremendous' https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/cnn-declares-palestinian-civilian?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join the Absurd Arena live chat with Katie and Aaron every Tuesday at 12pm est at https://usefulidiotspodcast.com/chat This week, Useful Idiots guest Refaat Alareer was killed by Israel. We interviewed him on October 11 when Israel had just begun its assault on Gaza, and he shared important on-the-ground information all while sheltering 15 children in his Gaza apartment. Bombs could be heard falling in the background of the interview, but still Refaat bravely spoke out. We are heartbroken and angry by this devastating loss. Which means it is more important than ever to continue to expose the crimes of Israel. Ilan Pappé, an Israeli historian, joins Useful Idiots from Haifa, Israel to give historical context to both Hamas’ attack and the assault committed by Israel, which he deems a genocide under international law. And he also gives his outlook on the future of the tragedy: “The near future doesn’t look good,” he tells us. “It looks bleak.” “But there is some light at the end of the tunnel. That light is being radiated by the younger Palestinian generation. It’s a far more assertive generation, a far more united generation.” “I draw a lot of inspiration and courage from them,” Pappé continues, “and also hope that together with the amazing solidarity movement, they have the potential to challenge this powerful coalition of multinational corporations, security companies, military industries, and governments that support global Israel. I’ve never seen such a solidarity movement in history as we see now across the globe.” Subscribe for the full interview with Ilan Pappé on the alleged spread of antisemitism in the US and college campuses, the historical difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, his analysis of Hamas, and what needs to happen to end the occupation. 00:00 Intro 01:10 The Four Food Groups of News 16:21 Ilan Pappé interview 16:53 Becoming and anti-Zionist 21:41 Israel is a plan of ethnic cleansing 34:04 Historical context of Oct 7 52:16 Alleged antisemitism on college campuses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full episode with Gideon Levy: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/israels-nazi-proposals-w-gideon-levy?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: Democrat claims that voters LOVE GENOCIDE https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/democrat-claims-that-voters-love?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join the Absurd Arena live chat with Katie and Aaron every Tuesday at 12pm est at https://usefulidiotspodcast.com/chat Award-winning Israeli journalist Gideon Levy is such a scathing critic of Israel’s policies and outspoken defender of Palestinian human rights that he’s only narrowly escaped physical attacks, even needing to have a bodyguard. But the Haaretz columnist and author wasn’t always like this. He describes his former self as “a full member of the nationalistic religious orgy [of Israel]. We were all under the feeling that the whole project of Israel is in existential danger. We all felt that another Holocaust is around the corner.” So when Israel won its 1967 war on Palestine, he didn’t think of killed Palestinians and Israel’s occupation: “We felt that victory in 1967 was like a messianic miracle, and we were so grateful for this. We didn’t ask any questions. We didn’t see any Palestinians.” Levy was 14 at the time. And, as he realized years later, “totally brainwashed.” He is now one of a very small number of prominent Israeli voices speaking out against Israel’s assault on Gaza and its brutal occupation. Joining Useful Idiots from Tel Aviv, Israel, he shares what he sees happening in his country. “There are three things that let Israelis live in peace with the occupation,” he says. “The belief that they’re the chosen people. The belief that they’re victims. And the dehumanization of Palestinians.” He discusses how Israeli media spreads these three beliefs, and how Netanyahu and his far-right government exploit them to bomb hospitals and humiliate Palestinians on a daily basis without pushback. Levy sees the two state occupation as no longer possible. A one state of apartheid is the status quo and a one state with equal rights as the ideal, but an unlikely one for now: “I don’t see any hope from any direction. Israelis will not wake up one morning and say ‘oh this occupation, this apartheid, we don’t like it so much. Let’s put an end to it.’ This will never happen. It will only happen when Israel is punished for it. And this is not going to happen because the international community basically supports the occupation. The United States supports the occupation.” Subscribe for the full interview with Gideon Levy where he explains how young people in both the US and Israel view the war, the horrors he’s witnessed in the West Bank, Israel’s “Nazi proposals” and why the two-state solution is dead. 00:00 Intro 01:43 The Four Food Groups of News 19:52 An Ode to Henry Kissinger 24:00 Gideon Levy interview 28:05 How Israeli's live with occupation 35:27 Can the truce hold? 45:47 Is there any hope for peace? 56:15 What do young Israelis think? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: White House Triggered by Genocide Joe nickname https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/white-house-triggered-by-genocide?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join the Absurd Arena live chat with Katie and Aaron every Tuesday at 12pm est at https://usefulidiotspodcast.com/chat Presidential candidate Cornel West and author Gabor Maté met for the first time this week to discuss the horrors of Israel’s war on Gaza. “I don’t know about you,” Dr. Maté says to Dr. West, “but for me, what’s going on is one of the heaviest things, if not the heaviest thing, I’ve witnessed in my whole life. I don’t know how to compare tragedies, but there’s something about what’s going on right now that seems heavier and darker.” West responds: “When you watch precious human beings being literally killed, crushed, demeaned, degraded, day after day, it makes you think that this particular historical moment has a certain grimness and darkness that others don’t.” The two men use their complex histories with tragedy and suffering to analyze the horror of the current moment. “I’ve always felt that no evil would surprise me and no despair would paralyze me,” West continues, “because you and I know the history of the species.” But the conversation that stems from this is a much more hopeful one, where the scholars’ vast study of philosophy and history intertwine to create a message not of helplessness but of possibility. Hear the full conversation on how oppressed people create music of rebellion, their favorite philosophers, and a final message to take from the conversation: “Never again is not a tribal slogan. It’s a universal slogan. It applies to everybody.” This week’s special episode is free to everyone. We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and we thank you for supporting Useful Idiots. Plus, catch this week’s Thanksgiving Throwdown: White House Triggered by “Genocide Joe” nickname Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full interview with Rahma Zein: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/egyptian-podcaster-destroys-cnn-reporter?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: Sen. Chris Coons Throws Aaron Maté Off a Train https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/sen-chris-coons-throws-aaron-mate?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join the Absurd Arena live chat with Katie and Aaron every Tuesday at 12pm est at https://usefulidiotspodcast.com/chat When Rahma Zein, host of the podcast The Arab Narrative, confronted CNN’s Clarissa Ward on camera at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt over CNN’s biased neglect of Palestinians, the video went viral. More importantly, it exposed Western media’s complicity in Israel’s crimes against Gaza. “The Zionist movement has” influence “not only in major industries but with thought leaders, major politicians, and media outlets,” Zein says. “So who’s left to speak up for the Palestinians?” But can you really blame Clarissa Ward, Zein asks. “I shouldn’t really reprimand her, because the United States president came out and said that he saw beheaded children. So why should I reprimand a mediocre news anchor who is just a puppet of that?” Following the confrontation, Zein went on Piers Morgan to call out the US’s “sick relationship” with Israel. She breaks down the entire story here. Subscribe to watch the full interview with Rahma Zein where she debunks Israel’s malicious claims that the Al-Shifa hospital housed a Hamas command center, shares how it feels to be erased by western media for being an Arab woman, exposes the DNC police for attacking peaceful protesters, and sheds light on Israel’s covered-up history of attacking Jews: “I believe that Israel is one of the most antisemitic entities there ever was.” Important voices like Rahma’s are rarely heard on corporate media. Listen here for a new perspective on Israel’s assault on Gaza. 00:00 Chris Coons throws Aaron Maté off a train (teaser) 01:04 The Four Food Groups of News 14:50 Rahma Zein interview 15:33 Rahma confronts CNN's Clarissa Ward 25:19 What should media cover? 29:07 Rahma on Piers Morgan 41:00 Don't feel sorry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full interview with Yanis Varoufakis: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/yanis-varoufakis-on-israels-war-crimes?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: John Kirby has no tears and no red lines for Gaza https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/john-kirby-has-no-tears-and-no-red?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join the Absurd Arena live chat with Katie and Aaron every Tuesday at 12pm est at https://usefulidiotspodcast.com/chat “The United States fully endorses Israel’s war crimes,” says Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. “Because that’s what it is. When you switch off the water to two and a half million people, by the Geneva Convention that’s a war crime.” The economist, who shares a European perspective on the war, says that “the West has conspired to ensure a generalized massacre.” And the real question is “how much Palestinian blood is required to cleanse the hands of Europe?” As a European, Varoufakis tells us how his continent’s mix of guilt and cowardice are keeping the war fueled. “You have a situation where the European Union simply doesn’t exist anymore as a geopolitical entity, and therefore it simply mimics whatever is coming from Washington DC.” This wasn’t the case even twenty years ago, but today governments are too afraid to have their own positions. “Even if they secretly oppose what the United States is doing, European presidents and prime ministers are too scared to actually express these disagreements. And that is a major defeat of European democracy.” So for now, without faith in any government to do what’s right, Yanis Varoufakis encourages the people to take the streets. “I try to make the point that the protests in favor of Palestinians are also protests of solidarity with our Israeli and Jewish comrades who are suffering immensely under the apartheid regime of Netanyahu.” Subscribe for the full interview where Varoufakis shares his deep disappointment in Bernie Sanders, the nefarious reasons for NATO’s existence, the disaster that is the war in Ukraine, and a look at his new book Technofeudalism, which posits that capitalism actually ended over a decade ago. 00:00 Intro 01:42 The Four Food Groups of News 19:25 Yanis Varoufakis interview Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Click here for the full interview with Rashid Khalidi: https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/rashid-khalidi-how-biden-fuels-israels?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web For $5 a month, become a Useful Idiot! Get extended interviews, Thursday Throwdowns, and chat live with Katie and Aaron in the Absurd Arena at www.usefulidiotspodcast.com Watch this week's Thursday Throwdown: Israel stuns former Israel lobbyist Wolf Blitzer https://www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/p/israel-stuns-former-israel-lobbyist?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Join the Absurd Arena live chat with Katie and Aaron every Tuesday at 12pm est at https://usefulidiotspodcast.com/chat “Have you been surprised at all at how extreme Biden has been in supporting Israel,” we asked Professor Rashid Khalidi, author of The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, “refusing to call for a ceasefire and downplaying the death toll?” “Short answer,” he responds. “No.” “I think that what the president said about the Palestinian death toll is absolutely despicable and unforgivable, and requires a public apology by the president himself. When you have, day after day after day after day, the administration harping on Israeli civilian casualties, and you have nine times the number of Palestinian civilian casualties, with the president of the United States disparaging the numbers, it is insulting, demeaning, and repugnant.” Khalidi continues on to explain that Biden’s actions are not just morally untenable, but politically as well. “He will lose the support of vast numbers of people. This administration has been beyond Trumpian in its furtherance of every position put forward by the Trump administration, without exception.” Khalidi predicts that if Biden stays on this track, he’ll not only lose the presidency, but also cost the Democrats the House. “So, was I surprised? No.” Subscribe to hear the full episode with Professor Khalidi where he responds to a recent Atlantic article claiming that Israel is not a settler colonial project, an important update on the occupied West Bank, and his final answer to the question: “What should we be fighting for right now?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy