The Palestine Pod

This week Lara and Michael sit down with our first repeat guest, Adnan Barq. Adnan is a journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Jerusalem, Palestine. We discuss the things he saw at the funeral for Shireen Abu Akleh, and how it was the largest funeral procession in Palestinian history starting all the way from Jenin and breaking the occupation barriers by ending up in Jerusalem. We talk about how the people of Palestine are united but disheartened by the media coverage which obfuscates Palestinian life even after death. We also considerwhat it's like to choose the camera when the oppressor uses a gun. Adnan coins the term Karenizer and you heard it here first folks.

This week Lara and Michael sit down with famed Palestinian human rights lawyer, scholar, and professor of law, Dr. Noura Erakat. We discuss how international law was shaped by colonial powers in order to facilitate imperial expansion and how international law in practice has favored the settler-colonial project far more than Palestinians. We chat about a time when Palestinians used "guerilla diplomacy" to their advantage to champion the cause of Palestinian liberation. Dr. Erakat tells us that there is no silver bullet for what will bring down the occupation, but we all ought to be kinder to each other in our various pursuits whether our strategy is armed resistance, legal, political, or cultural. She posits that it is the combination of all these things will provide Palestinians the ability to claim freedom one day.

This week Lara and Michael cover the heinous assassination by the Israeli occupation of the beloved Palestinian journalist for Al Jazeera, Shireen Abu Akleh. Lara and Michael discuss the audacity of murdering Shireen in broad daylight while still trying to gaslight people into believing something else happened. We note how Israel murdering journalists is actually par for the course, having murdered over 45 journalists since 2000. Lara and Michael cover Shireen's funeral procession which was attacked by Zionist occupation thugs while the world watched and the persistence of the Palestinian spirit to fend off the occupation army and honor Shireen in the streets of Palestine. Lara points out how Abbas is always late the to the party, and Michael honors the memory of Shireen as well as her body of work which lives on through every person she inspired.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.