In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP's Lara Friedman speaks with preeminent journalist Dalia Hatuqa about the killing of her friend and fellow journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022, the myriad investigations that have been carried out, and the imperative of getting justice, which requires accountability. For resources related to this podcast see: https://fmep.org/resource/the-imperative-of-accountability-for-shireen-abu-aklehs-killing/

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP's Sarah Anne Minkin speaks with Sameeha Hureini, an activist and university student from A-Twani village in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. Sameeha is one of the founders of Youth of Sumud and, together with her brother Sami, was recognized with the 2021 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of "Occupied Thoughts," journalist and FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Waleed Shahid, spokesperson and communications director of Justice Democrats. Bios: Waleed Shahid is the spokesperson and communications director for Justice Democrats, the grassroots progressive organization that recruited and helped elect Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman as well as Congressional candidate Summer Lee, and launched the campaign for a Green New Deal. He is a member of The Nation’s editorial board. Twitter: @_waleedshahid ​​Peter Beinart teaches national reporting and opinion writing at the Newmark J-School and political science at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, a MSNBC political commentator, and a fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is also a nonfiction author and former Rhodes Scholar. His first book, The Good Fight, was published by Harper Collins in 2006. His second book, The Icarus Syndrome, was published by HarperCollins in 2010. His third, The Crisis of Zionism, was published by Times Books in 2012. Twitter: @PeterBeinart. Original music by Jalal Yacquoub.

As Palestinians commemorate 74 years since the Nakba, FMEP’s Palestinian non-resident fellow Dr. Maha Nassar talks with Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, professor of media studies at California State University, San Bernardino, about her award-winning documentary, “1948: Creation and Catastrophe.“ (www.1948movie.com) Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

Featuring Rania Batrice (Organizer, communications and legislative strategist, mediator, and advisor to elected officials, candidates, and non-profits both domestic and around the globe) & Peter Beinart (Newmark J-School and CUNY Graduate Center; editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, MSNBC political commentator, and fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace) in conversation with Lara Friedman (President, the Foundation for Middle East Peace). Israel/Palestine has long played an outsized role in US politics and elections. Candidates’ views on issues like aid to Israel, the status of Jerusalem, settlements and the two-state solution, and sympathy for Palestinians and Palestinian rights are actively elicited, to be used as levers to mobilize financial and political support for chosen incumbents and challengers, or as cudgels to to attack their opponents. On the Hill, members who express even mild support for Palestinian rights, or criticism of Israeli policies, or reservations about additional aid for Israel, open themselves up to being attacked as anti-Israel or antisemitic. In the run-up to the 2022 mid-term elections, Israel/Palestine has come up over and over, including with the decision by AIPAC’s new political action committee to endorse a long list of Republicans who sought to overturn the last presidential election; the huge investment by pro-Israel organizations and funders in targeted races, including in Michigan and Ohio; and the controversial recent decision by a Jewish Democratic pro-Israel organization to endorse a (non-Jewish) candidate in a primary battle against a (Jewish) incumbent previously endorsed by that same organization, apparently as retribution for the incumbent’s slightly more progressive views on Israel/Palestine. Original music by Jalal Yacquoub.

In this episode of "Occupied Thoughts," FMEP's Sarah Anne Minkin speaks with Jehad Abusalim (2022 FMEP Fellow) and Dana El-Kurd (University of Richmond) about what the Abraham Accords and normalization agreements with Israel over the last few years have opened up in the Arab world, including state-sponsored efforts to cultivate acceptance of Israel and suppress support for Palestinians. Dana speaks about her research on Arab public opinion as well as pro-Palestine activism, and Jehad draws from the historical context of the long history of Arab Jews as well as Palestinian responses to Zionism and antisemitism before the establishment of the state of Israel.  In February, Dana published this brief, "Pro-Palestine solidarity in the UAE: A view from Emirati activists." See also this article from the Economist in January 2022, "The Arab world is re-embracing its Jews."   Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

Last month, the Israeli Knesset passed a new version of Israel’s infamous “Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law.” This law denies to Palestinian citizens of Israel a fundamental right that Israel’s Jewish citizens take for granted (and, indeed, citizens around the world hold dear): the right to make a life together with one’s chosen spouse, in the country where one hold’s citizenship. Adopted originally by the Knesset in 2003 as a “temporary” measure ostensibly for “security” reasons, the law has been repeatedly renewed for almost 20 years, most recently in March 2022. The renewed law includes explicit provisions referring to its “demographic” purpose, leading Adalah to call it “one of the most racist and discriminatory laws in the world.” In March, Israel’s Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked celebrated the law’s passage on Twitter, saying; “Jewish & Democratic State – 1; State for all its citizens – 0”. Featuring: Dr. Morad El Sana, who was among the first petitioners against this law when his family was directly impacted by it; Dr. Hassan Jabareen, who leads Adalah’s challenges against this law at the Israeli Supreme Court; Member of Knesset Aida Touma-Sliman, who has fought against this law since its first passage – all in conversation with FMEP’s Lara Friedman. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of the Occupied Thoughts podcast, FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks with Amnesty International’s Saleh Hijazi about the root causes of the violence currently in the headlines -- i.e., Israel's policy of apartheid, and the structural violence they impose against Palestinians. and why Amnesty International is calling for an end to the “cycle of impunity” that supports and enables it. Saleh Hijazi is Amnesty International (UK)’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. He is also advisor to Al-Quds University Human Rights Clinic where he worked as academic coordinator and lecturer, and a fellow at Al-Shabaka. Saleh holds a master's degree in human rights from the University of Essex and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science from Lawrence University. Lara Friedman is the President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP). Click here to watch this conversation on YouTube  Also see: Amnesty International, Feb. 1, 2022: Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: Cruel system of domination and crime against humanity - https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/5141/2022/en/

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts podcast, FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks with Aviv Tatarsky about escalating tensions and violence on and around Jerusalem’s Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Aviv is a researcher at the NGO Ir Amim (city of nations), which focuses on Jerusalem within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The mission of Ir Amim is to render Jerusalem a more equitable and sustainable city for the Israelis and Palestinians who share it and to help secure a negotiated resolution on the city through sustained monitoring, reporting, public and legal advocacy, public education and outreach to re-orient the public discourse on Jerusalem. More about Ir Amim: https://www.ir-amim.org.il/

Featuring: Daniel Seidemann (Terrestrial Jerusalem), Dana El Kurd (Non-Resident Fellow at the Middle East Institute) & Munir Nuseibah (Al-Quds University). Co-moderated by Lara Friedman (FMEP) & Khaled Elgindy (MEI). Recorded February 11, 2022. This podcast is Part 1 of an 8-part series of webinars/podcasts. For more information regarding this series, and links to the other sessions, please see: https://fmep.org/resource/2022-congressional-briefing-series-israel-palestine-hot-topics-in-congress/ In this session we explored issues related to Israeli policies in Jerusalem, including ongoing displacement of Palestinian residents and expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, why Jerusalem continues to serve as a catalyst for Palestinian protest (and Israeli violence in response), and how Jerusalem continues to be at the heart of Palestinian and Israeli national aspirations.