Palestine Pod Palestine Pod

Episode 126 - Guns, Germs, and Steal

Lara and Michael both admit to sitting Netanyahu’s speech in congress out, even though America’s elected officials stood for him 58 times. They joke about the multiple suitcases of dirty laundry that he’s brought to the United States for years, and Michael points out that the west also supported the Nazi regime at its height. Lara dissects his claims regarding having killed almost no civilians, while doctors in Gaza testify to treating children with multiple sniper wounds to the head and chest; clearly by design. Lara emphasizes the importance of rebutting the narrative and she uses South Africa’s written narrative of apartheid to counter false claims as the example. Nearly eradicated diseases, such as polio, have begun to to spread throughout Palestine. It’s clear that this is part of Netanyahu’s plan to ‘finish the job’. In political news, Lara breaks down how and why the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas & Fatah, have joined together to present a united front. She goes on to point out how Mahmoud Abbass called off the 2021 elections, and how new, free and fair elections are vital for Palestine to establish a democracy. The duo also points out the hypocrisy of organizations like JNF (Jewish National Fund) and how they participate in greenwashing.

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Palestine Pod Palestine Pod

Episode 122 - The Writing is on the Apartheid Wall

It’s day 227 of the genocide. The ICC judge, Karim Khan, has applied for arrest warrants for three Hamas members (Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, & Ismail Hanieyh) as well as Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gollant and Benjamin Netanyahu. Lara points out that this list could have been (and should be) so much longer. She also clarifies that applying for these warrants is not the same as issuing them, and now it’s a waiting game to see if they’re issued. Lara also points out that Judge Khan did not file for genocide, rather for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In reality, the ICC remains a legislative body without any power to enforce; this is the first step among many to end the Israeli apartheid state. The duo discusses the recent attack on a Jenin refugee camp which killed a doctor and a journalist among children and other civilians. Michael compares Netanyahu’s directives to those of Hitler when he fled to his bunker. Lara reads out new legislation introduced in the House (H.R. 8445) providing IOF members visa free entry into the US and full Veteran’s Affairs hospital & healthcare access, including being put at the top of the organ transplant list. Michael reads out quotes from Knesset members who are admitting defeat.

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Palestine Pod Palestine Pod

Episode 101 - The Star of David is not for branding

Michael kicks this week off by speaking about how Zionism has coopted Jewish traditions, garb, & symbols while operating from a place of hate following the recent branding of the Star of David onto a Palestinian man’s face. Lara points out how repressive state violence is shared between the US and Israel. The team jokes about the Israeli Arab boyband that Lara describes as a ‘shell company for a band’ as they don’t have any music. Coming back to the news, Michael celebrates a recent article citing settlers running each other over with cars, rather than Palestinians. However, Lara cites a recent statistic; there have been 591 fatal settler attacks compared to just 25 by Jewish Israelis in a short period of time, highlighting the extreme violence of the settler mindset. Israel has recently seen democracy protests, proving that even among them, there is a growing divide and dissatisfaction with their government.

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Palestine Pod Palestine Pod

Episode 009: Check the Paperwork! #SaveSheikhJarrah

This week, Lara and Michael discuss the absurdity of "settler Jacob," the American settler who can be seen in a recent viral video brazenly attempting to the steal the home of Mona al-Kurd, a young Palestinian woman who hails from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem which is currently facing a mass ethnic cleansing campaign at the hands of Zionist settlers who are protected in their colonial pursuits by the Israeli army on a daily basis. #SaveSheikhJarrah because Palestinians, like all humans, deserve to live in their houses without foreign settlers invading and taking over talking about "God said so." Lara provides an update on the lawsuit before the Israeli Supreme Court in relation to the ethnic cleansing of Sheikh Jarrah and spoiler alert, it is loads of garbage and can only be described as quintessentially "Zionist logic." Michael considers that Zionists are like "New York and New Jersey mobsters who intimidate people by hanging them off a bridge" except they do that with logic (lol). Lara insists that the horrific expulsions in Sheikh Jarrah demonstrate that Israel is only interested in stealing more and more land, and that no amount of stolen land will ever be enough when the goal is a Greater Israel, which "map" covers several other countries in the region. Lara and Michael also reveal how Israel's repressive policies extend beyond its borders. For example, Israel provides Mexico with training and weapons in its counterinsurgency against the Zapatistas in Chiapas. Michael underscores the importance of connecting Palestinian activism with May Day solidarity by pointing to Israel's extraction of wealth from Palestinians. Lara provides an update on the Palestinian legislative elections and (spoiler alert), it's not looking good. Lara and Michael share the disturbing results of a global study on the effects of tear gas on reproductive cycles and also shoutout Foodbenders, the Toronto restaurant made target of several baseless lawsuits brought by the Israel lobby (including the terrorist JDL) seeking to crush its displays of Palestinian solidarity. Lara proposes an unusual solution to ending Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid in Palestine.

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