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Episode 038 - Palestinian Hustle with Samer Fidy

This week Lara and Michael sit down with the founder and CEO of Palestinian Hustle, Samer Fidy. Samer shares the journey that led him to start the Palestinian-owned small business that donates a portion of every sale to charities in the United States fighting food insecurity, and NGOs on the ground in Gaza providing clean water. Samer speaks of his desire to teach his children about responsibility and giving back to both local and global communities. Michael jokes about Samer’s affinity for Starbucks and contemplates whether or not one should strike up a conversation with your barista about Palestine. Samer surprises the Palestine Pod with stories of his past career pursuits then shares wild memories from his time living in Palestine. Finally, The Palestine Pod announces a limited apparel drop in collaboration with Palestinian Hustle, available on both our websites.

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Interview Palestine Pod Interview Palestine Pod

Episode 037 - Whose Identity Will They Steal Next with Noor E.

This week Lara leads us on a deep dive into the legal frameworks that came into place in the aftermath of the Nakba, including the absentee property law, the law of return, and the nationality law. All these legal devices helped codify the actions of ethnic cleansing and land theft by the rogue Zionist militias into the "legal" actions of a state. We also cover the various ways Zionists stopped Palestinians from returning to their native lands. Lara discusses the examples of Iqrit and Kufr Bir'im, both towns where the Supreme Court of Israel had in one case already ruled in favor of Palestinian return, and the other where the case was pending before the court. In both cases, the IOF demolished the villages so as to render the return of Palestinians impossible. Lara talks about the many thousands of Palestinians who did try to return despite these measures who were murdered in cold blood. We discuss how these policies like the Nakba are ongoing and not something rooted in the past. Finally, we switch gears, covering the censorship of Palestinian content on Tik Tok as a strategy passed down from region-specific moderation teams where Israeli moderators set the standards and Arab moderators were kept in subordinate positions.

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Episode 036 - RIFQA & Memories That Could Have Been

This week Lara and Michael discuss RIFQA, Mohammed El Kurd’s newly released book of poetry. We reflect on some of the book’s messages like “anger is a luxury we cannot afford.” Indeed, Palestinians are expected to be calm and composed while being ethnically cleansed. We discuss mental health and the toll Palestinian liberation takes on the lives of those who engage in the work. Lara talks about the passages of the book that resonated the most with her, including “I cried not for the house but for the memories I could have made” inside. We imagine what could have been if not for the gangs of Zionist militias who stole Palestine, and expelled and murdered much of the native population. Mohammed El Kurd writes it’s been over “70 years and we have not yet lived a day.” Life and time stand still for Palestinians who are waiting to return to Palestine, waiting for rights, waiting for justice. Finally, we discuss a recent B’Tselem report that connects settler violence to the state policy of stealing Palestinian land. Michael makes the parallel between the extracurricular terrorist activities of the settlers in Palestine and the KKK in the US.

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