The Mondoweiss Podcast

At Mondoweiss, our beat is Palestine and the movements, activists and policymakers who affect what’s happening there. We cover Palestinians’ stories of occupation, resistance and hope – stories that show us all how the world’s struggles interconnect.

75. Hundreds of Palestinian bodies recovered from mass graves in Gaza 05/06/2024

74. Students protest Israel's genocidal war 04/26/2024

73. Eyewitness accounts from al-Shifa Hospital 04/19/2024

72. Engineering social collapse in Palestine 04/05/2024

71. How Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah has been changed by the Gaza genocide 03/29/2024

71. How Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah has been changed by the Gaza genocide Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah was among the last group of people to enter Gaza through Egypt on the morning of Monday, October 9, immediately before the Rafah crossing was shut down and the territory was sealed off from the world. He started operating at al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s medical epicenter, as soon as he’d arranged safe passage to the medical complex. Within the first few days, as a result of a relentless, ruthless bombing campaign against Gaza’s civilian infrastructure and people, the wounded had exceeded the entire Strip’s total bed capacity of 2,500. He told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on October 12, 2023, that basic medical equipment was unavailable mere days into the assault. He warned of the far-ranging, catastrophic consequences of this war against the people of Gaza, “a man-made catastrophe,” he said, “almost like a perfect storm,” as Gaza’s healthcare system was “already on its knees” thanks to fifteen years of Israeli siege. Abu-Sittah was working at Al-Ahli Hospital during the massacre on October 17, 2023, and was among the physicians who testified, surrounded by a sea of blanket-shrouded bodies, in the hospital courtyard in the attack’s immediate aftermath. Since leaving Gaza in November, Abu-Sittah has committed his days to fighting what he called the “killing machine masquerading as a state” set on extinguishing life in Gaza. Recently, he launched the Ghassan Abu-Sittah Children’s Fund to bring injured children from Gaza to Lebanon to receive holistic medical and psychosocial care. Mary Turfah, a writer and medical student, spoke to Dr. Abu Sittah on February 20. They talked about the liberatory potential of medicine and the complicity of Western media in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. They discussed Zionism and what to make of a settler colonial ideology that has flung itself over the precipice of genocide, necropolitics, and the obligation, when confronted with the cold, monstrous logic of elimination, to remain unwavering in our commitment to life. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical, independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show , Mary Turfah Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser, leave ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/30599083

70. U.N. experts say “Israel has been intentionally starving” Gaza 03/19/2024

69. Girl Scouts tells troop to shut down Gaza fundraiser 03/14/2024

68. Noura Erakat on the collective trauma of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza 02/20/2024

67. Diana Buttu on watching the Gaza genocide on our mobile phones 01/16/2024

66. Mohammed El-Kurd and Ahmad Al-Naouq on the complicity of mainstream media in Israel's genocidal attack on Gaza 01/05/2024

65. Ryan Grim on The Squad vs. the Israel Lobby and Students for Justice In Palestine vs. Columbia University 12/21/2023

64. Katie Halper: Why Jews should support Palestine, lessons from the holocaust, and a message to Amy Schumer 12/07/2023

64. Katie Halper: Why Jews should support Palestine, lessons from the holocaust, and a message to Amy Schumer The so-called "humanitarian pause" in Israel's assault on Gaza ended just days ago, and already nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed. The Israeli military released a map dividing Gaza into over 2,000 small sections. They say they will notify Palestinians in each of these sections when they plan to bomb or invade it so that the Palestinians can move to a different section. People have compared this to the Hunger Games or similar dystopian stories. As a result, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be squeezed into smaller and smaller spaces with nowhere to go and not nearly enough food, medicine, and fuel entering the area to sustain human life. The international community continues to wring its hands without doing anything to stop Israel. In fact, led by the Biden administration in the United States, most of the Western nations continue to stand firmly behind Israel. Biden wants to lift the few small restrictions on arms transfers that do exist between the United States and Israel so that, presumably, the Israeli military can increase its attacks on Gaza. Because of his blanket support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Joe Biden's approval ratings continue to sink lower with the exact voting blocks he will need in the upcoming presidential election, an election, we are told, that will determine whether U.S. democracy will even exist anymore. However dark this moment may seem, we can take heart that the mass protests sparked by Israel's brutality are continuing unabated across the United States and the world. The past two months have seen people mobilizing for Palestine in huge numbers. Jewish Americans, in particular, have turned out in larger numbers than ever before and in far more militant ways. Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now have carried out dozens of nonviolent direct actions across the country, shutting down highways, bridges, train stations, and institutions like colleges and even Congressional office buildings. In this episode, our Palestine News Director, Yumna Patel, speaks with Katie Halper about why Jews should support the Palestinian cause. Katie talks about lessons she's taken from the Holocaust and has a special message for high-profile Jewish Americans like Amy Schumer. Katie is a journalist, activist, and filmmaker who hosts the Katie Halper Show and the podcast Useful Idiots. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical, independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser, leave ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/28975953

63. But We Must Speak: On Palestine and the Mandates of Conscience 11/08/2023

62. Antony Loewenstein on Israeli exports of weapons and surveillance tech around the world 09/26/2023

61. Mohammed El-Kurd and Raeda Taha on Palestinian identity, martyrdom, and revolutionary honesty 09/11/2023

60. Unpacking Christian Zionism with Rev. Dr. Don Wagner 08/28/2023

60. Unpacking Christian Zionism with Rev. Dr. Don Wagner Today we’re excited to share an episode from the Latitude Adjustment Podcast looking at the role Christian Zionism plays in continuing persecution of Palestinians. Eric Maddox completed his graduate research in Conflict Transformation from Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the Occupied West Bank, collecting oral histories from the 1948 War. He is the founder and director of the Palestine Podcast Academy, and the host of Latitude Adjustment Podcast. He interviewed Rev. Dr. Don Wagner, a friend of Mondoweiss, and expert on Christian Zionism. From Latitude Adjustment's show notes: While there have been different strains of Christian Zionism dating back to the Sixteenth Century, the most politicized, powerful, and violent iteration of the movement has its roots in the contemporary Christian Evangelical Church. Modern Christian Zionists hold that the ethnic cleansing of roughly 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in historic Palestine in 1948 by Jewish Zionists was the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy in which the so-called Holy Land must be resettled by the Jewish people in order to usher in the return of Jesus Christ as the messiah. Modern Christian Zionism is distinct from the modern form of political Zionism that arose amongst the European Jewish community in the late 19th Century. Don Wagner is a Christian theologian, a former minister, and author. He received a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary. He is also author of, "Glory to God in the Lowest: Journeys to an Unholy Land". If you want to hear more from the Latitude Adjustment Podcast and the Palestine Podcast Academy, check our show notes for links. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show , Don Wagner Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/27730329

59. Conditioning U.S. aid to Israel and anti-Palestinian smears at Florida State University 08/11/2023

59. Conditioning U.S. aid to Israel and anti-Palestinian smears at Florida State University Today we have two interviews from our US correspondent, Michael Arria. First he speaks with Josh Ruebner about the shifting politics around U.S. aid to Israel, and later, he checks in with the victim of an anti-Palestinian smear campaign at Florida State University. We begin with U.S. aid to Israel. The fight in Congress continues to build over the billions of dollars we send to Israel every year. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen is the latest to call for conditioning US aid to Israel, joining other high profile figures such as Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others. At the same time, however, a high-profile delegation of Democrats in the House Representatives were in Israel meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu. This trip was sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, and they have been furiously promoting it online over the past several days. Many, if not all of the Congress members on the trip filmed videos for AIPAC’s social media channels in which they profess their love and admiration for Israel. Phil Weiss, our founder and senior editor, said they looked like hostage videos. So, what is happening with the issue of aid funds for Israel? Michael spoke to Josh Ruebner about the history of US aid to Israel and the emerging fractures in Congress over this enormous amount of money. Josh is the author of Israel: Democracy or Apartheid State? and Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace. He is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University. Then to Florida. The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights recently announced that it was opening an investigation into Florida State University's handling of a smear campaign targeting one of its students. Ahmad Daraldik was elected FSU student senate president in June 2020, but immediately faced backlash from campus groups, pro-Israel organizations, and even local politicians over his criticisms of Israel. Social media posts Daraldik made as a child, while facing Israeli oppression, were dug up in the process. Michael spoke to Ahmad about the smear campaign, his original complaint, and the historic Education Department probe. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show , Phil Weiss , Michael Arria , Mitchell Plitnick , Michael Arria , Michael Arria , Michael Arria Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/27730113

58. Miko Peled and Phil Weiss on centering Palestinians and saving Jewish culture from Zionism 07/16/2023

58. Miko Peled and Phil Weiss on centering Palestinians and saving Jewish culture from Zionism Mondoweiss was founded by Phil Weiss, a career journalist, while he was on staff at The New York Observer. In 2006 a wealthy young man named Jared Kushner bought the Observer. After tolerating Phil’s writing on Israel for a brief period, Phil was forced out by Kushner, but he was allowed to keep his blog. Phil is a magnanimous guy and he credits Kushner with freeing him from the world of mainstream journalism to pursue his interest in Israel and the fascination with it that much of American Jewish society clings to. We get asked a lot about the name of the site, Mondoweiss. It was the name of the blog version when it was hosted at the Observer and Phil kept it when he left. One definition of the word “mondo” is “very, or extremely”. So the name “Mondoweiss” was meant as a lighthearted joke that the site would be “extremely Weiss”, because initially Phil was the only author. But the site has grown and evolved into a full-fledged news and analysis publication with staff in the United States and Palestine. We are one of the only U.S.-based publications with a full Palestine news bureau and not simply one reporter in the region. So Jared Kushner might have hoped to prevent Phil from gaining an audience for critical takes on Israel, Zionism, and the American Jewish community, but instead he helped launch an important media outlet in the struggle for Palestinian freedom. This episode of the podcast features an extended interview with Phil, conducted by Miko Peled, the veteran Israeli anti-occupation campaigner. They discuss the origins of Mondoweiss, how Zionism destroyed American Jewish culture, and many other topics. It was originally published on Miko’s podcast in January of this year in three parts. We are excited to share it with you here in one program. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show Visit , Phil Weiss Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/27459540

57. Unpacking Israel’s attack on the Jenin refugee camp 07/07/2023

57. Unpacking Israel’s attack on the Jenin refugee camp Israel’s military invasion of the Jenin Refugee Camp, dubbed “Operation Home and Garden” came to an end late Tuesday night. It left at least 12 Palestinians dead, and one Israeli soldier. Israel has, predictably, declared the operation a success. They say 120 Palestinians were arrested and weapons caches were destroyed, including bomb making materials. The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said: “in the last two days we interrupted the weapon production process, seized thousands of bombs, some small and some large, and destroyed dozens of factories, workshops and laboratories.” Our reporters have not yet been able to verify his claim that “dozens” of locations related to the armed resistance in Jenin were destroyed. While the military and political leadership in Israel gloats, Palestinians in Jenin are telling a different story of the largest attack on the camp since 2002’s Operation Defensive Shield. In this assault, Israel deployed up to 2,000 troops backed by armored vehicles, attack helicopters, and warplanes. They turned family homes into sniper positions. They fired tear gas and live ammunition into hospitals- in one case rendering the Emergency Room facilities unusable and forcing staff to treat injured people in the building’s main hallway. They destroyed large portions of the refugee camp’s vital infrastructure, digging up roads throughout the camp with armored bulldozers, knocking out segments of the electrical system, and damaging key water pipelines. As the story from inside the camp emerges, it is clear that this invasion was not an easy one for the region’s most powerful military. The resistance groups in the camp appear to have put up a strong defense, preventing the Israeli military from exercising full control over the area. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may have thought they would have a repeat of the 2002 invasion. They clearly did not. Today I’m joined by our Palestine News Team to discuss all of these events and what the ramifications are, politically, for Palestinians, Israelis and the international community. Yumna Patel is our Palestine News Director, based in Bethlehem. Faris Giacaman is our Managing Editor, based in Ramallah. Mariam Barghouti is our Senior Palestine Correspondent, currently in the United States. And Tareq Hajjaj is our Gaza Correspondent, based in Gaza City. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show - Mustafa Sheta - Tareq Hajaj - Mahammad Abed - Phil Weiss - Yumna Patel - Ahmad Al-Bazz - Abdaljawad Omar Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/27402438

56. Alice Rothchild on bringing the Palestine story to young adult fiction 04/25/2023

55. The impact of Israel's raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan 04/14/2023

54. What do the protests in Israel mean for Palestinians living under apartheid? 04/01/2023

53. Students for Justice in Palestine’s 12th annual conference; Stop Cop City in Atlanta 03/25/2023

52. Rising resistance in Jenin and lawfare in the United States 03/05/2023

52. Rising resistance in Jenin and lawfare in the United States We have two interviews in this episode. First, I’ll talk to Mondoweiss’s Palestine News Director, Yumna Patel, about her new video report published today titled On The Brink: Jenin’s rising resistance. Then we’ll hear from Ahmad Abuznaid, the executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, about their legal battle with the Jewish National Fund. First, to the Jenin refugee camp. On January 26 the Israeli army conducted a deadly invasion into the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. In the span of a few hours, the army shot and killed 9 Palestinians. A 10th Palestinian died a few days later from injuries sustained during the raid. It was one of the deadliest single invasions into the Jenin camp, and in the West Bank, in years. It came on the heels of a year-long effort by the Israeli military to quash the resurgence of Palestinian armed resistance. The Jenin refugee camp has a long history of armed resistance to Israel’s occupation. Yumna traveled to Jenin just days after the deadly raid to speak to the people there and hear about what they experienced. Then, back to the United States. In 2019 the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and a group of American Israelis sued the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) over its support for the nonviolent BDS movement. The US Campaign is a fiscal sponsor of the Boycott National Committee, which has ties to various groups in Palestine. According to the lawsuit, some of those groups are terrorist organizations responsible for fire bomb attacks on land owned by the Jewish National Fund in Israel. Activists say this is simply the latest attempt to suppress human rights work. Earlier this month Diala Shamas, a lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights and one of the attorneys representing the US Campaign, told The Guardian, “The goal here is to harass the US Campaign [for Palestinian Rights]. This is something that we’re seeing more broadly: smearing human rights advocates with accusations of terrorism, and efforts to drag human rights advocates and protesters into court, into extended litigation that distracts them from their advocacy. In the Palestine context we see that happening a lot, both in the United States and by Israel." In 2021 the case was dismissed by a federal court in Washington DC, but the JNF appealed and it's now back in court. Mondoweiss’s US correspondent Michael Arria spoke with US Campaign Executive Director Ahmad Abuznaid about the legal proceedings, the history of the JNF, and the wider context of this fight. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show View our new video report, "" , Michael Arria , Michael Arria Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/26110128

51. Tony Greenstein on Zionism during the Holocaust 02/23/2023

50. Matthew Teller on his new biography of Jerusalem 01/30/2023

49. How did Israel fare in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections? 12/14/2022

48. One year of organizing tech workers against Israeli Apartheid 11/30/2022

47. The suppression of speech on Palestine in Canada 10/12/2022

47. The suppression of speech on Palestine in Canada Our fall fundraising campaign is underway and generous supporters have agreed to match . Mondoweiss is a reader and listener-funded non-profit news publication. This gives us the independence to report on events in Palestine accurately and comprehensively because we answer to you, our readers and listeners. In the past 3 years we’ve invested pretty heavily to grow our team of reporters and contributors. We now have 4 full-time staff in Palestine, 5 full-time staff in the U.S., and many regular contributors all over the world. And I’ll be honest, growing a non-profit news organization in today’s media landscape is a pretty risky move. But we believe the movement for Palestinian liberation is in a transformative moment. And we believe that Mondoweiss plays a critical role in centering Palestinian and anti-Zionist voices. That’s why we’ve taken this risk to grow our staff in these uncertain times, and it’s why we need your support. Please visit our website at mondoweiss.net to learn more about our fundraising campaign and chip in. Thanks so much! The Canadian group Independent Jewish Voices today is releasing a report titled “Unveiling the Chilly Climate - The Suppression of Speech on Palestine In Canada.” Researchers Sheryl Nestel and Rowan Gaudet spent the last year gathering information and testimonials about the repression faced by academics, students and Palestine solidarity activists across Canada. This is the first study to use ethnographic methodology and qualitative analysis to describe both the overarching effects of this repression as well as the deeply personal impact it has on activists, artists, students and professors. While many people active in the Palestine solidarity movement are familiar with the tactics described in the report, it is shocking to read the dozens of testimonials collected and understand the extent and scope of the suppression efforts. I spoke to Sheryl and Rowan last week about the report and what can be done to counter these attacks. - - - - - Support our work Help us continue our critical independent coverage of events in Palestine, Israel, and related U.S. politics. Donate today at Articles and Links mentioned in the show , Sheryl Nestel and Rowan Gaudet at IJV , Michael Arria , Jessica Buxbaum , Michael Arria , Michael Arria in The Shift newsletter , David Spero , David Samel , California Scholars for Academic Freedom , Michael Arria Share this podcast Share The Mondoweiss Podcast with your followers on Twitter. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Podchaser and ! Follow The Mondoweiss Podcast wherever you listen We want your feedback! More from Mondoweiss Subscribe to our free email newsletters: Follow us on social media /episode/index/show/mondoweiss/id/24665082

46. 700 musicians join pledge to support for Palestinian freedom 09/27/2022

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