Olive Branch Anwar Mhajne

In this episode, I speak to my friend Izat Elamoor about his activism and research on LGBTQIA+ issues in Israel and Palestine. Izat touches on the complexity of being gay and a Palestinian citizen of Israel for advocacy, solidarity, and belonging.


Organizations mentioned: Alqaws (http://alqaws.org/siteEn/index)
Recommended book: Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique by SA’ED ATSHAN

After a long break, I am happy to restart the conversation with inspiring activists working on a peaceful and just resolution to the Occupation. For this episode, I talk to Zachary Foster about his research on Palestine. This episode includes critical historical facts about the name Palestine. In addition, it challenges attempts by radical groups to undermine the Palestinian cause by claiming that Palestine is and was never a real place. We also discuss settler colonialism, Zionism, the recent government, and effective activism.


Palestine Nexus: https://palestinenexus.com
You can find Foster's Dissertation, The Invention of Palestine, here: https://dataspace.princeton.edu/handle/88435/dsp01g732dc66g

I apologize for not posting the last episode before taking a break for the summer earlier. I traveled to attend my brother's wedding in Umm Al Fahem.


In this episode, I interview Itamar Feigenbaum, a longtime Combatant for Peace activist. In the episode, we discuss his work on the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony, meeting Arabs in "normal situations," and the segregation between Arabs and Jews even in mixed cities. We also chat about his experience at checkpoints both as an activist and as a soldier. We then touch base on his service in Lebanon as compated to Gaza, and speak about the tragic loss of people to suicide bombings in Israel during the Second Intifada.


Organizations mentioned: https://machsomwatch.org/en/content/home-page-machsomwatch


The Joint Memorial Day Ceremony: https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-activities_eng/memorial-ceremony_eng/


Support the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony: https://afcfp.org/take-action/memorial-campaign/

In this episode, I talk to Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man about his work with DAWN and 972 Magazine, antisemitism, and the centrality of a supportive community to any activist. We chat about key moments shaping his ideology and activism. He explains how his family's advocacy for marginalized groups in the US and worldwide influenced his progressive liberal values. We also discuss, among other things, the importance of having Jewish allies, the privilege of code-switching, and archaeology as a displacement tool.


972 Magazine: https://www.972mag.com


DAWN MENA: https://dawnmena.org


Ta'ayush תעאיוש تعايش: https://taayush.org/?fbclid=IwAR3eAfu0Tm8Y4VmHh0xK3QG-YlEjPM20rwvQngh7red2emblV81JGSs5u2A

In this episode, I interview Sarai Aharoni, a feminist scholar and a Senior Lecturer at Ben-Gurion University. We discuss her background as a Mizrahi Jewish woman, her research, her activism, and how they are connected. She highlights the challenges facing critical scholars in Israeli academia. She also reflects on the meaning of peace and security in the Israeli-Palestinian context and how that can help us achieve a just solution.

In this episode, I speak to Shaqued Morag, Executive Director of Peace Now. We discuss her social and political activism, her views on land swaps and having allies in the government coalition, and her understanding of peace and justice. We also discuss the importance of strategic framing in changing your audience's view on issues such as the occupation.


Organizations mentioned:
Peace Now: https://peacenow.org.il/en
Mahpach-Taghir: https://mahapach-taghir.org/en/home/