This Is Palestine

The Institute for Middle East Understanding
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This Is Palestine

'This Is Palestine' is a podcast that highlights people, issues, and events around Palestine. We bring you stories from the ground in Palestine, and we speak with experts and activists to bring you unique perspectives and analysis about Palestine from across the world. This podcast is a project of the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU).

  1. 30 OCT

    Jenin in the Aftermath of Israel’s Military Attacks

    Amidst Israel’s catastrophic genocide unfolding in Gaza, its military is escalating a relentless campaign of aggression across the Palestinian West Bank, marked by a daily barrage of military operations. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 760 Palestinians, including 165 children, and injured 6,300 others in both the West Bank and Jerusalem. Israel has also held thousands more Palestinians captive, underscoring an intense and sustained pattern of severe human rights violations. In this episode, we highlight Jenin in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian city that Israel has subjected to intense military campaigns in the West Bank for two decades. Each one of Israel’s invasions has left deep scars on the city’s infrastructure and people. This episode offers a close, unfiltered look at life under military occupation. We start with the story of Abu Mujahed, whose son was used as a human shield by the Israeli army, enduring torture under the harsh sun. Next, we hear from Khawla, a mother recounting the terror of being forcibly driven from her home under gunfire. Finally, we meet Om Mohammed, a mother mourning her 13-year-old son, who Israel killed as he tried to help deliver bread to the Jenin Refugee Camp’s residents living under full Israeli siege. Israel’s increasingly brutal attacks against Palestinian cities in the West Bank such as Jenin, have led local Palestinians to now refer to the area as “Little Gaza.” Palestinian human rights experts are urgently warning that Israel’s genocidal campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza is quickly spreading to the West Bank. These testimonies reveal the ongoing human cost of Israel’s occupation and remind us of the individuals behind the statistics. Through their voices, we witness the endurance and resilience of Palestinian families forced to confront the daily realities of displacement, destruction, and survival in what is now referred to as "Little Gaza."

    24 min

  2. 28 SEPT

    Israel's Control of the Palestinian Economy

    Since 1948, Israel has imposed policies and measures to control and hamper the Palestinian economy. In this episode of “This is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks to Ali Hamdallah, a prominent Palestinian economist and analyst. Buttu and Hamdallah discuss the various ways Israel intentionally targets and controls the Palestinian economy to obstruct Palestinian sovereignty. In the episode, we hear how Israel’s theft of Palestinian land and natural resources is directly related to blocking the Palestinian people's ability to have a self-sufficient economy. Buttu and Hamdallah break down the infamous Oslo Accords and discuss how in actuality the Oslo Accords provide Israel with the tools and infrastructure to control the Palestinian economy including trade and production forcing Palestinians to be dependent on Israel. Listen to this episode to get a deep dive into one of the most vital aspects of Israel’s control of Palestinian life.

    17 min

  3. 10 SEPT

    Israel Used me as a Human Shield: The Story of Waleed

    This Is Palestine

    23 min

  4. 28 AUG

    Education Under Genocide: Palestinian Initiatives to Maintain Education in Gaza

    In this episode of This is Palestine, host Diana Buttu takes us to the heart of Gaza, where education—once the cornerstone of Palestinian resilience—is under siege. Meet Salma, a 12-year-old student who dreams of becoming a journalist, and Fatima, a university student who refuses to give up on her education despite Israel’s relentless bombings, displacement, and the destruction of her university. Their stories of perseverance shine against the backdrop of Israel's deliberate targeting of schools, universities, and educators in Gaza, which has resulted in what can only be described as "scholasticide"—the calculated annihilation of Palestinian education. We also hear from Andera Abdullah, an educator from Birzeit University in the West Bank, who is providing remote learning to students in Gaza, and Dr. Sabri Saidam, former Palestinian Minister of Education, who shares his insights into Gaza’s deep-rooted commitment to education despite decades of Israeli violence and attacks. This episode explores the intersection of education, resilience, and survival, spotlighting the immense challenges Palestinians face as they strive to keep the light of knowledge alive amid Israel’s genocide. Tune in to learn how Palestinians are finding ways to continue their studies, and how educators around the world can support them.

    17 min

  5. 22 AUG

    What's Law Got To Do With It: Breaking Down the ICJ

    In this episode of “This Is Palestine” host Diana Buttu speaks with award-winning Palestinian-American law professor George Bisharat about utilizing international justice mechanisms to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes. For over 10 months, Palestinians have been forced to endure Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and attacks on the Palestinian people. As Israel continues to commit war crimes with impunity, the world has witnessed case after case brought before international courts in the pursuit of justice for Israel’s atrocities. This episode addresses the questions you've sent to the IMEU’s social media about the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Mr. Bisharat explains the pivotal recent decisions made by the ICJ and their impact on Palestinians today.

    16 min

  6. 24 JUL

    Inside Israel’s Torture Camp

    In this episode, host Diana Buttu shares the horrifying details about one of Israel's secret torture camps or Israeli prisons, Sde Teiman, through the words of a Palestinian journalist from Gaza, Muhammad Arab. Muhammad's story is conveyed to Buttu through his lawyer, Khaled Mahajneh. Mahajneh is a Palestinian lawyer who has spent most of his legal career representing Palestinians who have been tried before Israeli military courts. Most famously, he is the lawyer who represented the 6 Palestinians, who escaped Gilboa prison near Jenin, after they were picked up 5 days after their prison break. Mahajneh is the first and only attorney to visit the Israel Sde Teiman torture camp. Currently, there are over 20,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza who are being held captive in Israeli prisons, some as young as 10 years old.

    16 min

  7. 27 JUN

    Aylul: Surviving the Nuseirat Massacre as a One-Day-Old Newborn

    In this episode of “This is Palestine”, we hear the heartwrenching story of baby Aylul, a baby born during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Aylul’s story is one of tens of thousands of children born to Palestinian mothers who are being forced to experience pregnancy and childbirth as they try to survive Israel’s genocide. It is estimated that there are 50,000 Palestinian women currently pregnant in Gaza and approximately 180 births a day. Aylul was born in the early morning hours of June 8. That same day, Israel, with US support, committed a horrific massacre in central Gaza, bombing and invading the Nuseirat refugee camp and the Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. In the span of just a few hours, Israel and the US killed nearly 300 Palestinians, including over 60 children. In the episode, we hear Aylul’s story through the words of her father Ibrahim. He shares the gut-wrenching account of his wife, Riham having to give birth to their beloved baby on the floor without proper medical care due to Israel’s brutal massacre.

    15 min

  8. 11 JUN

    Anti-Palestinian legislation in Congress Unpacked

    In this episode of “This Is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks to Josh Ruebner, the director of IMEU’s new 501C-4 organization, the IMEU Policy Project, about recent developments in the US Congress and Palestinian human rights. The episode unpacks the alarming rise in anti-Palestinian legislation and actions in Congress aiming to suppress Palestinian rights work amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Just days after the ICC issued a statement it is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for committing war crimes in Gaza, the US Congress invited the Israeli prime minister to deliver a speech to members. Netanyahu is slated to address Congress on July 24. From providing Israel with billions of U.S. tax dollars to commit genocide in Gaza to holding hearings intended to strike fear into the student movements calling for Palestinian freedom, and even introducing legislation aiming to sanction the International Criminal Court, the episode discusses the multitude of ways that the U.S. Congress provides Israel with a shield of impunity for its war crimes and brutality. Listen to learn more about the history of anti-Palestinian racism in Congress and the ways you can help uplift Palestinian freedom and support members of Congress who are champions of Palestinian rights today.

    32 min
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About

'This Is Palestine' is a podcast that highlights people, issues, and events around Palestine. We bring you stories from the ground in Palestine, and we speak with experts and activists to bring you unique perspectives and analysis about Palestine from across the world. This podcast is a project of the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU).

Information

  • Creator
    The Institute for Middle East Understanding
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    117
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The IMEU

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