This Is Palestine The Institute of Middle East Understanding

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.

Over the past eight months, Israel has kidnapped or unlawfully “arrested” hundreds of Palestinians. In Gaza, there are disturbing reports of Israeli soldiers kidnapping Palestinians from their homes being shackled, stripped, and forced to endure degrading and inhumane treatment.

Currently, there are over 3,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel without charge or even a trial. Additionally, there are thousands of Palestinian political prisoners who are imprisoned by Israel with no end in sight. Rights groups estimate numbers to be even higher, but international aid groups have been denied the right to access Israeli prisons.

Horrific reports continue to emerge of Israel’s torture and abuse of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. In this episode of “This Is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu shares the horrific experiences of former Palestinian prisoners and the abuse they survived.

* Warning: This episode contains graphic content

In this episode of “This is Palestine,” we speak with Palestinian American Columbia student Maryam Alwan about the rise in student-led protests across college campuses speaking out against Israel’s genocide. She talks to us about the unified student demand calling on their universities to divest funds tied with Israel’s genocide and war crimes. We discuss the alarming attacks that students are facing at the hands of professors and others who support Israel’s genocide. Universities have even gone so far as to suspend leading student groups, like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), organizing against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Yet, students across the U.S. and the world have remained defiant and steadfast in their demands against their universities' complicity with Israel’s genocide. Listen to learn more about this growing student movement in support of Palestinian freedom.

Over the past six months, Israel has internationally destroyed Gaza’s healthcare system as part of its genocidal campaign. By November 2023, Israel had repeatedly bombed more than 36 hospitals in Gaza. As of publishing, the Israeli military has besieged and attacked Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza for over 11 days. Horrifying reports continue to emerge of Israeli soldiers killing Palestinians sheltering inside and abducting medical workers. Additionally, Israel has blocked the entry of food, water, and medical supplies into Gaza, creating an unprecedented public health crisis and famine. At least 27 Palestinians in Gaza have died of malnutrition, 23 of them children.

In this episode, host Diana Buttu speaks with Palestinian neurologist Dr. Karameh Hawash-Kuemmerle, about Israel’s deliberate destruction of public health in Gaza and its devastating consequences on Palestinians. In 2023, before Israel’s current genocide, Dr. Hawash-Kuemmerle co-founded the organization “Doctors Against Genocide,” to address Israel’s sharp increase in attacks on Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the West Bank. Once Israel began its brutal campaign in Gaza, it became clear the organization and her work were needed more than ever.

In this episode, host Diana Buttu speaks with Palestinian human rights lawyer Ahmed Abofoul about South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging Israel with the crime of genocide in Gaza. Mr. Abofoul is a Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer with Al-Haq, one of the oldest Palestinian human rights organizations.

On January 26th, the ICJ ruled that Israel is plausibly committing the crime of genocide in Gaza and must take all measures to prevent acts of genocide. Since the ruling, Israel has repeatedly violated the ICJ-mandated measures, including blocking the entry of life-saving food, aid, and water into Gaza. Numerous humanitarian groups have raised alarm about Israel using starvation as a weapon in Gaza, stating that famine in Gaza is imminent due to Israel’s illegal blockade. Additionally, since the ICJ ruling, Israel has killed more than 3,500 Palestinians in Gaza, bringing the number of Palestinians Israel has killed in Gaza to more than 31,000. This includes Israel killing more than 13,000 children in Gaza since October.

Mr. Abofoul, who is based in the Hague, discusses the significance of the ICJ’s case and why it is a critical step towards ending ongoing impunity for Israel’s horrific war crimes against the Palestinian people. In the episode, Mr. Abofoul and Ms. Buttu provide an in-depth discussion about Israel’s inherent and long history of ethnic cleansing and genocidal intent in Palestine, within the context of the ICJ. Mr. Abofoul also discusses the long history of U.S. and Western hypocrisy in applying international law and how the Israel-genocide ICJ case is a testament to the international legal system. Listen to the episode for everything you need to know about the ICJ case and why it is critical for holding Israel accountable.

In this episode, we take a deeper look into Israel’s deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Killing journalists is a war crime. According to the UN, Gaza is the deadliest place in the world for journalists right now. Additionally, the International Journalist Federation has issued a statement describing Israel’s killing of Palestinian journalists over the past four months as “deliberate and systematic.”

Host Diana Buttu speaks with Anan Quzmar, a representative from the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS). They discuss the critical role of Palestinian journalists, who are not only reporting the news about Israel’s genocide but are also living it. Over the past four months, Israel has killed at least 120 Palestinian journalists. The PJS has described the conditions of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, saying, “They lost their families and they continue their work…They are without houses and they continue their work... Without food, without the security for them, without their families.”

Listen to learn more about the stories of Palestinian journalists and why they continue to remain absolute in their reporting and expose Israel’s war crimes to the world.