Occupied Thoughts

I appreciate Occupied Thoughts very much - thanks for all of your clear-sighted and brave work. In the latest episode on killings of journalists Peter and the interviewee differed on their analysis of rape during the October 7th Hamas attack. I appreciated the willingness to challenge even those who broadly share one’s same perspective and goals. I just wanted to share a take on this issue I heard Mouin Rabbinni provide at a Busboys and Poets talk last October; he said that many military campaigns involve rape, and that there has not been evidence for rape as a systematic tactic in the attacks. (Having grown up in Asia I am familiar with the amount of rape that occurred in the surroundings of IS bases.) I looked up the UN statement that Peter referenced and it was quite unconvincing; no names of witness or sexual assault victims on that day - as was claimed in the MYT and is still claimed by many - the victims identified were assaulted once they were held hostage. Totally unforgivable. No question about that. The NYT retracted it’s infamous article not because they proved that sexual violence didn’t occur, but rather because the claims that they reported were not substantiated. Meanwhile, there has been documentation of anal rape of Palestinians in Israeli prison pre October 7th - and after, but none of that gets said with the same pathos and racialized framing of Israelis as ‘rapists of women and beheaders of babies.’ And it certainly does not get printed in the NYT without substantiation. IA possible response to the rape allegations on October 7, I think, could be to acknowledge that rape has a long history of use in warfare, and Rtonask why verified and confessed sexual assaults by IDF soldiers do not get prominent space in NYT as well as the mainstream media.

Thank you for everything you do! This makes it so much easier to learn about current and past situations. I am eternally grateful to the work you put into this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Peter’s thoughtful discussions bring needed perspectives as we reflect on our country’s policies toward Israel and Palestine. I would be interested in an episode on the growing relationship between Israeli politicians and Evangelical leaders in the United States, many of whom are unconditional supporters of the Israeli government, regardless of its policies.

I’ve been an avid listener of this podcast and have truly come to appreciate the host, guests and the thoughtful effort put into these episodes. I do believe that this is progressive in the sense that this thinking is the path forward and a much needed alternative to the unsustainable state that exists today. I’ve learnt much about actual anti-semitism vs fake claims and how dangerous it would be to expand that definition to create a veil for non-critical thinkers to hide behind. Overall, this has been enlightening and absolutely changed my perspective, bringing it closer to reality. Thank you.