Jerusalem Unplugged

Hello, and welcome to what will be the final episode of Jerusalem Unplugged, at least for now. This is episode 132, and after these years of conversations about Jerusalem's history, politics, and people, I've made the difficult decision to take a step back. Today, I want to share with you why I'm making this choice, reflect on our journey together, and discuss what this means for the future.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dead Sea is a place of many contradictions. Hot springs around the lake are famed for their healing properties, though its own waters are deadly to most lifeforms—even so, civilizations have built ancient cities and hilltop fortresses around its shores for centuries. The protagonists in its story are not only Jews and Arabs, but also Greeks, Nabataeans, Romans, Crusaders and Mamluks. Today it has become a tourist hotspot, but its drying basin is increasingly under threat. In this panoramic account, Nir Arielli explores the history of the Dead Sea from the first Neolithic settlements to the present day. Moving through the ages, Arielli reveals the religious, economic, military, and scientific importance of the lake, which has been both a source of great wealth and a site of war. The Dead Sea weaves together a tapestry of the lake's human stories—and amidst environmental degradation and renewed conflict, makes a powerful case for why it should be saved.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Until recently, Gaza attracted little attention in historical scholarship. This book innovates by examining late Ottoman Gaza's diverse society, its built environment, and its political dynamics. The introduction sets the stage to better understand the vital contexts impacting the role and status of Gaza as compared to other cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, provides analyses and new resources for the study of late Ottoman Gaza, and presents state-of-the-art methodology in urban history as applied to Gaza. Enjoy the interview with Yuval Ben Bassat.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest in this episode is Dr Mkhaimar Abusada, He received his PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1996 and is an associate professor at Al-Azhar University of Gaza and the former chair of the university's political science department. He has authored one book, and many academic articles in local and internationally recognized academic journals. He has also written for Project Syndicate, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Washington Institute for Near East Policy. We talked about his experience leaving Gaza at the beginning of the war and then we delved into international and Palestinian politics.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I have interviewed Erik Freas that recently has edited a volume published by Routledge looking at Palestinian Christians and the nationalist cause through the late Ottoman and Mandatory periods. This book provides an historical overview of Palestine's Christian communities and their role in the Palestinian nationalist movement during the late Ottoman and British mandatory periods. More than being a history of Palestine's Christian Arabs, the book focuses on Palestine's Christians during the formative period of Palestinian Arab national identity, attentive to the broader topic of the relationship between nationalism and religion--in this case, between Arab identity and Islam. Whereas until recently historians have tended to assume that national and religious identities are distinct and mostly mutually exclusive things, more recent scholarship has addressed the fact that often there exists considerable overlap between the two, though it should be noted, often in ways that are not by any means inherently exclusive of those not belonging to the majority faith, as is the case here. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I had the pleasure to talk to Christopher Burhnham who recently published Sir Ronald Storrs Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 with Routledge. While some may say that we already know enough on Storrs, the reality is that his legacy in Jerusalem is not only fully understood and neglected, but given the lengthy rulership, we still have to uncover more.It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today it's with great pleasure that I recast and interview that took place on October 2024 between Hawad Halabi and Ilan Pappe, both friends and guests of Jerusalem Unplugged. Ilan Pappe discussed his latest publication Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic.A special thanks goes to the Friends of Sabeel North American as they allowed me to republish the interview and also the Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace.The full conversation, with more comments and questions from the audience can be found on Youtube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODub0s-oMLQSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of the new year, I had the opportunity and pleasure to talk to Howard Eissenstat who currently is is an Laurentian Associate Professor of Middle East history and History Department Chair at St. Lawrence University and non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington. With Howard we first looked at the legacy of President Carter in the Middle East and from there we unpacked the long and complex relations between Israel and Turkey. Lastly, as we are approaching the transition from the Biden to the Trump administrations we tried to understand what this means for Turkey.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is so much talking about Israel, the war on Gaza, Lebanon and now Syria, but what about Palestinian politics? In this episode I talked to Dana El Kurd a Palestinian political scientist with a deep knowledge and understanding of Palestinian politics. We started our conversation discussing her book published in 2020 Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine, from there we move to talk about the incoming Trump administration, the role of Saudi Arabia but more importantly how politics is experienced and imagined in Palestine.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of season 6 I have interviewed Maurcio Lapchik, the Director of External Relations at Peace Now (Shalom Akshav), the largest and longest-standing Israeli movement advocating for peace through public pressure. While we briefly introduced Peace Now to those who don't know yet this organization, we then discussed the current standing of the peace camp in Israel. While the picture is rather grim, Mauricio keeps hoping for the best.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Gaza – a place of humanity and creativity, rich in culture and industry. A place now utterly devastated, its entire population displaced by a seemingly endless onslaught, its heritage destroyed.Daybreak in Gaza is a record of an extraordinary place and people, and of a culture preserved by the people themselves. Vignettes of artists, acrobats, doctors, students, shopkeepers and teachers offer stories of love, life, loss and survival. They display the wealth of Gaza's cultural landscape and the breadth of its history.Daybreak in Gaza humanises the people dismissed as statistics. It stands as a mark of resistance to the destruction and as a testament to the people of Gaza.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this season 5 finale episode I had the pleasure to interview Oren Kroll-Zeldin, the author of Unsettled: American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine. Unsettled digs into the experiences of young Jewish Americans who engage with the Palestine solidarity movement and challenge the staunch pro-Israel stance of mainstream Jewish American institutions. The book explores how these activists address Israeli government policies of occupation and apartheid, and seek to transform American Jewish institutional support for Israel.Oren identifies three key social movement strategies employed by these activists: targeting mainstream Jewish American institutions, participating in co-resistance efforts in Palestine/Israel, and engaging in Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns. He argues that these young people perceive their commitment to ending the occupation and Israeli apartheid as a Jewish value, deeply rooted in the changing dynamics of Jewish life in the twenty-first century. By associating social justice activism with Jewish traditions and values, these activists establish a connection between their Jewishness and their pursuit of justice for Palestinians.In a time of internal Jewish tensions and uncertainty about peace prospects between Palestine and Israel, the book provides hope that the efforts of these young Jews in the United States are pushing the political pendulum in a new direction, potentially leading to a more balanced and nuanced conversation.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very moving and heartwarming interview I had the opportunity to discuss with Fida Jiyris her work, a beautifully written memoir that tells the story of her and her family journey, which is also the story of Palestine, from the Nakba to the present—a seventy-five-year tale of conflict, exodus, occupation, return and search for belonging, seen through the eyes of one writer and her family. Fida reveals how her father, Sabri, a PLO leader and advisor to Yasser Arafat, chose exile in 1970 because of his work. Her own childhood in Beirut was shaped by regional tensions, the Lebanese Civil War and the 1982 Israeli invasion, which led to her mother's death. Thirteen years later, the family made an unexpected return to Fassouta, their village of origin in the Galilee. But Fida, twenty-two years old and full of love for her country, had no idea what she was getting into.Stranger in My Own Land chronicles a desperate, at times surreal, search for a homeland between the Galilee, the West Bank and the diaspora, asking difficult questions about what the right of return would mean for the millions of Palestinians waiting to come ‘home'.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is cultural memory? How do settlers use it in East Jerusalem to dispossess Palestinians? In this episode I interview film maker and scholar Yair Agmon. Known for short movies like Once Upon a School (2023), Like a Beating Heart (2022) and Our Heroes (2016), Yair is now working on his PhD at UCLA 'Dwelling on The Past: Memory, Discard, and Dispossession at The City of David National Park,” which explores how settlers in East Jerusalem use memory to give purpose and meaning to a territorial project in Palestinian East Jerusalem'.We discussed his work, the question of memory and how the City of David has become more than an archeological site. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today the guest of Jerusalem Unplugged is Asaf Elia/Shalev the author of Israel's Black Panthers that tells the story of the young and impoverished Moroccan Israeli Jews who challenged their country's political status quo and rebelled against the ethnic hierarchy of Israeli life in the 1970s. Inspired by the American group of the same name, the Black Panthers mounted protests and a yearslong political campaign for the rights of Mizrahim, or Jews of Middle Eastern ancestry. They managed to rattle the country's establishment and change the course of Israel's history through the mass mobilization of a Jewish underclass. Most of the leaders of the Black Panthers were located in Musrara, a previously Palestinian inhabited neighborhood of Jerusalem that in 1948, due its proximity with the Green Line became a sort of no man's land taken over by poor Mizrahi jews who had nowhere else to go. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the series dedicated to current events, today we have the privilege of speaking with John Lynden, executive director of ALLMEP - the Alliance for Middle East Peace. ALLMEP is an impressive coalition, bringing together over 160 organizations and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis. Their mission is to build cooperation, justice, equality, a shared society, mutual understanding, and ultimately lasting peace between their communities.In times of crisis, ALLMEP works to add stability. They foster cooperation initiatives that increase impact on the ground. And they cultivate an environment more conducive to peace over the long term through their tireless efforts.In our conversation today, John will share insights into ALLMEP's vital work, as well as his perspectives on the fragile peace camp in Israel and Palestine following the events of October 7th. We'll discuss the challenges they face, the grounds for hope, and how people of good faith can support peace building.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first episode exploring the current war on Gaza. In today's episode with Gilad Halpern we'll be taking an in-depth look at the current situation within Israel itself - examining the state of Israeli society and the complex political dynamics at play.Israel remains a deeply divided nation, with sharp social and ideological rifts running through its population. From the secular vs. religious divide, to the longstanding left-right political schisms, Israeli society is characterized by a plurality of viewpoints and identities.On the political front, Israel's government is currently led by one of the most right-wing coalitions in the country's history, igniting concerns over the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, minority rights, and the preservation of democratic norms. We'll analyze the key players, policy positions, and controversies surrounding the current administration.As we navigate this complex landscape, it's important to remember that this is just one part of a larger, multi-faceted issue. In upcoming episodes, we'll turn our focus to Palestinian society from the voices and perspectives of those living under Israeli occupation. We'll also examine the stances and roles of the so-called "international community" of nations in relation to this conflict.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back for part two of our comprehensive exploration of Zionism on Jerusalem Unplugged. In our previous episode, Arie Dubnov provided invaluable insights tracing the diverse ideological currents and forces that shaped the Zionist movement from its origins through the tumultuous events surrounding Israeli statehood in 1948.Today, we continue this illuminating discussion as Professor Dubnov analyzes the roles played by the pre-state paramilitary organizations like the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi. Their histories and divergent ideological leanings foreshadowed the fissures that emerged within the Zionist movement after 1948. From there, Professor Dubnov will guide us through the critical periods of the late 1940s following independence and the transformative 1967 Six-Day War. His nuanced perspectives shed light on how Zionist thought and praxis continuously evolved in response to changing regional realities.Finally, we'll bring the conversation into the present as Professor Dubnov examines the multifaceted manifestations and ongoing debates surrounding Zionism's place in contemporary Israeli society and the world at large.Drawing from his extensive scholarship, including his current work on the interwar ties between Zionist and British imperial thinkers, this second part promises to be a masterclass on the rich histories and reverberations of one of modern history's most influential nationalist ideologies.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first installment of a special two-part series, Jerusalem Unplugged takes a deep dive into the origins and development of Zionism leading up to the establishment of Israel in 1948. I am joined by Professor Arie Dubnov, an expert on the histories of this influential nationalist ideology. Over the course of this thorough yet riveting episode, Professor Dubnov provides profound insights into the complex ideological currents, key figures, and pivotal moments that shaped the Zionist movement from its early beginnings through the tumultuous events surrounding Israeli statehood and Nakba. His analysis sheds light on the layered histories that gave rise to one of the most impactful nationalist movements of the modern era.This first part lays the essential groundwork for understanding Zionist thought and praxis. But the journey is far from over. In the forthcoming second episode, Professor Dubnov will pick up the thread in 1948, tracing how Zionism evolved and manifested in different forms over subsequent decades up to the present.Preparing listeners for a thought-provoking exploration, this two-part series promises to provide an illuminating episode on the multifaceted ideas, events, and ongoing impact of Zionisms. Stay tuned for part two of this comprehensive analysis.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this episode I had the pleasure to interview Loren Lybarger, a long time resident of Palestine who devoted a few years studying the Palestinian community of Chicago which is home to one of the largest, most politically active Palestinian immigrant communities in the United States. For decades, secular nationalism held sway as the dominant political ideology, but since the 1990s its structures have weakened and Islamic institutions have gained strength. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interview data, Palestinian Chicago charts the origins of these changes and the multiple effects they have had on identity across religious, political, class, gender, and generational lines. The perspectives that emerge through this rich ethnography challenge prevailing understandings of secularity and religion, offering critical insight into current debates about immigration and national belonging. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second episode dedicated to the Balfour Declaration I have republished the presentations made by Professor Avi Shlaim and Salim Tamari at: 'The British Legacy in Palestine: Balfour and Beyond' conference held at the Palestinian National Theatre on 2 November 2017. This was a joint event from the Kenyon Institute and the Educational Bookshop, and supported by the British Council Palestine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx4-l_4iZF0&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoH_0LKSxHw&t=4452sSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cherished and hated by many, the Balfour Declaration is certainly considered one of the most controversial documents in recent history. In this first episode of a series dedicated to this document, I will discuss the origins of the Declaration and offer several explanations in the attempt to understand why the British promised a Jewish National Home for the Jewish people in Palestine, when in fact the British were just crossing the Suez Canal in their efforts to defeat the Ottoman Empire.Bibliography suggested:Lorenzo Kamel, Imperial Perceptions of Palestine (IB Tauris, 2020)Gabriel Polley, Palestine in the Victorian Age (IB Tauris, 2022)Lawrence Davidson, 'The past as prelude: Zionism and the Betrayal of American Democratic Principles, 1917-1948' (2002)Jehuda Reinharz, 'Zionism in the USA on the eve of the Balfour Declaration' (1988)James Renton, The Zionist Masquerade (Palgrave, 2004)James Renton, 'Flawed Foundations: the Balfour Declaration and the Palestine Mandate' (2016)Jonathan Schneer, The Balfour Declaration: the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (2010)Avi Shlaim, 'The Balfour Declaration and its Consequences' (2005)Leonard Stein, The Balfour Declaration (1961)Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Country of Words: A Transnational Atlas for Palestinian Literature is a digital-born project that retraces and remaps the global story of Palestinian literature in the twentieth century, starting from the Arab world and going through Europe, North America, and Latin America. Sitting at the intersection of literary history, periodical studies, and digital humanities, Country of Words creates a digitally networked and multilocational literary history—a literary atlas enhanced. The virtual realm acts as the meeting place for the data and narrative fragments of this literature-in-motion, bringing together porous, interrupted, disconnected, and discontinuous fragments into an elastic, interconnected, and entangled literary history.Country of Words taps into the power of Palestinian literature to defy conventional linear, chronological, and artificial national frames of representation. Despite the fact that an unprecedented number of the world's population live as refugees, exiles, or stateless people, the logic of the nation-state continues to loom large over literary studies. Delving into the decentralized and deterritorialized history of Palestinian literature, the story of an entire nation-in-exile living through repetitive cycles of occupation and in multiple diasporas can facilitate an understanding of extranational forms of literary production. Ultimately, Country of Words seeks to offer new perspectives and approaches that simultaneously include and transcend national literary frames.https://countryofwords.org/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(Episodio in Italiano)In questa puntata di Jerusalem Unplugged ho il piacere di pubblicare il mio intervento insieme a quello di Maria Chiara Rioli e Arturo Marzano come relatori del seminario Palestina - Israele Dal sionismo delle origini al 1948: eventi, documenti, interpretazioni che ha avuto luogo all'universita' di Bologna Dipartimento di Storia, il 22 Gennaio 2024 organizzato da Caterina Bori con la collaborazione di Francesca Biancani e Cigdem Oguz. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American Jews began debating Palestinian rights issues even before Israel's founding in 1948. Geoffrey Levin recovers the voices of American Jews who, in the early decades of Israel's existence, called for an honest reckoning with the moral and political plight of Palestinians. These now‑forgotten voices, which include an aid‑worker‑turned‑academic with Palestinian Sephardic roots, a former Yiddish journalist, anti‑Zionist Reform rabbis, and young left‑wing Zionist activists, felt drawn to support Palestinian rights by their understanding of Jewish history, identity, and ethics. They sometimes worked with mainstream American Jewish leaders who feared that ignoring Palestinian rights could foster antisemitism, leading them to press Israeli officials for reform. But Israeli diplomats viewed any American Jewish interest in Palestinian affairs with deep suspicion, provoking a series of quiet confrontations that ultimately kept Palestinian rights off the American Jewish agenda up to the present era. In reconstructing this hidden history, Levin lays the groundwork for more forthright debates over Palestinian rights issues, American Jewish identity, and the U.S.‑Israel relationship more broadly. We also discussed American Jews in the post October 7 world and the question of anti-Semitism on American campuses.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an edited recast of the podcast I recorded with Oliver Webb-Carter, founder of Aspects of History home - Aspects of History. After the horrific attacks of 7th October our editor discussed the long running Israel Palestine conflict with historian and author Roberto Mazza. Covering the growing Zionist movement in the early 20th century, to the Balfour Declaration through to the British Mandate for Palestine, the 1948 war and the Six Day War in 1967 Roberto discusses how we got to where we are today and whether there is any prospect for peace.This is the link of the original podcast: Aspects of History - Israel Palestine with Roberto Mazza | RSS.com Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Old City of Jerusalem, 80 kilometres from the war in Gaza, another religious conflict is taking place. An Australian property developer, aided by a group of armed Jewish settlers, has attempted to occupy a prized piece of land in the Armenian Christian quarter. Even though a deal to build a hotel was overturned, Armenian families are threatened with eviction from homes their community has held for centuries. Bedross tells us everything we need to know about the Armenians in Jerusalem and their struggle against armed settlers. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is settler colonialism? How does this concept relate to Israel and Palestine? What about other countries? These are all great questions which I discussed in this episode with Arnon Degani. Arnon is currently a Fellow at Molad – Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, specializing in the history of Zionism, Palestinian nationalism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He recently released the Hebrew podcast series "Hesket Oslo," examining the Oslo Accords, and is currently working on the English adaptation, "Still Processing." His doctoral research focused on the integration of Palestinian Arabs into Israeli society from 1948 to 1967, as revealed through daily encounters with Israeli officials, and his upcoming manuscript titled "Our Arabs" explores this topic in depth. He is contributor to the scholarly and intellectual debate on if and how the settler-colonialism comparative framework benefits the study of Israel and Palestine. We hope you will enjoy this conversation.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm thrilled to bring you a thought-provoking talk by my good friend and friend of the podcast Louis Fishman. Our conversation today delves deep into the complex dynamics of the Middle East, focusing on "Israel, Palestine, Turkey in the post-Oct. 7th reality: A Historical Look Toward the Future." The talk was given at Northwestern University of Nov. 8.There's a twist to today's presentation. After the talk, I conducted a Q&A session with Professor Fishman, and although the questions were intriguing, a technical hiccup rendered the audience questions inaudible. However, fear not! We've preserved Professor Fishman's answers for your listening pleasure, ensuring you don't miss out on his invaluable wisdom.So, stay tuned for a journey through history and geopolitics as we explore the past, present, and future of Israel, Palestine, and Turkey in the ever-shifting post-Oct. 7th reality.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the war keeps raging in Palestine, thousands have been killed, thousands are living under threat of immediate death, hundreds of hostages are still held somewhere in Gaza, the West Bank is on the brink of exploding, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism are on the rise, polarized views leave no room for dialogue, I choose to publish an interview I recorded some time ago and I was hoping to upload later in the year. I choose not to look the other way, but to keep giving the listeners crumbs of the history of Palestine and all the people that live there. With my good friend Vincent Lemire we discussed his latest book which presents the history of the Mughrabi Quarter, the one you can no longer see as it was demolished right after the conquest of the Old City by Israeli troops in 1967. In this fascinating discussion we talk about the history of the quarter, its destruction and its 'resurrection' through contemporary archaeology. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dopo tante richieste personali, ho pensato di organizzare un webinar non-accadmeico dedicato alla questione israelo-palestinese e ad Hamas, un'occasione unica per esplorare il contesto storico che ha plasmato gli eventi contemporanei che hanno portato all'attacco del 7 Ottobre e la conseguente risposta di Israele. Durante questa sessione di 50 minuti, approfondiremo le origini del conflitto, i cambiamenti politici e sociali avvenuti nel corso degli anni e il ruolo chiave svolto da Hamas. Sono ansioso di condividere questa esperienza di apprendimento con voi e di esplorare insieme il contesto storico di questa complessa questione che in tanti modi diversi riguarda anche me e la mia famiglia direttamente. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We open season 5 without any celebration. The current war on Gaza, the brutal killings of civilians perpetrated by Hamas and the equally brutal response by the State of Israel carpet-bombing Gaza indiscriminately and essentially pushing Palestinians towards a second Nakba could not be a good time to celebrate 100 episodes of Jerusalem Unplugged. In this new release I talked to Noa Shaindlinger, author of an amazing book about post-Nakba Jaffa. She explores the ways in which Palestinians negotiate physical and symbolic erasures by producing their own archives and historical narratives. With a focus on the city of Jaffa and its displaced Palestinian population, Noa argues that the Israeli state ‘buried' histories of mass expulsions and spatial appropriations. Based on a wide-variety of sources, this book brings together archival, literary, ethnographic and oral research to engage with ideas of settler colonialism and the production of history, violence and memory, refugee-hood and diaspora. Before all of this we exchanged view about current events, a possibility for Jerusalem Unplugged to clarify its position. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fast moving conversation with Lauren Banko we discussed her first book 'The Invention of Palestinian Citizenship 1918-1947' and the question of Palestinian citizenship as a product of colonial rule, but also adopted by local Palestinians. We also discussed hew new projects like 'Medical Deportees: narrations and pathographies of health at the borders of Great Britain, Egypt, and Palestine, 1919-1949'This three year project offers new approaches to the history of 20th century medico-legal borders and puts (im)(e)migrants' voices at its centre. These migrants include the forcibly displaced, refugees, and labour migrants from across Asia and Africa who attempted to enter Great Britain by sea, and Palestine and Egypt overland. The second project is a monograph about icit and illicit Mobility along the Borders of Palestine between 1920 and 1950. Lastly I asked Lauren a reflection on the 30 years since the Oslo accords. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Holy Land was the destination for many Muslim pilgrims during the late medieval and early modern period. In addition to worshipping on Jerusalem's Haram al-Sharif, Muslim pilgrims in the Holy Land also visited important Christian holy sites, such as the Mount of Olives, the Tomb of Mary, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. With fada'il al-Quds (“Merits of Jerusalem”) pilgrimage texts serving as their guide, Muslims visited these places and joined Christian worshippers in contemplating the sacred. Fada'il al-Quds texts informed Muslim pilgrims of the blessings (fada'il) of Christian holy sites by citing Islamic traditions, such as Qur'anic verses, hadith literature, and Companions' sayings (athar), to sanctify each Christian site and to command Muslims to perform certain Islamic prayers there. While fada'il al-Quds texts extolled Christian holy sites, they simultaneously debated whether Muslims were permitted to enter churches in the Holy Land. Despite the debate on the legality of Muslim pilgrimage to churches and protestations against the practice by some conservative ‘ulama', the fada'il al-Quds corpus, along with travelogue literature, reveals that Muslims increasingly visited churches, shared sacred spaces, and even participated in Christian ceremonies into the Ottoman period. Fadi in this interview and his work provides a broad historical sketch of Islamic pilgrimage to Christian holy sites and demonstrates that Muslims in the Holy Land shared sacred spaces with Christians in Jerusalem for centuries before the onset of the modern era.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On September 6, 1918, twelve individuals met at the residence of the military governor of Jerusalem.1 The room was filled with tension as the governor was trying to win the confidence of those who were still skeptical and suspicious of British rule. A few months earlier, in December 1917, General Allenby had led the British troops into Jerusalem, ending Ottoman rule in the city and paving the way for greater British success in the region. As Jerusalem was now under British rule, General Allenby appointed Colonel Ronald Storrs as governor of the city. This appointment proved crucial for the development of the city in the interwar period. In the early days of British rule, Storrs was immediately involved with the delivery of supplies for the city and, in a fashion that would characterize his governorship, he placed the distribution of food and medicine in the hands of the municipality, under the supervision of the representatives of all religiouscommunities. In this episode I discuss the establishment of the Pro-Jerusalem Society in 1918, its composition, and its aims. In presenting the society's activities, I will focus on a particular decision first proposed by the society and later adopted by the Town Planning Commission: the adoption of Jerusalem – white – stone as the only visible building material allowed. This decision changed the way the city would look and develop.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first episode of a short series dedicated to the British Military rule of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1920 introducing the almost forgotten figure of Ronald Storrs. Following the conquest of the city, the British established military rule which lasted until 1 July 1920. From the perspective of the local population the government of the city had passed from Ottoman rule to that of a new foreign power. However, the British were not only European Christian rulers: they had also shown their support for Jewish immigration and settlement in Palestine by issuing the Balfour Declaration. Although the civil administration of the city after 1920 has been studied extensively, the military administration has been reviewed as a transitional period. Indeed, military rule forced the renegotiation of several aspects of Jerusalem: politics, urban geography, language and the economy, amongst other things, were all reshaped according to the requirements and values of the new rulers. The military establishment was generally reluctant to engage with the complexities of high politics, so how did their rule affect the city of Jerusalem? To answer this question, attention should be paid to one of the key characters of the British administration: the military governor Ronald Storrs. Military rule did not create a complex structure of government in Jerusalem, but was based upon a high concentration of power in the hands of Storrs. As military governor Storrs ruled the city almost undisturbed between 1917 and 1920, de facto reshaping the city according to his sense of aesthetics and his own values.BibliographyR. Mazza. From the Ottomans to the British (IB Tauris, 2011)R. Mazza '“The Preservation and Safeguarding of the Amenities of the Holy City without Favour or Prejudice to Race or Creed”: The Pro-Jerusalem Society and Ronald Storrs, 1917–1926' Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I discussed with Gabriel Schwake his latest book Dwelling on the Green Line, looking at the question of Israeli settlements built around the Green Line separating Israel and Palestine. Concealed within the walls of settlements along the Green-Line, the border between Israel and the occupied West-Bank, is a complex history of territoriality, privatisation and multifaceted class dynamics. Since the late 1970s, the state aimed to expand the heavily populated coastal area eastwards into the occupied Palestinian territories, granting favoured groups of individuals, developers and entrepreneurs the ability to influence the formation of built space as a means to continuously develop and settle national frontiers. As these settlements developed, they became a physical manifestation of the relationship between the political interest to control space and the ability to form it. Telling a socio-political and economic story from an architectural and urban history perspective, Gabriel Schwake tells us how this production of space can be seen not only as a cultural phenomenon, but also as one that is deeply entangled with geopolitical agendas. Lastly we discussed the red roofs, today associated with the settlements in the West Bank, but with a longer and unexpected history.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Izzeldin Abdul Aziz Bukhari is the self-taught chef and founder of SacredCuisine; a culmination of Izzeldin's life experiences that are deeply embedded in his Sufi roots. It embodies everything he values and aspires to instill. Originating from Bukhara – Uzbekistan, his family migrated to the Old City of Jerusalem in 1616 AD to teach Sufism. As a young adult he moved to the United States and discovered his passion for cooking when, missing Palestinian cuisine, he experimented with recreating his favorite Palestinian dishes. It was then that he discovered cooking as a form of meditation, through which he could lose himself and connect to the world around him. This experience was transformative, allowing him to mindfully contemplate the world around him and inspiring his vision for SacredCuisine. He began to notice where his ingredients came from, how they were grown, and what impact the dual processes of their production and consumption had on the ecosystem. Upon returning to Palestine, he decided to take Palestinian food, which is traditionally mostly plant-based, back to its roots of simplicity, versatility, and inclusiveness.https://sacred-cuisine.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sacredcuisine/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Led by General Allenby, British troops entered Jerusalem in December 1917, ending Ottoman rule and opening a new and crucial era in the history of Jerusalem and Palestine. The history of Jerusalem has traditionally been depicted as the quintessential history of conflict and strife, of ethnic and communal tensions and of incompatible national narratives and visions. The transition from Ottoman to British rule marked a dramatic and radical change in the history of the city, often described as the beginning of a period of great transformation. Looking at the riots that took place in the city in April 1920, this episode will explore the emergence of structured urban violence in Jerusalem and the ways itsuperseded communal violence. The context is provided by the political framework set by the British with the Balfour Declaration, the largescale arrival of Zionists in Palestine and the reshaping of the urban fabric of Jerusalem.BibliographyMazza, Roberto (2013). Jerusalem: From the Ottomans to the British. Mazza, Roberto (2015) Transforming the Holy City From Communal Clashes to Urban Violence, the Nebi Musa Riots in 1920.Halabi, Awad (2023), Palestinian Rituals of Identity. The Prophet Moses Festival in Jerusalem, 1850-1948(Short video on the riots including original footage)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu4PDKQof9ASupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following the first conversation with Awad Halabi (episode 49) as we discussed his work on the Nabi Musa festival, we are glad to celebrate and discuss in more details his latest book Palestinian Rituals of Identity. In this second part dedicated to the Nabi Musa Festival we will focus on the origins of the festival, its development with a particular focus on the late Ottoman era until the Nakba of 1948, discussing how the British understood and partly transformed the Festival. Awad discussed not just the celebrations but the participants and the rituals associated with the festival itself. In conclusion with Awad we looked at the contemporary and the possibilities for the festival to become once again a unifying factors for Palestinians in and around Jerusalem.In 1920 the Nabi Musa festival was transformed into the stage of large riots that occurred in Jerusalem: the so-called Nabi Musa Riots will be the focus of the next episode of Jerusalem Unplugged leading to the conclusion of this short series dedicated to the Nabi Musa Festival.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chandler is a Ph.D. candidate at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. He holds two M.A. degrees in the fields of Semitic languages, Hebrew Bible, and archaeology from Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL. He is a faculty member and the former Dean of Administration at Jerusalem University College. He is also a member of ARCH Jerusalem, an NGO devoted to preserving at-risk cultural heritage in Jerusalem. With Chandler we discussed his work as archaeologist focusing on the Iron Age period, we also discussed questions related various digging and structures of that historical period. Since Chandler was stuck in Jerusalem during Covid, it was very interesting to hear a different view of how to use that time for some new discoveries. Chandler is the author of Approaching Jerusalem which aims to be a trove of accessible writing about ancient and living Jerusalem, including its geographical setting, early exploration, archaeological excavations, architecture, history, people, and more. This newsletter is both an extension of the modern quest to uncover ancient Jerusalem and a self-reflection of how the drive to study Jerusalem has influenced the city we experience today. https://approachingjerusalem.substack.com@chandler_collinsSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Ramadan/Passover/Easter episode I sat down with Fadi Boukaram - aka @cedrusk - and spent some time talking about words and names that changed throughout time and travelled unimaginable distances. I recommend all listeners of Jerusalem Unplugged to subscribe to @cedrusk on whatever social media you are on as you will enjoy and learn lots of interesting and entertaining stuff. Fadi told me the story of a few words that originated in the Middle East, travelled long distances and went back completely changed and not many would have remembered the origin of those words. We also talked about the various names of Jerusalem, particularly those used in Arabic, but we couldn't stay away from food and indeed Knafeh!Enjoy this conversation and remember to follow @cedruskSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I discussed with Jacob Norris his latest book, born after he heard about the canonization of two Palestinian nuns, who amongst the various miracles also brought back to life Jubrail Dabdoub.This is the fantastical, yet real, story of the merchants of Bethlehem, the young men who traveled to every corner of the globe in the nineteenth century. These men set off on the backs of donkeys with suitcases full of crosses and rosaries, to return via steamship with suitcases stuffed with French francs, Philippine pesos, or Salvadoran colones. They returned with news of mysterious lands and strange inventions—clocks, trains, and other devices that both befuddled and bewitched the Bethlehemites. With newfound wealth, these merchants built shimmering pink mansions that transformed Bethlehem from a rural village into Palestine's wealthiest and most cosmopolitan town. At the center of these extraordinary occurrences lived Jubrail Dabdoub.The Lives and Deaths of Jubrail Dabdoub tells the story of Jubrail's encounters, offering a version of Palestinian history rarely acknowledged. From his childhood in rural Bethlehem to later voyages across Europe, East Asia, and the Americas, Jubrail's story culminates in a recorded miracle: in 1909, he was brought back from the dead. To tell such a tale is to delve into the realms of the fantastic and improbable. Through the story of Jubrail's life, Jacob Norris explores the porous lines between history and fiction, the normal and the paranormal, the everyday and the extraordinary.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode I am discussing the question of teaching Jerusalem. While the bookshelves of countless libraries around the world host at least a book on Jerusalem, a superficial browsing of classes taught about the city's history reveals a different picture. Writing and publishing material about Jerusalem is as easy as it gets, but to teach about it, it is a completely different story. Given the long history of the city, the possibility to discuss many historical periods, ethnic and religious groups, politics, diplomacy, religion, eschatology, cuisine, art and even medicine, it is quite puzzling that not many scholars have offered in the past and are offering in the present courses making Jerusalem their centre. Is it a pedagogical question? How to structure a course on such a monumental history? Or is it a political issue: the fear of delving into a divisive and complex topic? Whatever the answer, the problem is that lack of teaching equals to great ignorance about the city, its history and its people, but more importantly it fuels the perpetuation of old stereotypes and the creation of new ones.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1936–1939 revolt was the crucible in which Palestinian identity coalesced, uniting rival families, city and country, rich and poor in a single struggle for independence. British forces' aggressive counterinsurgency took care of the rest, finally quashing the uprising on the eve of World War II. In this episode I engage in an interesting conversation with Oren Kessler, author of Palestine 1936. Kessler argues that today, eight decades on, the revolt's legacy endures. Hamas's armed wing and rockets carry the name of the fighter-preacher whose death sparked the 1936 rebellion. When Israel builds security barriers, sets up checkpoints, or razes homes, it is evoking laws and methods inherited from its British predecessor. And when Washington promotes a “two-state solution,” it is invoking a plan with roots in this same pivotal period. This is an extremely engaging conversation with different point of views which may leave the listeners to wanting to know more.https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538148815/Palestine-1936-The-Great-Revolt-and-the-Roots-of-the-Middle-East-Conflict Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second part dedicated to the presentation and discussion of Jerusalem Quarterly 92 'Jerusalem's Interrupted Futures' I have asked the authors to provide more details related to their articles and to speculate what would have happened if these unfulfilled projects would have actually been completed. History cannot be changed, however these missed opportunities tell us about the agency of individuals and their choices. You can all articles for free at:https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1653463Contributors to this episode are:Falestin NailiYair WallachMichelle CamposHarris FordSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode dedicated to the publication of Jerusalem Quarterly 92 "Jerusalem's Interrupted Futures" the guest editor Falestin Naili and several authors including Yair Wallach, Michelle Campos, Maria Chiara Rioli, Harris Ford and Semih Gokatalay talk about the unfilled plans for Jerusalem. The authors take hold of threads of unfinished schemes conceived just before or during important moments of rupture: the end of the Ottoman Empire (Campos), the termination of the British Mandate (Wallach and Cirujano; Ford; Gökatalay; and Pappé), the abrupt close of the Jordanian administration of Jerusalem (Lemire and Rioli; and Dukhgan and Naïli). The plans and projects discussed were the result of governmental initiatives at various levels. Some plans, such as the British Mandate scheme to build a parliamentary building in the city, point to the vivid contradictions of the colonial political structure. By contrast, it is important to remember that in the case of the Ottoman and the Jordanian administrations of the city, Palestinians were key political actors on the local level, something that was less the case during the Mandate period. https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1653463Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Palestine exists in our minds, says Zachary Foster, not in nature. If Palestine doesn't exist, why do we identify with it? We identify with Palestine, first, because it has a name. In fact, we only identify with places we've named. Unnamed places, such as 22°29′05″N 22.48 to 53°46′19″E 53.77, have no identities based on them. But we don't identify with every place we've named. We need to hear stories about a place if we are going to identify with it, stories about famines and wars, conquests and tribes, history, geography, economy, archeology and millions more topics. The more engaging the stories, the more likely we are to identify with places like Palestine. In our discussion we talked about his controversial PhD thesis and other material published in relation to Palestine during WW1. Lastly, we discussed his trip to Gaza where he collected documents and material now available on https://palestinenexus.com/Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Whitman works for Medico, an NGO dedicated to provide health care to Gazans. With Chris we talked about his work, but more importantly about Gaza city, its daily life and its traffic and how Gazans navigate the challenges to live in the larges open air prison in the world. We talked about mobility and antiques, but also we discussed perceptions: how does the West see Gaza vs. reality. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talked to Professor Mahmoud Hawari, a leading scholar in the history of Ayyubid Jerusalem. The conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin in 583/1187, after nearly nine decades of Frankish rule, opened a new era of cultural, socio-economic and architectural changes. The renewed political fervour that followed it gave a fresh impetus to an extensive building activity initiated by the Ayyubids, which signified a renaissance in the style of Islamic architecture. Such style is exemplified in a large variety of monuments which would come to influence the magnificent Medieval Islamic architecture of Jerusalem. After unpacking Ayyubid Jerusalem we also discussed the question of the Citadel and the Tower of David, its archaeological appropriation and transformations. We ended the conversation with a virtual tour of Ayyubid Jerusalem where visitors can still see the visible signs of this almost forgotten dynasty.Interested in a 10 Program Visit to Palestine from 13 to 14 March 2023? Get in touch with Kristel kristel@storiesfrompalestine.nl https://storiesfrompalestine.info/travel-to-palestine/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Munayer is a researcher, writer, theologian and interreligious facilitator from Jerusalem. Most of his research focuses on Palestinian Theology, the Palestinian Christian community in the Holy Land and interreligious dialogue. With him we discussed Palestinian Christianity in Palestine, who are the Christians and what are the current theological debates amongst the various denominations. One particular brand of Christianity, dangerous to the indigenous Palestinian Christian population is Christian-Zionism. With John we discussed this particular brand of Christianity, their beliefs and the threats raised. Lastly we discussed the question of interreligious dialogue in Palestine and the upcoming new Palestinian Christianity Journal. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.