Podcast Palestine: The War on Gaza

Many see the United States and Iran as sworn enemies, but few are aware about the deep history of the relationship between the two countries. A focal point of this shared history can be seen through Christian missionaries present in Tehran during the first half of the 20th century.

International law scholar Richard Falk discusses international law and politics as they pertain to the ongoing genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and the wider Palestinian plight, in addition to UN reform.

As the world awaits a much-anticipated provisional measures ruling by the International Court of Justice on the South Africa vs Israel case, we dive into what possible implications would a positive judgement in favor of South Africa have in terms of influencing the set ways of international law and politics, and the actual course of the war in Gaza. Today's episode is with Jason Beckett, associate professor of law at the American University in Cairo.

Young progressive Jews calling for a ceasefire in Gaza spent weeks since October 7 shutting down U.S. train stations, highways, and government buildings. But can their messages of solidarity reverberate beyond these demonstrations to cause change within government and Congress, especially as criticism of Israel is being increasingly shut down and classified as anti-semitism by US officials.   Today's episode is with Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP), a nonprofit organization working to promote peace between Israel and Palestine/peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis. 

What is the next step in the Gaza War now that an Israeli drone has killed a Hamas leader in Beirut? A spillover in Lebanon? The entire region? Europe? The United States has a role to play in preventing the war from escalating, but what if it does not intervene? Today's episode is with Abdalhadi Alijla, Palestinian political scientist and rebel governance expert, who tells us more about the worst-case scenarios of the war on Gaza, and how the war's objectives are slightly shifting.

For almost all Palestinians, the current war on Gaza strongly evokes the Nakba, when Palestinians were forced to flee their homeland in 1948 following the creation of the state of Israel. As 1.9 million people are currently displaced in Gaza, many believe they are reliving the Nakba in its worst forms.  In today's episode, we hear from Sharif ElMusa, professor emeritus at the American University in Cairo, Palestinian poet, and Nakba survivor. 

Some analysts have called  Gaza a “news grave” because of the killing of journalists and their families, and the destruction of media outlets and communication infrastructure. For journalists on the ground in Gaza, the barriers are insurmountable, especially when they are fighting to survive themselves. On today's episode, we hear from Nour Swirki, one of the few last standing journalists in Gaza about her own story of displacement, and about how she is able to continue doing her job during what she calls "a war against anything Palestinian...against our existence." 

There are too many unknowns about what happens to Gaza after the war ends. Instead, we should be focusing on the Day Before, and the ways to pave the road for a political settlement for the Palestinians, which includes rebuilding a Gazan economy that does not depend on Israel. Today's episode of Podcast Palestine: The War on Gaza is with Raja Khalidi, economist and director general of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute.