The Caged Bird Paints with Malak Mattar

This week Lara and Michael sat down with award-winning journalist for Al Jazeera, Jamal Elshayyal. We cover the occupation's continued attack on the press in the wake of the execution of Shireen Abu Akleh. The occupation once again killed another Palestinian female journalist, Ghufran Harun Warasneh, and attacked her funeral procession (but you probably haven’t heard about this because she doesn’t hold an American passport). Lara talks about how terrifying it is that the occupation is doubling down and murdering more journalists. Jamal provides us the context that it might be that they are acting out most because they are near the end of their tether. Jamal relives his experience aboard the Mavi Mamara in 2010, the humanitarian flotilla headed towards Gaza that was shot at in international waters by the occupation commandos who then boarded the ship and took everyone hostage. Jamal's was the last signal broadcasting before the Israelis cut power. Michael queries Jamal about the insides of Gaddafi's intelligence compound where Jamal discovered some wild stuff in the wake of the Libyan revolution.

6 Kesä 20221h 5min

This week Lara and Michael sit down with our first repeat guest, Adnan Barq. Adnan is a journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Jerusalem, Palestine. We discuss the things he saw at the funeral for Shireen Abu Akleh, and how it was the largest funeral procession in Palestinian history starting all the way from Jenin and breaking the occupation barriers by ending up in Jerusalem. We talk about how the people of Palestine are united but disheartened by the media coverage which obfuscates Palestinian life even after death. We also considerwhat it's like to choose the camera when the oppressor uses a gun. Adnan coins the term Karenizer and you heard it here first folks.

29 Touko 20221h 6min

This week Lara and Michael sit down with famed Palestinian human rights lawyer, scholar, and professor of law, Dr. Noura Erakat. We discuss how international law was shaped by colonial powers in order to facilitate imperial expansion and how international law in practice has favored the settler-colonial project far more than Palestinians. We chat about a time when Palestinians used "guerilla diplomacy" to their advantage to champion the cause of Palestinian liberation. Dr. Erakat tells us that there is no silver bullet for what will bring down the occupation, but we all ought to be kinder to each other in our various pursuits whether our strategy is armed resistance, legal, political, or cultural. She posits that it is the combination of all these things will provide Palestinians the ability to claim freedom one day.

20 Touko 202249min

This week Lara and Michael cover the heinous assassination by the Israeli occupation of the beloved Palestinian journalist for Al Jazeera, Shireen Abu Akleh. Lara and Michael discuss the audacity of murdering Shireen in broad daylight while still trying to gaslight people into believing something else happened. We note how Israel murdering journalists is actually par for the course, having murdered over 45 journalists since 2000. Lara and Michael cover Shireen's funeral procession which was attacked by Zionist occupation thugs while the world watched and the persistence of the Palestinian spirit to fend off the occupation army and honor Shireen in the streets of Palestine. Lara points out how Abbas is always late the to the party, and Michael honors the memory of Shireen as well as her body of work which lives on through every person she inspired.

16 Touko 202251min

This week Lara and Michael discuss the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court to ethnically cleanse 2400 Palestinians from their homes in the south Hebron hills in the region of Masafer Yatta. The IOF designated land that Palestinians have lived on for many generations as a “firing zone,” as a means to confiscate the land and confiscate Palestinians from their homes. This move comes on the heels of news that the occupation approved thousands of illegal settlements on Palestinian land for Jewish settlers only. Lara and Michael cover the continued effort by settlers to break into the Al Aqsa compound. Lara and Michael talk about the Apartheid State’s pathetic attempt to dress up the apartheid wall. Michael comments on cases where Israeli police are pressured to drop murder cases where Jewish Israelis are the suspects and Palestinians are the victims and concludes by commenting on the recent news that the ADL has declared war on anti-zionists and leftist groups.

9 Touko 202255min

This week Lara and Michael sit down with actor, musician, and strong Palestinian ally Michael Malarkey. We talk about how Michael Malarkey came to his understanding of the situation in Palestine, what motivated him to speak out in support of Palestinians, and we do a deep dive into Michael's family history where we learn his grandfather was born in Nazareth. Malarkey's research into Palestine sent him down a rabbit hole of US imperialism, and the global domination of capitalist interests. We discuss using social media as a tool to educate people and the material consequences of being so outspoken in support of Palestine. Michael Malarkey talks about the importance of siding with your own humanity over a collective or individual identity. We cover the ways in which history has been whitewashed in Palestine and connect that to the ongoing debate about Critical Race Theory in the United States. Finally, we wrap up by discussing Michael Malarkey's upcoming music and film projects and how he hopes to make more art with Palestinian filmmakers and musicians.

29 Huhti 202248min

This week Lara and Michael discuss the deja vu of watching Zionists desecrate portions of the Al Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. The occupation also assaulted journalists, men, women, and children, locking people inside the mosque so that Israeli settlers could waltz around the Al Aqsa compound. We held space for the seemingly neverending list of Palestinians murdered by the occupation in recent weeks. We talk about western media never affording Palestinians the opportunity for self-defense, whereas those same media outlets provided how-to guides for resistance in Ukraine. We talked about how every time the occupation murders a Palestinian, the only thing they have to say is "we'll look into it" and nothing ever comes of those so-called investigations.

23 Huhti 202250min

This week Lara and Michael sit down with Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago. They made headlines by becoming the first (progressive) Jewish congregation in the United States to add anti-Zionism to their core values. We discuss why they changed from non-Zionist to anti-Zionist. Rabbi Rosen talks about uplifting Jewish life in the diaspora and how diasporic consciousness serves our understanding and solidarity with all marginalized groups. We cover, what it means to be a Jew? Does being a good Jew mean supporting a settler-colonial apartheid state or are there other ways to express your Judaism? Rabbi Rosen explains how Zionism not only has nothing to do with Judaism but it's not supported by Jewish tradition. We discuss the internet's reaction to the decision to identify as anti-Zionist and the media coverage. Rabbi Rosen makes the point that Zionism actually requires anti-semitism to prosper. This explains the various ways Zionists have collaborated with antisemites over the years, including collaboration with Nazis, which continues to this day with support for the Azov Battalion in Ukraine. We talk about defining Zionism by its actions. We close by reliving Rabbi Rosens' personal path to anti-Zionism, and how it's never too late to change your mind when confronted with the facts and morality.

13 Huhti 202256min