Empire of Refugees: Victims, Villains, and Settler Colonialism

In this episode of Promised Land: A Bulletin Miniseries, host Mike Cosper visits Ashkelon, home of the ancient Philistines, just a few miles north of the Gaza border. Through conversations centered around Barzilai Medical Center, Cosper explores why the West requires Israel to play by different rules when it comes to defense and modern warfare. Weaving history with present day narratives, he posits compelling questions: Why is the West so quick to blame Israel for colonialism? Why does compromise on both sides – Israeli and Palestinian – often feel like treason? What are the stories each side is telling about themselves and about the other? And, can peace ever be achieved when one side becomes the absolute victim? Listen in for compelling commentary on the history of this contested land, a land where everyone claims to be a refugee.

Promised Land is a limited series exploring the moral, spiritual, and political challenges presented by the Israel-Hamas War. Host Mike Cosper (The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill) takes listeners with him to locations across the U.S., Israel, and Palestine, bringing you into the homes, lives, and stories of people for whom this conflict is their everyday experience. 

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik

Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Mike Cosper

Field Recording by Michael Winters

Additional Production by Matt Stevens and Clarissa Moll

Music By Dan Phelps

Additional Music By David LaChance, Jr.

Theme Song “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” performed by Sandra McCracken

Listen to More in This Bonus Series:

Making Sense of the Israel-Hamas War

Antisemitism and the Jewish Identity

Hamas and the Laws of War

Terrorism and the Road to War

It’s Complicated

The Zionist Story

Rocks in Hard Places: From the Foundation Stone to Living Stones

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