Occupied Thoughts

Israel is annexing the West Bank


Listen Later

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Professor Yael Berda about Israel's de facto annexation of the West Bank. A few days ago, the Guardian reported that “[t]he Israeli military has quietly handed over significant legal powers in the occupied West Bank to pro-settler civil servants working for the far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich" ("IDF transfers powers in occupied West Bank to pro-settler civil servants," 6/20/24) and the New York Times reported Smotrich's declaration that he succeeded in changing the "DNA" of the occupation (“Israeli Official Describes Secret Government Bid to Cement Control of West Bank, 6/21/22). Looking at the ongoing annexation efforts, Beinart and Berda discuss the ways in which - and the reasons why - Israeli settlers want to control the Israeli military; how Smotrich's "decisive plan" is well underway; and the potential that international opposition may stop Israel's annexation of the West Bank.
Peter Beinart is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is also a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York, a Contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, an Editor-at-Large at Jewish Currents, and an MSNBC Political Commentator.
Yael Berda is associate professor at the department of sociology and anthropology at Hebrew University and a fellow at the Middle East initiative at Harvard Kennedy school. Yael is an activist and former human rights lawyer. She has written three books, two about  Israeli rule in the occupied Palestinian territory, specifically about the bureaucracy that prevents freedom of movement and creates tools of control and dispossession. She also writes about emergency laws and how they shape political life. Yael is a board member of the group A Land for All. Read her recent co-authored articles on annexation: "Israel is Annexing the West Bank. Don’t be Misled by its Gaslighting" (with Tamar Megiddo and Ronit Levine-Schnur, published in Just Security) and "Israel’s Annexation of the West Bank Has Already Begun" (with Dalia Scheindlin, published in Foreign Affairs).  
Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Occupied ThoughtsBy Occupied Thoughts by FMEP

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

142 ratings


More shows like Occupied Thoughts

View all
Behind the News with Doug Henwood by Doug Henwood

Behind the News with Doug Henwood

493 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

294 Listeners

Jacobin Radio by Jacobin

Jacobin Radio

1,432 Listeners

The Electronic Intifada Podcast by The Electronic Intifada

The Electronic Intifada Podcast

324 Listeners

The Katie Halper Show by Katie Halper

The Katie Halper Show

1,470 Listeners

The Dig by Daniel Denvir

The Dig

1,548 Listeners

The Intercept Briefing by The Intercept

The Intercept Briefing

6,111 Listeners

Politics Theory Other by Politics Theory Other

Politics Theory Other

177 Listeners

Haaretz Podcast by Haaretz

Haaretz Podcast

293 Listeners

Know Your Enemy by Matthew Sitman

Know Your Enemy

1,962 Listeners

On the Nose by Jewish Currents

On the Nose

228 Listeners

Makdisi Street by Makdisi Bros.

Makdisi Street

460 Listeners

Bad Hasbara - The World's Most Moral Podcast by Matt Lieb

Bad Hasbara - The World's Most Moral Podcast

1,424 Listeners

The Chris Hedges Report by Chris Hedges

The Chris Hedges Report

286 Listeners

Drop Site News by Drop Site News

Drop Site News

444 Listeners