Occupied Thoughts

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart is joined with Steven Simon, former Director of the National Security Council in the Obama Administration. The two discuss what the conversation in the White House in regards to U.S. policy towards Israel, as it was in the Obama Administration and possibly now in the Biden Administration.

For bios and resources, see: https://fmep.org/resource/biden-israel-what-its-like-to-make-policy-in-the-white-house/

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Rania Batrice and analyst Krystal Ball look at the controversy surrounding allegations of widespread and systematic sexual assault by Hamas on October 7th. This conversation does not ask “was there or wasn’t there sexual assault on October 7?” Rather, it focuses on the harm caused by biased media reports and the absence of independent and thorough investigations. The podcast discusses how the narratives promulgated by mainstream US media - most notably the 12/28/23 New York Times front-page article entitled "Screams Without Words: How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on October 7th" - have contributed to the dehumanization of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza, and the politicization of what should be a serious demand for professional investigation and accountability for the crimes of October 7th.

Krystal Ball is the host of Breaking Points, a former MSNBC contributor and former Democratic nominee for Congress in the First District of Virginia.

Rania Batrice is an activist and strategist for progressive change, a public relations specialist, and a political consultant. She is one of FMEP's 2024 Palestinian non-resident Fellows. 

Relevant Articles: 

Krystal Ball, 3/5/24, on the UN Report released on 3/4/24: UN Report CAN'T Prove 10/7 Mass Sex Assault Claims

Krystal Ball 3/5/24, Local Israelis DEBUNK NYT Sexual Assault Allegation - video clip

Krystal Ball 2/29/24 on the New York Times 12/28/23 story, ““'Screams Without Words': How Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence on Oct. 7.” - video clip

CNN 3/1/24: The New York Times stands by its reporting on the Hamas terror attack after questions are raised

The Nation 3/1/24: The Nixonian New York Times Stonewalls on a Discredited Article About Hamas and Rape - The newspaper of record botches an important story about sexual violence on October 7.

The Wrap 2/29/24: New York Times Opens Leak Investigation Over Israel-Gaza Reporting

Jacobin 2/29/24: The New York Times Has an Ugly Anti-Palestinian Bias

Vanity Fair 2/29/24: New York Times Launches Leak Investigation Over Report on Its Israel-Gaza Coverage

The Intercept 2/28/24: “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” -The Story Behind the New York Times October 7 Exposé

Al Jazeera 2/28/24: Food blogger, Israeli film director scripted Hamas rape story for NYT

Daily Beast 2/25/24: New York Times ‘Reviewing’ Reporter Who Liked Gaza ‘Slaughterhouse’ Tweet

Common Dreams 2/26/24: NYT 'Reviewing' Israeli Reporter Who Liked Gaza 'Slaughterhouse' Post

Mondoweiss 2/25/24: Extraordinary charges of bias emerge against NYTimes reporter Anat Schwartz

The Intercept 1/28/24: New York Times Puts “Daily” Episode on Ice Amid Internal Firestorm Over Hamas Sexual Violence Article

Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Sarah Anne Minkin speaks with Nour Joudah, Assistant Professor at UCLA and one of FMEP’s 2024 Palestinian Non-Resident Fellows. Nour speaks of her background, her Palestinian identity, and her research that looks not only at indigenous survival but at indigenous life, knowledge, and duration. She discusses the meaning of this moment in time for Palestinians and Palestine and encourages the listener not to surrender to fatalism but instead to insist that there is another path forward.

Nour Joudah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at UCLA and a former President’s and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Geography at UC-Berkeley (2022-23). Dr. Joudah completed her PhD in Geography at UCLA (2022), and wrote her dissertation Mapping Decolonized Futures: Indigenous Visions for Hawaii and Palestine on the efforts by Palestinian and native Hawaiian communities to imagine and work toward liberated futures while centering indigenous duration as a non-linear temporality. Her work examines mapping practices and indigenous survival and futures in settler states, highlighting how indigenous countermapping is a both cartographic and decolonial praxis. She also has a MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, and wrote her MA thesis on the role and perception of exile politics within the Palestinian liberation struggle, in particular among politically active Palestinian youth living in the United States and occupied Palestine.

Sarah Anne Minkin, PhD, is FMEP's Director of Programs & Partnerships. She leads FMEP’s programming, works to deepen FMEP’s relationships with existing and potential grantees, and builds relationships with new partners in the philanthropic community. Sarah Anne earned her doctorate at the University of California-Berkeley and is an affiliated faculty member at UC-Berkeley’s Center for Right-Wing Studies.

Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellows Rania Batrice & Peter Beinart speak about Arab American politics and why the Biden administration is out of step with Democratic Voters. They look at the political organizing around the Michigan primary this week, the Arab American political awakening, and discuss whether there is anything President Biden can do to win back progressive voters.

FMEP is a 501(c)(3) organization and takes no position on elections or partisan matters. We offer this podcast conversation for informational and educational purposes only.

Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks with Dr. Assal Rad.  Dr. Rad is a scholar of Middle East history. She works on research and writing related to U.S. foreign policy issues, the Middle East, and contemporary Iran. Her writing can be seen in Newsweek, The National Interest, The Independent, Foreign Policy and more, and she has appeared as a commentator on BBC World, Al Jazeera, CNN, and NPR. She completed a PhD in History from the University of California, Irvine in 2018 and is the author of The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Follow Assal on X/Twitter: @AssalRad

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Sarah Anne Minkin talks to Rania Batrice, political strategist, activist, coalition builder, and one of FMEP’s 2023-2024 Palestinian Non-Resident Fellows. Rania discusses her background, the vision and values guiding her wide-ranging work, and the urgent and high-stakes political opportunities for Palestinians and their allies in this US election year. 

Rania Batrice is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, an activist and strategist for progressive change, a public relations specialist, and a political consultant. Rania has worked as a Democratic operative for over twenty years, lending her expertise across political, non-profit, legislative strategy and crisis management both in the United States and around the world. For Bernie Sanders’ 2016 run for president, she served as Iowa Communications Director, the National Director of Surrogates and as Deputy Campaign Manager. In addition to Rania’s expertise in strategy, policy and communications, her portfolio includes over 15 years of experience in conflict resolution, mediation, and organizational development. Her firm, Batrice and Associates, has worked for social justice through a variety of avenues, collaborating with organizations including Human Rights Watch, the Arab American Institute, March for Our Lives, Color of Change, March For Science, Sunrise Movement, and NDN Collective and more. Rania has been a featured speaker for a wide range of events, including addressing climate change at the Social Good Summit, the UN Youth Climate Summit and the UN General Assembly. Rania has received numerous accolades and awards for her work in the progressive movement, including the “Exceptional Woman of Excellence” award presented by the World Economic Forum and the “Woman of Purpose” award presented by the Purpose Project.

Sarah Anne Minkin, PhD, is the Director of Programs & Partnerships. She leads FMEP’s programming, works to deepen FMEP’s relationships with existing and potential grantees, and builds relationships with new partners in the philanthropic community. Sarah Anne earned her doctorate at the University of California-Berkeley and is an affiliated faculty member at UC-Berkeley’s Center for Right-Wing Studies.

Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Yara Asi speaks with Alex de Waal of the World Peace Foundation and Tufts University and author of the January 21, 2024 article in the Guardian entitled “Unless Israel changes course, it could be legally culpable for mass starvation.”  In this discussion of widespread hunger and impending famine in Gaza, Drs. Asi & de Waal look at Gaza in relation to other cases of starvation and famine across the world, including comparing the human-made circumstances that lead to famine, the possibility and pace of international intervention to save lives, and the many generations required to face the specific trauma of famine. They discuss the possibilities for international intervention, noting that famine, once it begins, has momentum - and therefore will not stop when the bombing ends. 

Original music by Jalal Yacquob.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks to Middle East policy journalist, analyst, and author Omar Rahman about the regional impacts and implications of Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. Omar is currently a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, where he focuses on Palestine, Middle East geopolitics, and American foreign policy in the region, and he is also a non-resident fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Omar is currently working on a book about Palestinian de-fragmentation in the post-Oslo era. Rahman is also a frequent speaker on panels, at conferences, and in the media.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP’s Lara Friedman speaks to international legal expert in business and human rights Tara Van Ho about the latest twist in the ongoing controversy involving the Chicago-based financial services company Morningstar Inc. and its subsidiary Sustainalytics, over how it deals with Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories. Specifically, the podcast explores Morningstar’s recently released (January 31, 2024) 37-page report, written by a pair of "independent experts," laying out recommendations regarding how Morningstar conducts its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) assessments, such that Israel and companies operating in Israel are absolved of any possible association with ESG risks, real or potential.

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP non-resident fellow Peter Beinart interviews Chris Gunness, formerly the Spokesman and Director of Strategic Communications at UNRWA. They discuss the enormous humanitarian crisis in Rafah and Gaza more broadly as well as the history and function of UNRWA - the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East - and the campaign against it. 

Original music by Jalal Yacquoub.