It has been nearly three months since Amnesty International published their landmark report on Israel’s apartheid against the Palestinians. In this episode, Michael and Tom are joined by Saleh Hijazi, who leads Amnesty’s office in Jerusalem. We talk about why Amnesty came to the conclusion of apartheid, the threats they’ve faced from the Israeli government, and what ‘apartheid’ has to do with Israel’s current attacks at the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Links from this podcast:

• Amnesty International report: Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians
• CJPME Resource: Who is talking about Israeli apartheid?

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Ramadan began on April 2nd, and Palestinian Muslims join other Muslims across Canada in spiritual reflection, in acts of charity, and in gathering in community.  In this episode, Nur and Tom are joined by Dr. Munir El Kassem to talk about Ramadan, and how it can strengthen the ties of heritage, history, and identity among Muslim Palestinian-Canadians. Dr. El Kassem also describes what Ramadan traditions are unique to Palestinians, and how being an ethnic minority in North America influences Ramadan observances. 

Links from this podcast:

• Dr. El Kassem on Instagram
• Dr. El Kassem's Website
• Dr. El Kassem on TikTok
• Dr. El Kassem on YouTube

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Prof. William Lafi Youmans from George Washington University joins the discussion today as we talk about the image of Israel and the Palestinians in media and public opinion, and how this is changing.  Together we talk through the ways in which the public discourse on Palestine-Israel is changing, and the forces pushing it one way or another.  We also address the ways in which grassroots groups can help to shape the media discourse, and why the public debate is often resistant to change.  

Links from this podcast:

• Prof. Youman's book, An Unlikely Audience: Al Jazeera's Struggle in America
• Prof. Youman's article, "How the Central Intelligence Agency recruited Arab Detroit"

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In 2021, Sarah El Naffar, social media content creator on Instagram and Tik Tok, started using her lifestyle platform to raise awareness on what’s going on in Palestine. She took it upon herself to make her younger audience understand the challenges faced by her country of origin, especially in light of Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and the events that followed in May, 2021.   Sarah joins Nur and Tom to talk about her experience as a Palestinian Canadian influencer speaking about Palestine on her social platform, and what she encountered along her journey. 

Links from this podcast:

•  Sarah El Naffar on Instagram
•   Sarah El Naffar on Tiktok

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In the late 2000s, the Al Asala Dabke group was formed in London, Ontario. Al Asala, is an Arabic word that translates to "authenticity" in English, which is exactly what Al Asala dabke represents, and more! Al Asala is a dynamic group of young people who infuse authentic Palestinian folkloric dance with Canadian influences for a largely digital audience.  Through their creativity and media savvy, they have created an huge platform for themselves across Canada, North America, and worldwide. Their energetic videos showing off Palestinian dance steps at weddings and other events– have won them fans in the hundreds of thousands around the world. Today, two members of Al Asala, Omar Hassouneh and Wassef Yasin, join us to talk about their experiences with Al Asala, and their broader vision for this vibrant dance troupe

Links from this podcast:

• Al Asala on Instagram
• Al Asala Dabke on Tik Tok

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Tom and Michael discuss CJPME’s new report on Canada’s arms exports to Israel, and the alarming possibility that Canadian-made weapons may be contributing to violent and illegal Israeli practices. We break down what we know (and what we don’t know) about Canada’s arms exports to Israel, talk about recent trends from a historical perspective, and explain why an embargo on military trade is so necessary.


Links from this podcast:
•CJPME Report: Arming Apartheid: Canada’s Arms Exports to Israel
•Email Campaign: Stop Arming Apartheid


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Canadian lawyer Michael Lynk served as the UN's "Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the [occupied] Palestinian territories" from 2016 to 2022.. During his mandate Lynk faced intense criticism from pro-Israel voices, and Israel banned him from even visiting occupied Palestine. Nonetheless, he distinguished himself remarkably over his six-year term, and just issued a final report concluding that Israel is practicing apartheid.    As his tenure comes to an end, Tom and Michael chat with Lynk about his most recent report, and his experiences overall as UN Special Rapporteur.


Links from this podcast:

• Lynk's final report to the UN Human Rights Council: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, March 21, 2022
• UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights' profile on Michael Lynk

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Since its construction on a First Nations historical site, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg has been mired in controversy.  Throughout its brief history, interest groups have clamoured for influence over the content of the museum's galleries, and the colonial dispossession of Palestinians from their land is just one of many human rights atrocities which has been ignored by the museum's content developers.  Will a museum scandal in 2020 precipitate change, or will the museum continue to be dominated by a perspective reflecting white privilege and special interests?  Journalist Candice Bodnaruk – who has followed the story for years – joins us for the conversation. 

Links from this podcast:

• CJPME Factsheet: The Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Nakba (March 2021)
• Where’s Palestine? The Nakba is Missing From the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (March-April, 2021) Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
• Rebuilding the Foundation: External review into systemic racism and oppression, report of the external reviewer on the CMHR

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Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV) has been campaigning for Palestinian rights and against Israeli apartheid since 2008. In March, they ramped up these efforts with a focused new campaign called “Together Against Apartheid,” which hopes to build on the momentum of Amnesty’s recent apartheid report. Tom and Michael are joined by IJV’s Corey Balsam and Louise Smith to discuss the campaign, and how Canadians can get involved.

Links from this podcast:

• IJV’s Together Against Apartheid campaign 

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For Palestinian children under occupation, last year was the most violent since 2014. From bullets, to tear-gas, to arbitrary arrests, and early morning raids, there are many features of Israel’s brutal military occupation which make Palestine unsafe for children. Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) is an NGO which has been documenting Israeli abuses and advocating for the rights of children since 1991, and which was recently outlawed by the Israeli government. On this episode, Tom and Michael are joined by DCIP’s Brad Parker and Shaina Low to learn more about Israel’s war on children and their advocates.

Links from this podcast:

• DCIP – Year in Review: Israeli forces target Palestinian children with impunity in 2021 
• 'Canada, Stand Up for Children’s Rights' campaign
• CJPME Backgrounder - Israel’s Criminalization of Palestinian NGOs

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