“The point was to make people aware… The world knows now who [Microsoft] truly are, and what they’re doing.”

As Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary with a panel featuring Bill Gates, one employee stood up and disrupted the event. Her message: Microsoft is complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza. 

The young software engineer, Vaniya Agrawal, was then fired by Microsoft. Now, she’s speaking out. 

In this Real Talk interview, Vaniya is opening up about why she risked her job to protest, what happened behind the scenes, and the harassment she’s received from Hindu nationalists. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

‘The crimes [in Gaza] are so egregious that are being carried out... The attempt to cover them up and whitewash them is failing’ 

Since 7 October, western media coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza has come under intense scrutiny, particularly for the language and terminology used by many outlets.

As a result, the coverage has been accused of bias against Palestinians effectively providing cover for Israel’s war on Gaza.

To delve into this, we’re speaking to Assal Rad, an Iranian-American scholar of the modern Middle East and fellow at DAWN, who’s also made it her mission to call out and ‘fix’ misleading headlines. 

Her widely shared posts earned her the title of ‘headline fixer’,  turning this into a trend of its own online.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

"You can’t be a filmmaker. You’re Palestinian - no one will care."

Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian-American filmmaker and actress constantly working to break new ground for Palestinian representation in Hollywood. 

In 2022, she made TV history as the first Palestinian ever nominated for an Emmy, for her work on “Only Murders in the Building”. Throughout her career, Cherien has pushed back against one-dimensional portrayals of Arabs and Palestinians - often stereotyped, cast as villains, or erased entirely.

Most recently, you may have seen her as Nadia in Netflix’s “Mo”, the hit series widely celebrated for its portrayal of the Palestinian experience. 

In this episode of Real Talk, Cherien opens up about growing up Palestinian in Ohio, the challenges of telling her own story, and the fears that keep many from supporting Palestinian voices in Hollywood.

From the emotional weight of misrepresentation to the joy of creating authentic characters, she shares what it takes to be a Palestinian storyteller in American film and television.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

In The World After Gaza, acclaimed Indian author Pankaj Mishra reckons with Israel’s war on Gaza and its far-reaching moral and geopolitical consequences.

He situates the onslaught within the broader context of western colonialism while grappling with a critical question: What does the world look like after Gaza?

Mishra joined us on Real Talk to discuss the book’s key themes, including the Holocaust and its weaponisation, as well as the world’s response to Gaza - touching on complicity, decolonisation, and white supremacy.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

"The more they offer the Trump administration, the more the Trump administration is going to ask - and the demands in that letter [sent to Columbia] are absolutely unacceptable."

In this Real Talk interview, Columbia humanities professor Bruce Robbins reveals why he’s concerned he could be "thrown to the lions" over steps he took during last year's campus protests.

Robbins speaks about how in April last year he took his class to one of the encampments, a decision that resulted in two students making complaints to the university, which have since resulted in a formal investigation.

Speaking to Mohamed Hashem, he condemns the ongoing witch-hunt against pro-Palestine activists by Columbia administrators and the Trump administration, especially in the wake of Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest.

He urges the university not to capitulate to the Trump administration’s demands given to the university to reinstate $400 million in federal funding. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Over a year ago in January 2024, Jewish-American academic Maura Finkelstein found herself placed on administrative leave by her institution at the time: Muhlenberg College. 

A few months later she was fired, despite having tenure.  

The reason? She was told it was because of a post she shared on her Instagram story which heavily condemned Zionism. 

Finkelstein joined us on Real Talk to reflect on this experience, what it taught her, and the state of crackdowns by US universities on pro-Palestinian activism. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“From the moment Israel was created, there’s this idea that it is unimaginable that it can perpetrate any crime under international law, let alone genocide.” 

US-Israeli genocide scholar Raz Segal was the first academic to label Israel’s war on Gaza a ‘textbook case of genocide’ in 2023. But that also came with a price. 

The prominent Israeli-American historian delves into the context, the intense backlash faced by Jewish scholars who speak out, and the implications for international law and human rights.

Segal is currently the associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

Will Brics nations pose a real challenge to Donald Trump’s second term in office? And how do Trump’s tariffs stack up against this rising bloc? 

US economist Richard D Wolff joined us for an extended conversation on Trump, tariffs, Brics, as well as the US plan to ‘take over’ Gaza. 

“This is difficult here in the US for people to hear, but it’s the truth. The American empire is declining,” argues Wolff who claims that the Brics coalition (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will have an economic edge over the US. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

"Elon Musk has been given by Trump… almost dictatorial power” 

Today we’re taking on the MAGA ‘civil war’ that’s publicly erupted within Donald Trump’s own ranks. 

Did Elon Musk and the tech billionaires already win the battle for Trump’s ear against Steve Bannon’s nationalist right? 

US historian Rick Perlstein is one of the leading voices on America’s conservative movement. He joins us to explain how the power and influence Musk currently holds over the federal government, and why “no one’s talking about Steve Bannon anymore”. 

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm

“I don’t believe this is about Israel’s security.”

What’s it like to be a medic inside Gaza’s shattered healthcare system?

British plastic surgeon Dr Victoria Rose joins us on Real Talk to share her first-hand account of the harrowing scenes she witnessed in Gaza. 

She opens up about why she believes Israel is “definitely” targeting medics, how this has become a “war on children”, and her experience operating on Palestinian patients at Gaza’s hospitals.

Rose worked in Gaza twice in 2024 - at the European Gaza Hospital in March and the Nasser Hospital in August - and spoke with us ahead of her planned return to the besieged enclave in February 2025.

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. 

Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm