In this episode of the Save The Olive Tree podcast, I talk with Dr. Mohamed Ghilan who joins me all the way from Melbourne. Dr. Ghilan is a medical doctor and a teacher of Islamic sciences. We discuss the spiritual aspects of this genocide, October 7, the Palestinian resistance, the role of the Muslims all around the world and much more.

In this Episode of The Save The Olive Tree Podcast, I speak with Hala Rharrit about US Diplomacy amidst the genocide in Gaza. Hala resigned from the Biden Administration’s State

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Marianela Pereyra about Palestinian liberation, activism and her recent trip to Egypt.

In this episode of the Save The Olive Tree Podcast I talk with Reem Elkhaldi founder of the organization ‘Healing our homeland’. She talks about her work on the ground in Gaza, shares some first hand stories from Gaza and discusses how we should approach the liberation of Palestine.

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Dr. Mark Perlmutter, who is an Orthopedic Surgeon from North Carolina and recently went on a medical mission to Gaza in March. He describes much of the horrors he witnessed in Gaza.

In this Episode of the Save The Olive Tree Podcast, I talk with Josh Paul who resigned from the State Department in October 2023 due the current administration's handling of military assistance to Israel. We discuss his resignation, how he sees the current conflict and even touch on his findings regarding sexual violence towards Palestinians occurring in Israeli detention centers. This week has been one of the deadliest in Gaza ever since the war began which has now stretched into the 9th month. Daily massacres of the civilian population in Gaza have led to a dire situation, which was very bleak to begin with. There have been massacres on people playing soccer, people living in tents in a “safe zone” and many more.

We discuss:

1. What led to his resignation from the State Department in the aftermath of Oct 7th?

2. The process of transferring arms to Israel.

3. Is the US violating its own laws concerning arms transfers to Israel?

4. Why there is such blatant disregard for international humanitarian law when it comes to Israel and how the double standard can be called out here domestically.

5. The current situation within the State Department given the high number of resignations we've seen recently.

6. A bit of detail regarding his investigation into sexual violence inside Israeli prisons.

7. The possible short term and longer term possibilities with regards to this genocide.

8. His thoughts on the upcoming election and how a Trump administration would handle the current conflict.

Guest intro:

Josh Paul resigned from the State Department in October, 2023 due to his disagreement with the Biden Administration's decision to rush lethal military assistance to Israel in the context of its war on Gaza. He had previously spent over 11 years working as a Director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which is responsible for U.S. defense diplomacy, security assistance, and arms transfers. He previously worked on security sector reform in both Iraq and the West Bank, with additional roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Army Staff, and as a Congressional staffer for Representative Steve Israel (D-NY). Josh grew up between London and New York, and holds Masters degrees from the Universities of Georgetown and St Andrews, Scotland. He is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the organization Democracy Now for the Arab World (DAWN) and a recipient of the 2023 Callaway Award for Civic Courage.

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”If I Must Die, You Must Live to Tell My Story”

In this episode of the Save The Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Alon- Lee Green about the current war in Gaza, the challenges getting aid into Gaza and the efforts of his organization standing together in creating a land with equal rights for both Palestinians and Jews.

Guest Intro:

Alon-Lee Green is the National co-Director and a founder of Standing Together. He got his start organizing Israel's first trade union of waiters in a chain of coffee-shops and went on to found Israel's first National Waiters Union. Alon-Lee emerged as a prominent leader of Israel's social protest movement in the summer of 2011, and subsequently served as a political adviser in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

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In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Elijah Kahlenberg who is the founder of Atidna international and a current student at the University of Texas at Austin.

We discuss:

– his Jewish background and how this informs his values.

– What is Atidna and what are its main aims?

– Is Elijah a self hating Jew?

– How does Elijah view the current situation in Gaza and all over Palestine? 

– A discussion on the state of college protests sweeping the nation.

– The possibility of one democratic state equal for Jews and Muslims alike.

– What he sees as the future in Palestine.

Guest Bio:

Elijah Kahlenberg, an undergraduate student and researcher currently studying at the University of Texas at Austin, is the President and Founder of Atidna International-the only organization operating on college campuses dedicated to bringing together Jews and Arabs in pursuit of dialogue and peace building to solidify that both peoples are one family. Elijah is also active as a leader in the Gaza anti-war/divestment protests sweeping college campuses. Elijah is likewise on the Board of Roots (Shorashim/Judur), the only organization dedicated to pursuing joint and civil initiatives in the West Bank between Jews and Arabs. He is a 2024 Truman scholar and has appeared in various media, including CNN, ABC News, Good Morning America, the Forward, Al Jazeera, NPR and others, to discuss his peace-building/dialogue initiatives and/or the protests. He has previously written opinion pieces for Newsday, Times of Israel, International Policy Digest, and other outlets. 

http://AtidnaInternational.com

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Dr. Aman Odeh who is a board-certified pediatrician that recently visited Gaza with a medical team. She describes the scenes of devastation she witnessed in Gaza, as well as the messages of hope she brought back.

We discussed:

– her background as a Palestinian growing up.

– Her journey into Gaza on a medical mission.

– The scenes of devastation she encountered there.

– The state of the healthcare system and Gaza currently.

– What the children of Gaza told her.

– Her advice to us in the west in continuing our struggle for the Palestinian people, especially college students.

Guest intro

Dr. Aman Odeh is a board-certified pediatrician who has resided in Austin area for the past 15 years. She recently went on a medical mission to Gaza with the team of 10 physicians and other healthcare workers. She is originally Palestinian from Jerusalem and her grandparents were refugees in the Nakba of 1948.

At the end of our discussion, I also share photos and videos of Dr. Odeh’s trip to Gaza. To view these, please take a look at the YouTube channel.