Save the Olive Tree

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree Podcast, I have a discussion with Dina Arouri about the Palestinian diaspora. There are currently nearly 14 million Palestinians worldwide with about half of them living outside of historic Palestine. Dina is one of them.

Her grandfather was forced to flee his home at gunpoint in 1948 and she tells the story of her family roots in Palestine and navigating her Palestinian identity having been born and raised in the United States. 

We discuss:

– Dina‘s family roots in Palestine and her grandparents’ survival of the Nakba in 1948.

– What it means to be a Palestinian and how to understand that identity as an American. 

– Where the Palestinian diaspora is located around the world and how many Palestinians are there in different places.

– The current state of Palestinian activism in the United States and the challenges faced speaking up for Palestine. 

Guest intro:

Dina Arouri is a Palestinian-American advocate, activist, and licensed attorney. She proudly identifies as the granddaughter of four 1948 Nakba survivors and has dedicated her academic career to understanding the complexities of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree with honors distinction in International Relations from Rollins College. Continuing her education at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, she served as a Managing Editor of the Florida Law Review and was published in the Florida Law Review Forum for her work on Universal Jurisdiction. Throughout her time at UF, she excelled in her coursework surrounding International Criminal Law and Counterterrorism, ultimately earning her Florida Bar License in September 2019.

In this episode of the Save The Olive Tree Podcast, I have a discussion with Dr. Jill Stein about a range of topics including her fight against genocide in Gaza, her presidential campaign, and even her background as a Physician. 

We discuss:

Guest Intro:

Dr. Jill Stein is a Chicago native and Harvard-educated doctor. She was in medical practice for 25 years, before being recruited to run for Governor of Massachusetts. She has led initiatives for voting reform and environmental justice, among others, and she has run for president as a Green Party candidate in 2012 and 2016. She is running again for President this November. The 2024 campaign is currently on track to get ballot access in all 50 states and will be the leading campaign to challenge the war machine establishment of both major political parties.

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Dr. Azzam Tamimi on understanding Palestinian resistance. Palestinian resistance has been going on over the past 100 years or so ever since the first settlers arrived in the land of Palestine, and the Palestinians understood the intentions of Zionist ideology. Dr. Azzam Tamimi is a Palestinian born in Hebron, whose family was displaced from their homeland. He has excellent knowledge of the history of the Palestinian resistance, having written several books on the topic as well.

We discuss:

Guest intro:

Dr. Azzam Tamimi is a British Palestinian academic and political activist. He is the chairman and Editor-In-Chief of Al Hiwar TV Channel and the author of Hamas: A History from Within amongst many other books. He has extensive knowledge about Palestine and especially Palestinian resistance.

In Episode 5 of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have another discussion with Raphael Mimoun on Zionism. 

We discuss:

Guest Intro:

Raphael Mimoun is a French-American Jew and human rights activist. He grew up in France in a Zionist household and community and traveled regularly to Israel to visit family. At 18, he moved to Israel where he studied the Israeli –Palestinian conflict and Middle Eastern politics. He went on to earn two masters in international relations in Germany and the United States.

From a staunch supporter of Israel, Raphael’s research into the Israeli- Palestinian conflict led him to see anti-Zionism as the only path towards justice and peace in the Middle East. He writes about Zionism, the fight for Palestinian liberation, and his experience in the Jewish community in France and Israel on his blog page www.onesmalldetail.blog.

Raphael’s blog:

www.onesmalldetail.blog

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Imam Zaid Shakir about viewing Palestine from a spiritual lens. With the incredible amounts of death and destruction we’ve seen in Gaza, it’s now more important than ever to be strongly rooted in a spiritual foundation so we are able to better cope with the events going on in Gaza and all over Palestine.

The incredible amount of strength and resilience shown by the Palestinian people is admirable and a lesson for us all around the world. The Gazans have truly awakened the world and shown how to act in the face of incredible hardships. My hope is that through this discussion, those struggling with the events and folding in Palestine, especially in Gaza, will feel stronger in their faith and be able to understand suffering in a more profound way.

Guest Intro:

Imam Zaid Shakir is a giant in the American Muslim community. He is the co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California. He’s been an immense leader in the Muslim community here in the US for the last several decades. I'm very happy he could share his wisdom with us in this episode.

In this episode of the Save the Olive Tree Podcast, I have a discussion with Raphael Mimoun on Zionism. Raphael grew up in a Zionist household very much indoctrinated with that belief system. He has since been on a journey of becoming enlightened to the realities of Zionism and the Palestinian struggle.

We discuss: 

- Raphael’s upbringing in a Zionist household.

- The history of Zionism and its beginnings in the late 19th century as well as what it has evolved into today. 

- How so many Israelis are oblivious to the suffering of Palestinians. 

- Is Anti-Zionism the same as Anti-Semitism?

- The current situation in Palestine since October 7th. 

- Where do we see the future of Zionism heading from here? 

Guest Intro:

Raphael Mimoun is a French-American Jew and human rights activist. He grew up in France in a Zionist household and community and traveled regularly to Israel to visit family. At 18, he moved to Israel where he studied the Israeli –Palestinian conflict and Middle Eastern politics. He went on to earn two masters in international relations in Germany and the United States.

From a staunch supporter of Israel, Raphael’s research into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict led him to see anti-Zionism as the only path toward justice and peace in the Middle East. He writes about Zionism, the fight for Palestinian liberation, and his experience in the Jewish community in France and Israel on his blog page www.onesmalldetail.blog.

Raphael’s blog:

www.onesmalldetail.blog

October 7th represented a watershed moment in the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Israeli narrative has painted that day to be an unprovoked, brutal terrorist attack rife with a huge amount of misinformation and lies. Now, almost 4 months later, we are starting to find out about the truth of that day. Recently, Hamas released an 18 page document highlighting why Operation Al-Aqsa flood took place, refuting the many lies around that attack and the path forward.

In this episode, I discuss that document and provide context around October 7th. I discuss the Israeli narrative around that day, whether violence against non-muslims is encouraged in Islam, the plight of Palestinian hostages which the western media does not like to mention and who Hamas are and what are their aims? This is an important discussion so we can get to the truth

I discuss:

In this episode of the Save The Olive Tree podcast, I have a discussion with Hasan Mitwalli about what it’s like to live in East Jerusalem as a Palestinian. Imagine being born and raised in Jerusalem where your family has resided for 400 years, yet you are not allowed citizenship in that very country. You are not allowed equal rights to another ethnic group. You have constant limitations in your daily activities and limits to your freedom. That’s the experience of my friend Hasan Mitwalli who shares aspects of his life in Jerusalem. 

We discuss: 

- What life is like in East Jerusalem for a Palestinian. 

- Muslim limitations to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

- Is Israel a Democratic state?

- Is the tide of American thought on Palestine shifting?

- What is the path forward for Palestine? 

Guest Intro:

Hasan Mithwalli is a personal friend and Palestinian living in East Jerusalem where his family has resided for over 400 years. He works as a tour guide in the city with extensive knowledge of the city layout as well as its history giving tourists a first-hand look at what life is like in eastern Jerusalem.

The Palestinian struggle for freedom has been going on for 75 years now. The Palestinian people have since been subjected to a brutal regimen of killing, destruction of homes, and a denial of their basic human rights by the Apartheid state of Israel. Israel has done a very good job of creating a narrative that paints the Palestinians as terrorists and aggressors in their struggle for freedom.
This podcast aims to clearly and effectively share the Palestinian's side and wake the world up to their constant suffering. I aim to provide important dialogues with guests especially those knowledgeable in that area. I hope that through these conversations, the Palestinian people gain an important voice in the Western world and come closer to achieving their freedom.

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