Palestine Debrief

2021 was a busy year for people involved in Palestine solidarity work in Canada and around the world. Tom and Michael discuss their picks for the worst and best moments of the past year, from Israel’s war on Gaza, to Canadian politicians calling for sanctions on Israel, and the growing popularity of the “Apartheid” word. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

One year ago, Canada announced that it was purchasing a drone from Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems. Since then, more than 12,000 Canadians have spoken out against the contract, but the government has not responded to their concerns. In this episode, Tom and Michael discuss the campaign to Stop the Elbit Drone purchase. Why does Canada want this drone, and how does this purchase contribute to Israel’s oppression of Palestinians? If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

Why is it so hard to talk about Palestine in federal politics? In this episode, Tom and Michael are joined by former NDP Deputy-Leader Libby Davies, who was a trailblazer in speaking out for Palestinian rights during her 18 years as a member of Parliament. We first ask Davies how, based in Vancouver, she initially developed a concern for Palestinian human rights. We’ll then learn from Davies about what it was like raising the issue of Palestine on Parliament Hill, especially during the Harper era, and how the political landscape has changed over time. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

As this year’s round of voting at the United Nations comes to a close, Michael and Tom critique Canada’s voting on resolutions related to Palestinian human rights. They also discuss recent bizarre comments by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly regarding Canada’s UN voting, funding for Palestine refugees, and Israel’s attacks on human rights defenders in Palestine. Why is Canada so dedicated to protecting Israel from criticism? If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

In a major win for academic freedom on Palestine last month, the Canadian Association of University Teachers voted unanimously to oppose the IHRA definition of antisemitism and to defend the right to criticize Israel. In this episode, Tom and Michael are joined by Mark Ayyash to learn about how this important vote unfolded.  We’ll also talk about why IHRA is increasingly understood as a threat to anti-racist and decolonial scholarship.  If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

In this episode, we recap the alarming series of events that occurred after TDSB educator Javier Davila shared anti-oppression resources about Palestinians with other educators in the Toronto school system. The saga began in May of this year, when the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians sparked mass demonstrations in Canada, and ended this week with TDSB trustees voting to reject a report on anti-Palestinian discrimination. Davila sought to help Toronto educators address the contentious issues within their diverse classrooms, but not everyone welcomed an open and transparent discussion. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

In this bonus episode, Michael and Tom provide an update to our previous episode on the Green Party and Annamie Paul. Who is interim party leader Amita Kuttner, and where do they stand on Palestinian human rights? And what did we learn from a recent public interview of Annamie Paul’s former senior advisor Noah Zatzman?  Some listeners may remember: Zatzman sparked a Green Party controversy in June when he publicly threatened to defeat Green MPs who spoke up for Palestinian human rights. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

For years, Canada’s political parties have talked about their support for a “two-state solution” in Palestine-Israel, but without doing anything to address the urgent realities on the ground. In the meantime, many people believe that Israel’s actions have effectively killed any possibility of a Palestinian state. Is the two-state solution dead, and if so, how should Canada respond? In this episode, Tom and Michael discuss what an alternative policy could look like, and how Canada can advance justice and equality for all.    If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio.   Continue reading

Our recent Webinar on BDS and the Labour Movement in Canada gave an eye-opening perspective on how labour activists are helping to create greater awareness within the labour movement on Palestinian human rights.  After a brief intro, we cut to the Webinar to hear Michael and his two guests, Katherine Nastovski and Hassan Husseini talk about efforts to pass BDS resolutions in different labour organizations.  BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions strategies to pressure Israel to respect the human rights of Palestinians.  There have been successes and challenges, but Michael and his guests are optimistic that with the proper strategy, labour can help lead Canada to a broader adoption of BDS. If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading

In this episode, Tom and Michael talk about the six Palestinian human rights organizations that were criminalized by Israel in October. Many in the international community have criticized the Israeli government for falsely designating these groups as “terrorists,” but Canada’s response has been quiet. What makes these six organizations so threatening to Israel’s leadership?  How might Israel’s “terror” designation impact human rights work in Palestine, and what is the best way for other countries – including Canada – to respond? If you can, rate us and write a nice review if you like what you hear. It helps other people find our podcast and learn about the issues. Here are the instructions on how to find, rate, review and share the podcast on eight different platforms: Apple, Spotify, Google, TuneIn, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, and iHeartRadio. Continue reading