Palestine Debrief

Shadia Qubti is a Palestinian from Nazareth who is currently completing a degree in Interreligious and Indigenous Studies at Vancouver School of Theology in Canada.  Prior to coming to Canada, Shadia studied International Relations and English Language at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, as well as Conflict Resolution and Nonviolent Action at Trinity Dublin College in Ireland. She has worked for over 10 years in policy initiatives and peacebuilding in various organizations, both local and international, working with both Palestinians and Israelis. Through her academic and professional work, Shadia seeks to amplify the voices of Palestinian women and create open discussions about the struggles that they face. Much of her work revolves around reconciliation, identity and political mobilization with a certain focus on Palestinian Christians. Continue reading

On this episode, Michael and Tom are joined by Sheryl Nestel and Rowan Gaudet of Independent Jewish Voices Canada to talk about their new report on the suppression of speech on Palestine on Canadian campuses. We look at how pro-Israel groups have used harassment and intimidation against pro-Palestine academics to create a “chilly” atmosphere for debate. We talk about how students have been affected by these attacks and discuss the role of the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism in suppressing speech. 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

Abeer Barakat is a Palestinian lecturer of English at the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza and is a PhD candidate at the University of Putra Malaysia.  Abeer is an activist for the Palestinian cause and has done amazing activism work in the field of female empowerment and has provided mothers and children impacted by attacks on Gaza with continuous psychological support.  She as well has published a number of academic articles about the Palestinian-Israeli media discourse. Abeer is also apart of Rose2Rose, a Malaysian women NGO that is working for the support of the Palestinian women and children, through education and is a part of MyCARE Malaysia which is a Humanitarian Aid Non-profit organization. In this episode, Abeer joins Nur and Tom to talk about the work she initiated when it comes to providing psychological aid and empowerment to Gazan citizens, its impact, and how Canadians can offer help. Continue reading

Shawky Fahel came to Canada in the 1960’s and started his first business in 1979 with a $1000 loan and nothing more than a few carpet and paint supplies.  Based in Waterloo, ON, Shawky became successful businessman, political activist and philanthropist who has received innumerable awards over the years, both at the local and national level, for his various contributions.  Yet amidst all this busyness and success, he has remained committed to improving the lives of Palestinians, both in Palestine and in the diaspora in Canada.  His most recent philanthropic gesture – one that we’ll discuss during our conversation – was a donation of $100,000 to launch a Foundation for Palestinian Studies at the University of Waterloo.  Continue reading

Two months ago, Fernwood Publishing announced a new book, Advocating for Palestine in Canada: one of the first-ever books about Palestinian solidarity work in Canada.  Tom Woodley, one of Debrief’s regular hosts wrote a chapter in the book discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that lie before the Palestinian solidarity movement in Canada.  With Michael on vacation, our podcast engineer Madeleine Moffatt takes the microphone to interview Tom about his chapter, and to explore the potential opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the movement. 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

On this episode, Michael and Tom are joined by Jasmin Zine to talk about her new book on Islamophobia and the 9/11 generation. We discuss how Islamophobia is more than just “fear” or “hate” towards Muslims, and why we should understand it as a “structure of oppression.” We also talk about the surveillance that Muslims students face on campus, the gendered nature of Islamophobia, and evaluate whether Canada is doing enough to address white supremacist and anti-Muslim violence. 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

Earlier this year, McGill students won a major victory when a campus referendum passed by 71% to adopt a Palestine Solidarity Policy. Almost immediately, however, this decision was suppressed by university administrators and the student association. On this episode, Michael is joined by members of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR McGill) to discuss their recent victory, and how they are dealing with McGill’s attempts to crush student activism. 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 legal victory this month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ruled that “Product of Israel” labels on wine from illegal Israeli settlements are “false” and violate Canadian consumer protection law. On this episode, Michael is joined by David Kattenburg and lawyer Dimitri Lascaris, who have led this multiple-year legal battle against settlement wine. We talk about what the legal decision means, the challenges ahead to get accurate labelling, and the importance of ending trade with illegal settlements altogether. 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

Malak El Batroukh, a Palestinian-Canadian based in Waterloo has just launched an exciting new community project called Sporas (Scattered.) Through this project, Malak aims to make Palestinian culture and tradition more accessible to diaspora youth.  In this episode, we talk to Malak about her vision for Sporas, and her broader work as a activist for Palestinian rights and freedom.   Continue reading

One year ago, Human Rights Watch published a landmark report on Israeli apartheid. On this episode Michael is joined by Omar Shakir, HRW’s Israel and Palestine director, to reflect on the reactions to that report and the growing international consensus on apartheid. In addition, we talk about his experience of being deported by Israel, documenting Israeli war crimes in Gaza, and the how killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh demonstrates Israel’s pattern of violence against journalists. 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