Rethinking Palestine
Rethinking Palestine is a podcast from Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Policy Network, a transnational think tank that brings together Palestinians from across the globe to produce critical policy analysis and craft visions for a liberated, self-determined future. Host Yara Hawari engages with a range of Palestinian analysts to discuss recent developments and long-standing questions facing Palestinians worldwide.
Episodes
War, Political Economy, and Palestine
In this episode, we're joined by Palestinian scholars Diana Buttu and Adam Hanieh to analyze what this moment reveals about the architecture of the US empire, the regional order being remade in real time, and what it means for the Palestinian liberation struggle at the center of it all.
The US Democratic Party's Moment of Reckoning with Tariq Kenney-Shawa
Tariq Kenney-Shawa, Al-Shabaka’s US policy fellow, joins our latest episode to unpack the widening divide between the US Democratic Party’s elite and its voting base over the ongoing Gaza genocide, military aid to the Israeli government, and support for Zionism.
Israel's Scorched Earth Doctrine with Amjad Iraqi
Amjad Iraqi, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group and Al-Shabaka policy member, joins our latest episode to explore the regional chaos that the US-Israeli war against Iran has created and the Israeli strategy behind it.
The Ceasefire Scam in Gaza — with Jacobin Long Reads
Last October, the Trump administration announced a ceasefire deal in Gaza after two years of relentless carnage. Since the deal was announced, Israel has continued to occupy much of Gaza, and its forces have killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians.Meanwhile, Donald Trump has launched his so-called Board of Peace to administer Gaza without any input from Palestinians. Having received a blank check
De-Healthification of Palestine with Layth Malhis
Layth Malhis discusses the concept of "de-healthification" as the governing logic of health under settler colonialism: the systematic degradation, obstruction, and weaponization of the very conditions that make health of the Indigenous population possible.
2025 in Review: Palestine and the Fight for Liberation
We close 2025 with curated highlights from this year's most powerful conversations. From the complexities of Palestinian politics to global responses to Gaza's genocide, this episode captures the moments that defined the struggle for justice over the past twelve months.
Trump's Colonial UN Resolution for Gaza with Shahd Hammouri
International law expert Shahd Hammouri examines the details and far-reaching ramifications of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which endorses US President Donald Trump’s colonial plan for Gaza amid the ongoing genocide.
Spain and the Gaza Genocide with Alys Estape
Alys Samson Estape, spokesperson for the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine in Spain (RESCOP), unpacks the Spanish government’s rhetoric and actions around the genocide in Gaza amid mass grassroots mobilization.
Europe's Proscription of Palestine Solidarity with Amira Hala
Amira Hala joins us to discuss the European Legal Support Center's latest report, which exposes and contextualizes the systematic repression tactic of proscription against pro-Palestinian solidarity activism in Europe.
Palestine State Recognition: Europe's Response to Genocide
In this episode, Al-Shabaka policy analysts Diana Buttu, Inès Abdel Razek, and Al-Shabaka’s Co-Director Yara Hawari, are interviewed by Al-Shabaka's commissioning editor Dina Hussein on the recent wave of Palestine State recognition by several European powers as a policy response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This podcast episode was originally recorded in June 2025.
Global March to Gaza: Lessons from Egypt with Engy Sarhan
Egyptian researcher and activist Engy Sarhan joins this month’s podcast to unpack the recent Global March to Gaza—offering critiques and urgent lessons for the international solidarity movement with Palestine.
US Private Contractors in Gaza with Safa Joudeh
Al-Shabaka policy analyst Safa Joudeh joins co-director Yara Hawari to discuss the privatization of aid and security, and how the Israeli regime and the United States weaponize humanitarian assistance as a tool for ethnic cleansing and colonization.
Is the Tide Changing on the Genocide in Gaza? With Tariq Kenney-Shawa
Al-Shabaka's US policy fellow, Tariq Kenney-Shawa, joins Co-Director Yara Hawari to examine whether mainstream media and political discourses are shifting their stances on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and what those changes could mean for potential accountability.
Countering Attacks on the Palestine Movement in Europe with Agnese Valenti
Agnese Valenti of the European Legal Support Center joins Yara Hawari to examine how Israeli regime-backed NGOs are driving coordinated attacks on Palestinian civil society and pro-Palestine solidarity movements across Europe.
Gaza Reconstruction Reality Check with Abed Kittana
Palestinian architect and researcher Abdalrahman Kittana, who has been actively engaged in discussions and initiatives on Gaza’s reconstruction, joins Yara Hawari to examine the various reconstruction plans and their feasibility amid Israel’s ongoing genocide.
Gaza Ceasefire Challenges & Future Scenarios in Palestine
In this episode, Yumna Patel, Yara Hawari, and Abdaljawad Omar discuss the precarious ceasefire and different future scenarios in Gaza and wider Palestine. This is the third and final episode in a collaboration series between Al-Shabaka and Mondoweiss.
Trump and Israel's Plans for Gaza with Diana Buttu
Diana Buttu and Mondoweiss’s Yumna Patel discuss the challenges facing the ceasefire in Gaza in the context of the Trump administration and its support for Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and Palestine. This is the second episode of a three-part collaboration series between Al-Shabaka and Mondoweiss.
Palestinian Authority's Jenin Invasion Amid Gaza Ceasefire
Yara Hawari and Mondoweiss’s Yumna Patel break down the latest developments in Jenin and across the West Bank within the context of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and recent ceasefire. This is the first episode of a three-part collaboration series between Al-Shabaka and Mondoweiss.
Palestine in 2024: A Year of Israeli Impunity & Genocide
In this episode of Rethinking Palestine, Yara Hawari highlights the key discussion points with our guests in 2024 as the Israeli regime's settler colonial genocide has continued unabated across Palestine.
What Trump's Comeback Means for Palestine with Tariq Kenney-Shawa
Al-Shabaka US Policy Fellow Tariq Kenney-Shawa joins the podcast to reflect on the 2024 US presidential election results in the context of ongoing genocide in Gaza and the future of the movement for Palestinian liberation.
A Year of Ongoing Genocide in Gaza with Tareq Baconi
Al-Shabaka Board President Tareq Baconi and Co-Director Yara Hawari reflect on one year since the start of Israel's genocide in Gaza. Together, they discuss its ramifications on the Palestinian liberation movement, the region, and beyond.Support the show
Reflections on the Current Moment in Palestine with Makdisi Street
In this episode, our host Yara Hawari joins hosts of the Makdisi Street podcast Saree, Ussama and Karim Makdisi to discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza, intra Palestinian-Israeli politics and more.This episode is co-published with the Makdisi Street podcast.Support the show
A Region on the Cusp of War with Abdullah Al-Arian
Abdullah Al-Arian joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the heightened tensions in the region as the Israeli regime expands its aggression on multiple fronts.Support the show
The UK Elections and Palestine with Sara Husseini
Sara Husseini joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the recent British elections, the role Palestine and the Israeli genocide in Gaza played in the election results, and the challenges facing pro-Palestine activism under the new Labour government.Support the show
Palestinian Genocide Survivors in Egypt
Ali, a humanitarian worker from Gaza now in Egypt, joins host Yara Hawari. He speaks on the experience of Palestinians from Gaza in Egypt as they maneuver the different legal, financial, and social hardships of their forced displacement.Support the show
The Student Intifada on US Campuses with Samer Alatout
Samer Alatout, Al-Shabaka policy analyst and professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, joins host Yara Hawari to speak about his experience at a student encampment, where he was assaulted and detained by police. Alatout also touches on the overall significance of the student uprising in the US against the genocide in Gaza.Support the show
Ireland's Solidarity with Palestine, with Brendan Browne
Brendan Browne joins host Yara Hawari to explore the historical solidarity between the Irish and Palestinian peoples, and discuss how the Irish government's policy towards Palestine fails to reflect grassroots demands against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.Support the show
Israel's Disinformation Apparatus with Tariq Kenny-Shawa
Tariq Kenney-Shawa, Al-Shabaka’s US policy fellow, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss Israel’s information warfare tactics, used to influence public perception of its ongoing genocide in Gaza.Support the show
Settler Colonial Spillover in the West Bank with Fathi Nimer
Fathi Nimer, Al-Shabaka Palestine policy fellow, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the acceleration of Israeli settler colonialism in the West Bank amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Support the show
The Arab World and Gaza Genocide with Elham Fakhro
Elham Fakhro joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the reactions of Arab peoples and their governments to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, placing them within the historical and contemporary context of Arab normalization with the Israeli regime.Support the show
Palestine in 2023: Unfolding Nakba and Genocide
In this episode of Rethinking Palestine, host Yara Hawari highlights a selection of key excerpts from our discussions with previous guests throughout 2023. Together, they shed light on the Palestinian experience under settler colonialism as well as pushback and resistance by Palestinians and their allies.Support the show
"From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free," with Maha Nassar
Maha Nassar joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the historical significance of this popular slogan, used by Palestinians and their allies as they protest the assault on Gaza and ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.Support the show
Countering Repression of Palestine Solidarity in the US & Europe
Layla Kattermann (European Legal Support Center) and Diala Shamas (Center for Constitutional Rights) join host Yara Hawari to discuss the crackdown on pro-Palestine solidarity across the US and Europe and ways their organizations are working to resist state repression against activists.Support the show
The Palestinian Authority's Revolving Door with Alaa Tartir
Alaa Tartir joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the revolving door/al-bab al-dawaar, a critical component of PA-Israeli security coordination. They situate the policy within the wider “collaboration paradigm" and examine its disruptive impact on Palestinian resistance and the liberation movement.Support the show
Countless Palestinian Futures with Danah Abdulla & Sarona Abuaker
Danah Abdulla and Sarona Abuaker join host Yara Hawari to talk about their discussion-based game, “Countless Palestinian Futures.” They explain how the project seeks to challenge colonial temporal domination and stimulate imagination around Palestinian futures.Support the show
Challenging the British Anti-Boycott Bill with Ben Jamal
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the UK’s anti-BDS bill targetting pro-Palestine activism. They discuss the broader repercussions of the proposed policy and ways in which the PSC and other rights groups are campaigning against the legislation.Support the show
Liberal Zionism: A Veneer for Settler Colonialism with M. Muhannad Ayyash
M. Muhannad Ayyash joins host Yara Hawari to discuss liberal Zionism and the dominant role it plays in Zionist ideology. He exposes its essential function of providing the settler colonial project with the veneer of enlightened, Western civilization and democratic politics.Support the show
Prison Hunger Strikes in Palestine with Basil Farraj
In light of the death of political prisoner Khader Adnan, Al-Shabaka analyst Basil Farraj joins host Yara Hawari to discuss Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strikes. Farraj explains how hunger strikes function as a resistance tactic, allowing prisoners to reclaim their power over life and death from the Israeli incarceration regime.Support the show
The "Pro-Democracy" Israeli Protests with Ameer Makhoul
Ameer Makhoul joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the ongoing Israeli protests against Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government. Makhoul provides a sobering analysis of the so-called pro-democracy protests in the context of the Israeli regime’s settler-colonial and apartheid rule over millions of Palestinians.Support the show
Confronting Energy Poverty in Gaza with Asmaa Abu Mezied
Asmaa Abu Mezied joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the energy crisis in Gaza, situating it within the context of the Israeli regime’s unrelenting blockade and repeated attacks on the besieged enclave. Abu Mezied also explains how the international community is complicit in maintaining this unlivable status quo.Support the show
US Embassy Plans on Stolen Palestinian Lands with Rashid Khalidi
Rashid Khalidi joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the US plan to build a new embassy on a plot of land in Jerusalem owned by multiple Palestinian families, including Khalidi’s. They also discuss the systemic Israeli theft of Palestinian lands beyond those privately owned and registered with title deeds.Support the show
Challenging Anti-Boycott Laws in the US with Tariq Kenney-Shawa
Tariq Kenney-Shawa, Al-Shabaka's US policy fellow, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the escalating legal attacks on the right to boycott in the US led by the Israeli regime's defenders. He highlights the multifaceted nature of this assault on social and political expression in the country.Support the show
Palestine in 2022: A Year of Resistance
In this episode of Rethinking Palestine, host Yara Hawari highlights the best bits of all our episodes in 2022 to give you a round-up of how Palestinian analysts and experts reflected on the most important events in Palestine this year.Support the show
Football in the Middle East with Abdullah Al-Arian
Abdullah Al-Arian joins host Yara Hawari for a timely discussion about football in Palestine and the wider Arab region, exploring the sport's historical and current roles in anti-colonial movements and grassroots organizing.Support the show
Latin America and Palestine with Hussein Sameh
Hussein Sameh joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the historical and contemporary relationships between Palestine and Latin America. They also touch on the latest wave of left-wing leadership in the region and its implications for the Palestinian liberation struggle.Support the show
The Challenges of Fighting for Palestinian Prisoners' Freedom
Milena, the international advocacy coordinator for Addameer, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the ways in which Palestinian prisoners and administrative detainees are fighting for their freedom. She also explores the challenges facing her organization's work in light of the escalating Israeli criminalization of Palestinian civil society.Support the show
From Jenin to Gaza to Nablus: Palestinian Resistance Under Attack
Mariam Barghouti and Ibrahim Fraihat join host Yara Hawari to discuss how the latest Israeli attacks and assassinations in Jenin, Gaza and Nablus are part of a wider Israeli strategy to crush Palestinian armed resistance. Support the show
Resisting Palestinian Erasure in Jerusalem with Jalal Abukhater
Jalal Abukhater joins host Yara Hawari to discuss how Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem are pushing back against Israel's de-Palestinization of the city.Support the show
Three Threads of the Movement for Palestinian Liberation
Critical connections and interdependence are key for any liberation movement. Aline Batarseh of Visualizing Palestine and Tamara Ben-Halim of Makan join host Yara Hawari to explore how the work of their organizations intersects with that of Al-Shabaka, and how we can collectively build stronger communities in the struggle for justice, freedom, and equality.Support the show
Reflections on Palestinian Local Elections with Fadi Quran
Fadi Quran joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the main outcomes of the recent Palestinian local elections and the historical role of municipalities in Palestine. They also discuss the value of elections under military occupation and settler colonialism.Support the show
Reimagining Palestinian Health and Education with Yara Asi
Yara Asi joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the Palestinian health and education sectors within the context of the Palestinian struggle for liberation. Support the show
Amnesty Report on Israeli Apartheid with Saleh Hijazi
Saleh Hijazi, Al-Shabaka analyst and Deputy Regional Director - MENA at Amnesty International, joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the organization's new report on Israeli apartheid, the settler-colonialism framework, and the Palestinian right to self-determination.Support the show
Ongoing Resistance in the Naqab with Riya Al-Sanah
Riya Al-Sanah joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the latest escalation by the Israeli regime against Palestinian Bedouin communities in the Naqab, and to situate it within the context of ongoing settler-colonial ethnic cleansing across colonized Palestine.Support the show
Palestine in 2021: Victories and Challenges
In this episode of Rethinking Palestine, host Yara Hawari highlights the best bits of all our episodes in 2021 to give you a round-up of how Palestinian analysts and experts reflected on the most important events in Palestine this year. Support the show
Palestine Under Surveillance with Mona Shtaya
Mona Shtaya joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the highly invasive mass surveillance of Palestinians by the Israeli regime in light of recent hacking and spying reports. They explore the impact of such tactics on the work of activists and human rights defenders as well as the consequences on Palestinians' daily lives.Support the show
Tourism in Service of Israeli Settler Colonialism with Halah Ahmad
Halah Ahmad joins Yara Hawari to discuss how tourism, specifically religious tourism, has been a key pillar of the Israeli settler-colonial project, legitimizing and expanding the theft of Palestinian land, since the first Zionists settled in Palestine.Support the show
Incarcerating Palestine in Life and Death with Randa Wahbe
Randa Wahbe joins host Yara Hawari to discuss Palestinian political prisoners in the wake of the Gilboa prison break, and explain how Israel’s military prison system serves as a key pillar of the regime’s settler-colonial project.Support the show
US Military Aid to Israel with Nadya Tannous
Nadya Tannous joins host Yara Hawari to discuss US military aid to Israel and its vital role in sustaining the colonial project in Palestine as well as in shaping US’s imperial and capitalist interests in the Middle East.Support the show
Palestinian Securitization vs Liberation with Alaa Tartir
Alaa Tartir joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the internationally-funded Palestinian security forces. Together, they assess the forces' authoritarian role in sustaining Israel's settler-colonial project and criminalizing Palestinian resistance, shedding light on the recent killing of critic and activist Nizar Banat.Support the show
Sheikh Jarrah and Beyond with Muna Dajani
Muna Dajani joins host Yara Hawari to discuss how the #SaveSheikhJarrah campaign in support of her family and others in the Jerusalem neighborhood has acted as a catalyst for the ongoing uprising across historic Palestine against decades of Israeli settler-colonialism.Support the show
Palestinian Resistance and Shifting the Media Narrative with Marwa Fatafta
Marwa Fatafta joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the shifting international media coverage of the recent events that unfolded in Jerusalem, Gaza, and across all of colonized Palestine as the Israeli regime continues to advance its plans to ethnically cleanse Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan. Support the show
Israeli Elections and Palestinian Citizens with Amjad Iraqi
Amjad Iraqi joins host Yara Hawari to discuss the Israeli elections, focusing in particular on the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Iraqi explains the current political deadlock, the history of Palestinian participation in the Knesset, the rise and demise of the Joint List and the curious case of an Islamist party embracing Netanyahu.Support the show
In Pursuit of Justice at the ICC with Rania Muhareb
Rania Muhareb joins host Yara Hawari to discuss Palestine's case at the International Criminal Court. Whilst many legal experts are optimistic toward the possibility of pursuing justice for Palestinians, some remain less hopeful, citing the many challenges that lay ahead in terms of international pressure, Israeli lobbying, as well as institutional issues within the ICC itself.Support the show
Palestinian Digital Rights: Crackdowns & Corporate Complicity with Amal Nazzal
Amal Nazzal joins host Yara Hawari to discuss her extensive research into violations of Palestinian digital rights by Israeli and Palestinian authorities with the complicity of social media giants, while also touching on the rise of "Slacktivism" and explaining the principles of ethical digital research of oppressed peoples.Support the show
Limitations and Possibilities of the Apartheid Framework with Lana Tatour
Lana Tatour and host Yara Hawari discuss the limitations and possibilities of using the apartheid analysis in the context of Palestine whilst also stressing the importance of the settler-colonial framework and decolonization within the discussion on Palestinian liberation.Support the show
2020 and the Palestinian Leadership with Tareq Baconi
Tareq Baconi and host Yara Hawari discuss this year in Palestine, focusing on the failure of the Palestinian leadership to provide a challenge to the Israeli regime on the ground and to unite an increasingly socially, geographically, and politically fragmented people. Support the show
Biden in the White House: Alaa Tartir on Implications for Palestine
Alaa Tartir and host Yara Hawari discuss what Joe Biden's win in last month's US elections means for the Palestinian people. Whilst many have breathed a sigh of relief at Trump’s ousting, critics also warn that work is yet to be done given the president-elect's track record of support toward Israel and promotion of the antiquated "peace process."Support the show
A Century of Colonial Mapping in Palestine with Zena Agha
Zena Agha and host Yara Hawari discuss how decades of colonial mappings, first by British imperialism and then by the Israeli colonial project, have undermined Palestinian self-determination and explore how Palestinians are fighting back.Support the show
