Palestine This Week

Israel Is Its Own Worst Enemy | Palestine This Week

‘The Board of Peace’ Or ‘Broker of Deceit’ | Palestine This Week

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we begin with Jared Kushner’s meetings with Hamas political leader Khalil Al-Hayya and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking what the talks mean for the future of the Gaza ceasefire. We revisit the long-debunked claim that Palestine was sparsely populated before early Jewish settlement and ask why this version of history continues to resurface. We also look at changes to Saudi school textbooks, including the removal of the phrase “Muslims will never give up Jerusalem”. The episode also looks at settler violence in the occupied West Bank and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s decision to describe Israeli settlers as “terrorists” after American citizens were besieged by Israeli settlers. Finally, we discuss a false quotation attributed to an Iranian commander that travelled from social media into Israeli media, Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric and ultimately political debate in Washington. What does the episode tell us about the use of manufactured intelligence to build the case against Iran? And as Israel becomes increasingly isolated in parts of Europe and the US, why is Netanyahu’s government building closer ties with far-right governments and movements across Latin America and elsewhere? 01:33 Kushner’s Gaza talks with Hamas and Netanyahu 12:41 Revisiting claims about early Jewish settlement in Palestine 21:50 Saudi Arabia removes Jerusalem pledge from school textbooks 30:24 Huckabee calls Israeli settlers “terrorists” 33:52 Israel accused of laundering false intelligence on Iran 39:36 Iran MOU expires as US regional goals fall short 44:08 Israel deepens ties with the global far right

Israel Defies Trump as a New Regional Bloc Begins to Emerge | Palestine This Week

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we begin with Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of Trump’s Gaza plan and the growing power of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. We also discuss the emerging Saudi-Turkiye-Pakistan security alignment, shifting Gulf politics and Israel’s efforts to manufacture evidence against Iran with the aim of inciting US bombing of the Islamic Republic. The conversation then turns to how Washington’s longstanding alliance with Israel continues to shape US policy in the Middle East, the role of Islamophobia in sustaining that relationship. 1:15 Netanyahu rejects Trump’s Gaza plan: Is Hamas a politically useful bogeyman? 08:11 Why is Trump allowing Netanyahu to defy and undermine him? 13:55 Has Israel lost control of its settlers in the occupied West Bank? 20:09 Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye: Is a new Muslim strategic bloc emerging? 22:46 Has Saudi Arabia accepted the limits of US power after the Iran war? 27:15 Are new fault lines emerging between Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords states?32:25 How Israel manufactured evidence of an Iranian nuclear threat 37:44 Robert Kagan, US Islamophobia and the blowback from America’s support for Israel

Gaza Ceasefire Falters as Trump Remains Trapped in Israel-First Agenda | Palestine This Week

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we are joined by Palestinian political analyst Muhammad Shehada to examine the major developments of the past seven days. The episode covers the latest Hamas-Israel ceasefire negotiations, the role of Gaza in exposing dark money and foreign influence in US politics, Israeli-funded efforts to “poison” AI-generated information and important legal victories protecting anti-Zionist speech in the UK and Germany. We also discuss why Israel and the US are being mentioned in connection with the Ceuta migration crisis, as well as the debate sparked by Green Party plans to twin Greater Manchester with Ramallah and the history of terrorism in Palestine. 1. Latest developments in the Hamas-Israel ceasefire negotiations 2. Gaza is the "ultimate revealer" 3. Israeli-funded efforts to “poison” AI-generated information 4. Legal victories in the UK and Germany 5. Israel, the US and the Ceuta migration crisis 6. Green Party plans to twin Greater Manchester with Ramallah and the origins of terrorism in Palestine

Israel’s War on International Law | Palestine This Week

In this week’s episode, we begin with the growing normalisation of rhetoric aimed at erasing Palestinian identity and ask how Israel’s war on Gaza could reshape the global politics of genocide. We also explore the deepening crisis within Zionism, the surge in settler violence across the occupied West Bank and the future of the International Criminal Court following the removal of its chief prosecutor. The discussion also considers Zohran Mamdani’s call for Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest, Washington’s escalating hostility towards international institutions that challenge Israel and the strategic calculations surrounding a Saudi-US nuclear deal tied to normalisation with Israel. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 00:46 The Normalisation of Calls to Erase Palestinian Identity 10:55 How Gaza Could Redefine the Global Politics of Genocide 17:48 Has Zionism Reached the Edge of the Abyss? 28:08 Settler Violence Surges Across the Occupied West Bank 33:55 Karim Khan’s Removal and the Future of the ICC 42:51 Zohran Mamdani’s Bid to Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu 47:36 The US Targets International Institutions Challenging Israel 52:05 The Saudi-US Nuclear Deal and Normalisation with Israel

The Anti-Klan Law Comes for Trump’s Israel Lobby | Palestine This Week

In this episode, we examine Trump’s drastically reduced Gaza recovery plan, growing criticism within Hamas over the consequences of 7 October and Israel’s covert efforts to downplay the scale of death, starvation and destruction in Gaza. We also discuss the failure of a major pro-Israel influence campaign in the US, rising congressional resistance to military aid, Mahmoud Abbas’s proposed Palestinian elections, legal challenges to US sanctions on the International Criminal Court and Mahmoud Khalil’s case against Trump administration officials and pro-Israel groups. The episode also explores Palestinian claims to ownership of land designated for a new US embassy in Jerusalem, reports that Trump urged Israel to withdraw from Syria and Lebanon and FIFA corruption. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 01:11 Trump’s Board of Peace scales back Gaza recovery plan 10:36 Disagreement within Hamas over 7 October 15:25 Israeli-linked Arabic media campaign targeting Arab audiences 19:39 Israel’s failed US influencer campaign and shifting political support 25:39 Mahmoud Abbas announces decree allocating seats to Christian Palestinians 29:56 US groups challenge Trump’s ICC sanctions 37:24 Mahmoud Khalil sues Trump officials and pro-Israel groups 44:07 Palestinian families challenge planned US Embassy site in Jerusalem 49:00 Trump reportedly asks Netanyahu to withdraw from Syria and Lebanon 52:59 Argentina, Lionel Messi and FIFA corruption

Israel Loses Europe and America, Gains Somaliland

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine the EU’s new Gaza initiative, claims that Gaza’s authorities obstructed the delivery of humanitarian aid, the escalating campaign against UNRWA and Washington’s attack on the International Criminal Court. We also discuss Ro Khanna’s detention by Israeli settlers, shifting US and UK political attitudes towards Palestine, Lindsey Graham’s legacy, the renewed Iran conflict and reports of an alleged Israeli plan involving Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Concentration Camps Inside a Concentration Camp: Israel’s New Plan for Gaza | Palestine This Week

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine Hamas’s decision to dissolve its government and the wider implications of Trump’s so called peace plan, as Israel moves ahead with proposals for “controlled humanitarian zones”. We also discuss whether Hamas remains a major threat or has become a convenient justification for continued Israeli domination, before turning to new claims about 7 October, debates over just war theory, Zionism’s erasure of Palestinians, Mike Huckabee’s remarks in Jerusalem and reports that US officials feared Israel was plotting to kill Iranian negotiators.

Inside the Collapse of Global Accountability for Israel | Palestine This Week

This episode of Palestine This Week opens with Israel’s renewed push to promote the so-called “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza, asking whether ethnic cleansing is now being pursued without even the pretence of concealment. We also look at Trump’s proposed Gaza board and warnings that it could create a legal black hole for officials and contractors, before turning to the unprecedented lawsuit filed by ICC judges against US sanctions they describe as an attempt to punish and coerce the court. The episode also explores growing threats to journalism, from the UK’s State Threats Bill to double standards in how the media defines press freedom, alongside new revelations about the Hannibal Directive during the events of 7 October. We then assess whether Israel’s confrontation with Iran has punctured the myth of Israeli military invincibility, and close with Lebanon, where Israeli media figures speak openly about pushing the country towards civil war as part of a wider regional strategy. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 00:20 Israel revives plans for the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from Gaza 06:24 Trump’s Gaza board and the creation of a legal black hole 12:11 ICC judges sue the Trump administration over sanctions 21:25 UK State Threats Bill raises alarm over press freedom and journalism 31:11 New Hannibal Directive revelations from 7 October 38:18 Iran, Gaza and the crisis of Israeli military invincibility 45:43 Israel’s strategy for Lebanon: escalation, fragmentation and civil conflict

“The Jewish KKK” and the Catastrophe Jewish Critics Warned Was Coming | Palestine This Week

This week, we begin with Hannah Arendt, the Jewish intellectual who warned that a state built without Palestinian consent would be condemned to permanent war. Her warning now feels less like abstract history and more like a description of Israel today: a militarised society, trapped in endless war and dependent on propaganda to justify the violence needed to sustain its project. We also look at the casual anti-Muslim racism used by Israel advocates to dismiss equality for Palestinian, the UN Human Rights Council’s findings on Israel’s targeting of children in Gaza, and the rise of settler violence in Hebron and around Al-Aqsa Mosque. The episode ends with Trump’s U-turn on Iran, Lebanon’s central role in US-Iran diplomacy and the pro-war commentators already trying to explain away another Middle East disaster. Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 01:13 Hannah Arendt’s warning: Was Zionism destined for permanent war? 10:14 The casual anti-Muslim racism of Israel advocates 18:41 Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza 26:50 Hebron, Smotrich and the collapse of the Hebron agreement 36:51 Trump’s U-turn on the Iran war: What explains the shift? 40:57 Lebanon as the make-or-break arena for US-Iran diplomacy 46:59 Iran war cheerleaders and the making of another American debacle

Is Israel Losing Its American Shield? | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode, we examine whether Gaza features in the Iran ceasefire calculation, the crisis facing Israel’s security doctrine and its fear of US abandonment. We also discuss whether the Iran deal signals a deeper rupture in US-Israel relations, Al Jazeera’s shocking investigation into Israel’s abuse of Palestinian detainees and Israel’s strangling of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ Watch the Al Jazeera documentary ‘Bodies of Evidence’ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3pApprHfrY Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 00:19 Did Iran sell out Gaza in the ceasefire deal? 12:05 Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran: Axis of resistance or sectarian politics? 22:10 Why did the UAE unlock billions for Iran while others brokered peace? 27:38 Israel defies Washington: Can it wage war on Iran without the US? 33:42 Israel’s biggest fear: What if America stops coming to the rescue? 38:37 Is the Iran deal the beginning of a US-Israel split? 43:19 Al Jazeera exposes Israel’s torture and sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees 52:23 Is Israel deliberately strangling the Palestinian Authority to death?

100 Days In: Palestine, Iran, and the War Remaking the Middle East | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

With the Iran war passing its 100-day mark, we take a bird's-eye view of what this war has truly revealed. From its roots in the unresolved question of Palestine, to the limits of US power, fractures in the US-Israel relationship — including reports of Israeli intelligence spying on American negotiators — and the crisis of Zionism itself, we ask whether this war has backfired on its instigators and made Palestine more central than ever.

The Iron Dome of Lies: Rape, Ruin & Plunder | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine Israel’s addition to a UN blacklist over sexual violence in conflict, Dr Nick Maynard’s harrowing testimony from Gaza and the wider backlash to evidence of abuse against Palestinians. We also discuss plans to turn Gaza’s destruction into an investment opportunity, tensions between Trump and Netanyahu over Lebanon, stalled ceasefire diplomacy with Iran and the UAE’s reported role in the regional war. The episode closes by looking at US efforts to integrate Israel’s military with its own, the Democrats’ refusal to confront Gaza’s electoral impact and Western crackdowns on critics of Israel. Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 02:03 UN report exposes Israeli sexual violence against Palestinians 11:00 Dr Nick Maynard’s Gaza testimony and Israel’s targeting of healthcare workers 22:45 The plan to turn Gaza’s destruction into an investment project 28:57 Trump-Netanyahu tensions over Lebanon 36:52 Iran war ceasefire deadlock 42:36 UAE airstrikes on Iran and the fallout for Gulf politics 47:14 Congress moves to integrate Israel’s war machine with the US military 52:22 DNC autopsy ignores Gaza genocide 57:48 UK bans Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker amid crackdown on criticism of Israel

US 'Suicidal Empathy' for Israel as Gaza Faces Apocalypse | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we discuss Mouin Rabbani’s Gaza Apocalypse, a real-time account of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the decades of policy, international complicity and failed diplomacy that preceded it. We also examine Israel’s plan for the occupied West Bank, described as a staged process of ethnic cleansing: first entrenching apartheid, then emptying rural areas, forcing Palestinians into cities and creating the conditions for mass expulsion. The episode also covers Mladenov’s Gaza plan, Ben-Gvir’s humiliation of flotilla activists, the normalisation of Israel’s far-right politics, US' "suicidal empathy for Israel", Trump’s efforts to link Iran negotiations to the Abraham Accords and reported US-Israeli moves to strip Jordan of its custodianship over Al-Aqsa Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 01:18 Key arguments of Gaza Apocalypse and why Mouin Rabbani wrote it 04:27 Who is Gaza Apocalypse for? 09:03 Writing books in the age of social media 11:40 Mladenov’s Gaza plan and the “Board of Peace” 21:50 From apartheid to transfer: Israel’s plan to ethnically cleanse the West Bank 26:57 Ben-Gvir, the Gaza flotilla and the Israeli far right 35:15 US “suicidal empathy” for Israel 44:25 Iran war negotiations, Trump and the Abraham Accords 47:56 US-Israel efforts to strip Jordan of Al-Aqsa custodianship

Debunking The Founding Myths of Israel | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this week’s episode, we take on some of the most persistent myths used to justify Zionism, erase Palestinian dispossession and rewrite the history of the Nakba. We begin with the claim that Arab conquest expelled Jews over the centuries, before examining how this distorted reading of history is used to present Zionism as a “return of Jews to their ancestral homeland” rather than a colonial project. We then turn to the Nakba, challenging claims that Israel was founded on legally purchased land, that the 1948 war was a war of annihilation against Israel and that Palestinians left because Arab leaders told them to evacuate. The episode also unpacks the accusation that Palestinians want to “push Jews into the sea”, before addressing post-Nakba myths about Jewish refugees from Arab states and the claim that mass displacement after the Second World War makes the Palestinian case unexceptional. Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 02:05 Myth #1: “Arab conquest expelled Jews over the centuries” 16:17 Myth #2: “Zionism is not colonialism” 29:19 Myth #3: “Israel was founded on land purchased by early Zionists” 32:59 Myth #4: “The 1948 war was a war of annihilation against Israel” 44:45 Myth #5: “Palestinians fled because Arab leaders ordered them to evacuate” 51:11 Myth #6: “Palestinians want to push Jews into the sea” 56:42 Myth #7: “Jewish refugees from Arab states cancel out the Palestinian right of return” 57:02 Myth #8: “Population displacement was normal after WW2 — why single out Israel?”

Nakba at 78: The Beginning of the End of Zionism? | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode, we mark Nakba Day with a special discussion on the historical roots and continuing reality of Palestinian dispossession. We place the Nakba within the wider settler-colonial project that shaped Palestine from the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate through 1948, 1967, Oslo and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The episode examines whether Gaza represents the final and most violent stage of a century-long project to erase the Palestinian people, or whether this moment marks the beginning of the end of Zionism as a settler-colonial system. It also looks at the crisis of Palestinian political leadership, the collapse of Israel’s claim to moral legitimacy and the regional fallout from Gaza, including Iran, Trump and the limits of US power in a changing Middle East. Get your copy of ‘Gaza Apocalypse’ by Mouin Rabbani: https://orbooks.com/catalog/gaza-apocalypse/ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 01:09 The Nakba in the historical context of the Palestinian question 08:38 Gaza and the possible final stage of Israel’s century-long settler-colonial project 11:16 The impact of 7 October and the Gaza genocide on global understanding of 1948 19:39 Zionism’s survival in a post-colonial world 26:08 Zionism’s framing as Jewish self-determination, refuge and biblical return 33:03 The Nakba and the fragmentation of Palestinian political life 36:15 Palestinian leadership in the final stage of Israeli domination 48:02 New York Times coverage of the rape of Palestinian detainees 54:50 Iran, Trump and the strategic limits of US power

Israel’s ‘Absolute Security’ Doctrine: A Recipe for Regional Insecurity | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine Israel’s expanding control over Gaza through the shifting “Yellow Line” and the emergence of a clandestine “voluntary migration” programme, before turning to the occupied West Bank, where the JNF is cutting funding to settler farm outposts as Israel’s wider strategy moves from “conflict management” towards annexation. We also discuss fresh allegations against ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, Israel’s application of the Gaza model in Lebanon and Barack Obama’s claim that Benjamin Netanyahu pushed him towards war with Iran before making the same case to Donald Trump. The episode ends by looking at the growing regional divide between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Israel, Iran and the future of Gulf security. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction & Overview 01:20 Israel expands Gaza’s “Yellow Line” and undermines Trump’s ceasefire plan 08:54 Israel’s clandestine ethnic cleansing programme under the guise of “voluntary migration” 18:54 JNF cuts funding to West Bank settler farm outposts 27:22 Israel’s West Bank policy shifts from “conflict management” to annexation 33:14 Allegations against ICC prosecutor Karim Khan as pressure builds over the Netanyahu case 41:21 Israel applies the Gaza model in Lebanon 45:41 Obama says Netanyahu pushed him towards war with Iran before making the same case to Trump 51:20 Saudi Arabia and the UAE split over Israel, Iran and regional security

78 years on: what went wrong with Israel’s founding project? | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode, we assess Israel 78 years after its founding, examining whether the Zionist project has reached a point of crisis. We explore competing interpretations of what “went wrong,” from claims of ideological failure to arguments that the current reality reflects the logical outcome of a settler-colonial project. Drawing on historical evidence and contemporary developments, the discussion addresses Israel's genocide on Gaza, the erasure of Palestinian, ongoing patterns of dispossession and looting, and the wider regional and international dynamics shaping the conflict today. 00:25 78 years on: has Zionism reached its breaking point? 10:23 What went wrong: the collapse of Zionism’s founding promise 23:07 Was genocide built into the Zionist project? 26:08 From the Nakba to Lebanon: the looting that never ended 31:05 The 2,700-year claim used to erase Palestinians 36:13 Engineering collapse: is Israel undermining the Palestinian Authority? 51:39 How the US justifies its war with Iran 53:33 Israel, the Gulf and the new regional war map

Gaza six months since ceasefire: the next stage of genocide | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode of our weekly review, we look at Gaza six months into the ceasefire and the next stage in Israel’s genocide. We also discuss Israel’s settler-colonial “buffer zones” employed as a toll of expansion, ideological continuity in Zionism, the symbolism of an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Christ and the latest on US/Israel war on Iran. 1-Gaza six months into ceasefire 2-Gaza’s reconstruction crisis 3-Next stage of Gaza’s genocide 4-Buffer zones and permanent war 5-Ideological continuity in Zionism 6-Smashing the statue of Christ 7-Iran war and ceasefire talks

Israel’s New Gospel of Perpetual War | Palestine This Week with Mouin Rabbani

In this episode, we examine why the first round of Iran-US talks broke down, how Lebanon has moved to the centre of ceasefire negotiations and why Trump appears to be retreating from his earlier endorsement of Iran’s 10-point plan. We also ask whether the war on Iran now amounts to a historic strategic defeat for both Washington and Tel Aviv, before looking at the build-up to war and Netanyahu’s role in shaping it. The discussion then turns to the growing rift between Pope Leo and Trump, the dangerous normalisation of political assassination and the rise in US soldiers refusing to fight with Iran. We close by considering why Israel is more dangerous than ever and what Viktor Orban’s defeat could mean for Israel and the global far right.