This episode we speak to Ardi Imseis, currently Assistant Professor at Queen’s Faculty of Law in 2018, following a 12-year career as a UN official in the Middle East, first with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and then with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We talk about UNRWA's history, establishment and implications of Israel banning of UNRWA. Follow Ardi at X. Thank you for listening to the ‘Palestine Debr...

This episode is five interviews with Canadians who suffered mentally, emotionally and financially in their attempts to be reunited with their families in Gaza under the governments Temporary Resident Visa Program for Gazans (TRV). The first interview is with Samar Alkhdour whose story highlights the government's attempt to suppress advocacy and freedom of expression and assembly revolving critique of the TRV. Follow Samar Alkhdour on Instagram.Follow Gazan Canadian Community Group on Instagra...

This episode is a conversation with Jason Toney, Director of Media Advocacy at CJPME about Canada's Media Ethics and our Media Accountability Project. We talk about the Canadian media's ethics, standards, biases, and erasure of Palestinian content. We speak about the impact CJPME had on media and the challenges we face. Follow Jason on X. Thank you for listening to the ‘Palestine Debrief’ podcast. This podcast is produced by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and hoste...

This episode discusses how Israel utilizes technology in their genocide in Gaza, we talk about the AI Lavender, social media censoring of Palestinian voices, media's extensive biases towards the Israel narrative, and IDF soldiers/ Israel government officials who hold positions in media organizations. My guest is Paul Biggar from Tech4Palestine, who was fired from the board of a company he started after publishing this blog post. Follow Tech4Palestine on X, GitHub, Discord, and Instagram. Than...

In August 2024, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada (JNF). This is significant because the JNF is central to the Zionist movement, historically acquiring land in Palestine for exclusive Jewish settlement. It has also supported Israeli military projects and illegal settlements in occupied Palestine.Here to talk about the efforts to achieve this revocation and the implications of this decision is Corey Balsam from Independent Jewis...

On January 9th, 2024, IRCC started accepting applications for a Temporary Residence Visa Program for Gazans with Canadian Family Ties that was called "Crisis in Gaza: Special Measure for Extended Family". Not long after it became clear that the program was not designed to accept refugees. Nothing about the program was urgent and in comparison to past programs the “special measures” seem to highly indicate racism towards Palestinians. We have Safinaz El-Solh from Gazan Canadian Community ...

worldbeyondwar.org/canadastoparmingisraelEarlier in August the US government announced that General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc. a Quebec-based company is the principal contractor in the sale of 50,000 high explosive mortar cartridges and related equipment to the Israeli military, which is worth $61 million US (or about $83 million in Canadian dollars). This is part of a total of $20 billion US weapon export announced and approved by the US to Israel. This catches Canada i...

Canada is adamant on their support to Israel, despite when it is becoming extensively clear that Israel is driving the whole world to the brink of a third world war. With the attack that happened last Friday night in a school in Gaza that killed 100 people gathering for morning prayers, it is imperative to understand why Canada refuses to change its stance on Israel.Here to help us make sense of all this, is Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University and author of 2 books, and writ...

On July 19th 2024 the ICJ court released its decision regarding Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. It concluded in its ruling that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied territory is illegal and must end as soon as possible. It included Israel’s prolonged occupation, it’s settlement expansion, continuous annexation of the territory, its apartheid policies, as well as providing full reparations, restitution and compensation including the return of all t...

On April 2nd, pro-Palestinian student groups in Montreal started an encampment on the McGill campus, demanding that the university divest its finances from companies complicit in Israel's genocide in Gaza, like weapons companies BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin. Early this morning, on the 10th of July, it was dismantled. McGill hired a private security firm to shut down the encampment, after the university failed to have it disbanded by the police and following 2 injunctions which were re...

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Yipeng Ge - follow him on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Within the first 36 hours of Israel’s attack on Gaza after Oct. 7, Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City, amongst other, have been attacked. And it didn’t stop there. For the past 8 months Israel has intentionally and aggressively targetting, attacking and bombing hospitals - to an extent that they are not hiding it anymore, and in many cases ...

On October 16, 2023, the Canadian government appointed Deborah Lyons, former Ambassador of Canada to Israel (2016-2020), as the new Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism. The Special Envoy Lyon's office is a joint unit of both Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada, bringing her role into the realm of international relations (whereas the Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia is singularly located in Canadian Heritage). Additionally, her mandate c...

A December article in Al Jazeera describes Canada’s foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine as “schizophrenic.” It’s like Canada supports Israel, wants to support Israel, but is also worried about supporting it too much because it will affect their false image of Canada as a “peace loving, refugee welcoming nation.” We talk about Canada’s policies towards Israel since the beginning of genocide with a person with a long list of credentials that include Activist, Journalist, Lawyer and...

Last month The Breach published an article written by a whistle blower exposing CBC's extensive systemic anti-Palestinian biases in their reporting since October 7. In this episode journalist Zahraa Al Akhrass who was fired from Global in November 2023 after posting pro-Palestinian content on her social media, shares her experiences with similar biases working at Global. Details about Zahraa's firing can be found on her social medias here and here. She also wrote an article titled "Figh...

Send us a Text Message.On April 17th 2024, the keffiyeh was banned from being worn by staff and guests in the Ontario legislature by speaker Ted Arnott. There had been no formal complaints nor was a motion presented to Ted Arnott for this ban, yet he acted on his own authority to impose the ban. This conversation with Chris Farris Zabaneh talks about the Keffiyeh Ban, how it came into place, the distraction tactic taken of imposing the ban, the supremacist approach of limiting non-white cultu...

Send us a Text Message.In December of last year NDP MP Matthew Green took the lead in sponsoring a Private Member’s bill, informally named “the Nakba Bill.” While the text of Green’s bill has not been made public, Green has made clear that his bill will call for Canada to formally acknowledge the Nakba and its tragic consequences for the Palestinian people. We talk private member bills, the Nakba, Parliament's Palestine motion, Canada's culpability, the IOF, the chances of Green's bill passin...

In this episode, Tom is joined by Fargo Tbakhi, a queer Palestinian American writer and performance artist based in Washington D.C. and winner of 2018 Ghassan Kanafani Resistance Arts Prize. His writings have been published in various literary publications including The Berkeley Review. He is also the recipient of several fellowships. Fargo’s writings and performances challenge notions of erasure and colonization and propose a reality of a free and unoccupied Palestine. Links: Follow Fargo on...

In this episode, Rafeef, Tayla, and Tom are joined by Ahmed Masoud, Gaza-born Palestinian writer, director, and academic based in the United Kingdom. Ahmed is the author of Come What May and Vanished  which address issues in Gazan society, as well as in broader trends in Palestinian history. Ahmed has also directed a number of plays and is the co-founder of PalArt, a collective initiative aimed at promoting Palestinian voices and content in the arts and media. Listen in as we learn about...

In this episode, Rafeef, Tayla, and Tom are joined Dr. Ussama Makdisi, Palestinian-American scholar and academic, currently a Professor of History and Chancellor’s Chair at the University of California Berkeley. Dr Makdisi is the author of several books and publications on sectarianism, Ottoman and Arab history, US-Arab relations, and US missionary work in the Middle East. Listen in as we discuss Dr. Makdisi’s achievements and contributions to Middle-Eastern history, Arab identity and issues...

In this episode, Michael is joined by Palestinian journalist and activist Basel Adra, and Daniel Roth of the Centre for Jewish Nonviolence, to discuss Israel’s plans to expel more than 1,000 Palestinians from their homes in Masafer Yatta. We hear about what is happening on the ground, and discuss the role of journalism and international solidarity in challenging dispossession and apartheid.  Links from this podcast: Basel Adra on TwitterBasel Adra in +972 Magazine: “I was handcuffed and...

In this episode, Michael is joined by Ben Jamal, Director of Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in the UK. They discuss the anti-boycott bill currently being pushed by the British conservative government, how it poses a threat to freedom of speech and expression, and how civil society is fighting back to defend the ‘right to boycott.’  Links from this podcast: Follow the Palestine Solidarity Campaign on Twitter The PSC’s Right to Boycott campaign Subscribe to this podcast, and donate to...

In this episode, Rafeef, Tayla, and Tom are joined by Chris Gazaleh, Palestinian-American muralist, activist, and community organizer. Using different mediums like ink, paint, and digital illustrations, Chris uses powerful symbols and imagery to advocate for Palestinian human rights and social justice. Listen in to learn about Chris’s art, his inspiration, and his efforts to use art to advocate for Palestinian justice and liberation. Links: To learn more about Chris and his work, visit his...

In this episode, Tayla and Tom are joined by Heifa Odeh, Palestinian-American chef, recipe developer and food blogger. Founder of the blog Fufu’s Kitchen and author of the recent cookbook, Dine in Palestine, Heifa seeks to celebrate and preserve traditional Palestinian dishes and recipes. Listen in to learn about Heifa’s expression and celebration of her Palestinian identity and culture through food.   Links: Check out Heifa’s blog and explore all the different Palestinian and Middle Eastern...

In this episode, Rafeef, Tayla and Tom are joined by Mirna Bamieh, Palestinian chef, artist and founder of the Palestine Hosting Society - a cultural and social project that seeks to reclaim and revitalize Palestinian food practices and dishes. Listen in to learn about Mirna’s commitment to celebrating the Palestinian identity, culture, and heritage through food.  Links: Check out the Palestine Hosting Society founded by Mirna here and visit her website to explore her other art projects and...