Diana Buttu breaks down the escalating Israeli violence in Palestine. We've seen hundreds of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinian towns, setting homes and cars on fire. This comes on the heels of a violent invasion by the Israeli military into the Palestinian city of Jenin, which resulted in the loss of six Palestinian lives, including two children, and wounded at least 90 more. For the first time in 2 decades, Israel attacked Palestinians using a helicopter. The helicopter shot a rocket at...

Join Diana Buttu as she engages in a captivating conversation with the renowned Palestinian political cartoonist and author, Mohammad Sabaaneh. Delve into the world of Sabaaneh's mesmerizing black-and-white illustrations that powerfully depict the daily oppression endured by Palestinians under Israeli occupation. In this episode, we explore the depths of Sabaaneh's award-winning graphic novel, "Power Born of Dreams: My Story Is Palestine," which chronicles his personal journey of enduring...

In today’s episode, we hear from Palestinian American writer, podcaster, rock climber, and now filmmaker Andrew Bisharat. Bisharat stars in the new Reel Rock 17 film, “Resistance Climbing.”The new film follows the journey of a group of Palestinian and US climbers as Bishrat explores his Palestinian identity through the world of climbing. Bisharat spoke to us about co-narrating the new documentary and what led him to join the unique project. He tells us about his emotional trip returning to...

On his 86th day of hunger strike, Sheikh Khader Adnan died in Ramle Prison, where he has been held since February 5th, 2023. On that same day, Adnan declared his hunger strike in protest of his detention by the Israeli authorities. Host Diana Buttu reflects on the life of Khader Adnan, his activism, and his unwavering commitment to his family and Palestine.

This is Part 2 of our Palestinian political prisoners episodes. We speak with Dr. Malaka Shwaikh, lecturer at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Dr. Malaka has done extensive research with Palestinian political prisoners. It should be noted that Israel routinely uses mass incarceration as a form of political oppression. To put this in perspective, at least 1 in every 5 Palestinians has been arrested at some point in their lives, and nearly every Palestinian knows someone who has either...

This is Part 1 of our Palestinian political prisoners episode. We hear from former Palestinian political prisoners, Khader Adnan and Qadura Fares, as we try to understand the physical and psychological impacts of hunger strikes, as well as their use in achieving political aims and preserving basic dignity under Israeli incarceration. We will also speak with Dr. Malaka Shwaikh, lecturer at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Dr. Malaka has done extensive research with Palestinian political...

Host Diana Buttu speaks with renowned Palestinian youth activist Ahed Tamimi about her new book, They Called Me A Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom, co-written with Palestinian-American journalist, Dena Takruri. The powerful memoir shares Ahed’s courageous life story, from growing up in the Palestinian town of Nabi Saleh to being brutally imprisoned by the Israeli military at only sixteen-years-old for protecting her home and family from Israeli soldiers. Listen to this episode...

On February 26, the Palestinian town of Huwara became the site of a violent attack by Israeli settlers, with the Israeli army watching on. Huwara is located on Highway 60, the main road connecting Palestinian towns in the military-occupied West Bank, and is one of the few remaining places where Israeli settlers and Palestinians drive on the same road. Settlers have frequently targeted the town in the hopes of forcing Palestinian residents to flee and take over the area. In this episode,...

For International Women's Day, we are thrilled to highlight the voices of powerful Palestinian women who are breaking barriers and inspiring change. Join host Diana Buttu as she speaks with award-winning Palestinian American journalist Dena Takruri about her book, co-written by renowned Palestinian youth activist Ahed Tamimi, "They Called Me A Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom." In this compelling memoir, Ahed shares her courageous journey from growing up in the Palestinian town...

In this episode, host Diana Buttu discusses Israel's extremist government and its efforts to weaken its Supreme Court. We explore the impact of this move on Palestinians, and the broader political landscape in Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu is back as Israel's Prime Minister. He has formed a coalition with far-right, extremist, leaders like Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Host Diana Buttu breaks down Israel’s new right-wing, extremist government, and what this means for Palestinians.

On today’s episode, Diana Buttu speaks with Dr. Adila Laïdi-Hanieh, Director of the Palestinian Museum. Dr. Hanieh talks to us about the museum's latest exhibition “A People by the Sea." The exhibition looks at the Palestinians from the coastal region before and after the Nakba. It displays artwork and archival footage highlighting Palestinians' vibrant culture and traditions along the Mediterranean Sea. The exhibition is on display until May 2023. You can also visit the museum's digital...

On today’s episode, Diana Buttu speaks with the award-winning Jordanian-of-Palestinian-origin, film director and writer, Darin Sallam. We speak to Sallam about her film, Farha, which recently made its debut on Netflix. The powerful film tells the story of the Nakba when Israeli militias expelled over 750,000 Palestinians from their land to create Israel in 1948. Darin tells us why it is important to share this story today and how after 75 years the Nakba still impacts Palestinians all over...

Honey is one of Palestine’s first professional female soccer players and was the co-founder and captain of the Palestinian Women’s National Football Team. She speaks with us live from the World Cup. She tells us what it is like to witness Palestinian solidarity at the World Cup, how she began her soccer career, forming a national team, and her work with FIFA.

Host Diana Buttu speaks with Palestinian-Syrian chef and Bay Area activist Reem Assil. The episode delves into Reem’s new cookbook Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora, touching on how her Arab heritage influences her social justice-centered approach to food, the challenges she faced building an Arab community restaurant in the heart of Oakland, and more. Listen to learn more about the powerful work Reem Assil is doing and what exciting plans she has to come.

In today’s episode, host Diana Buttu, takes us on a deep dive into all things olives and their strong connection to Palestine. Diana speaks with olive expert, Dr. Osama Odeh, from the Palestinian village of Biddya, coincidentally meaning the ‘stone to crush olives.’ Dr.Osama is an electro-chemist but has spent his life learning about his first love- olives, olive oil, and their history in Palestine.

In this episode of Palestinians You Should Know, host Diana Buttu speaks with the Palestinian artist, Malak Matar. Malak is an artist from the Gaza Strip, Palestine. She paints expressionist faces, figures, and semi-abstract designs. During the 51-day Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2014 that forced her to stay inside her house, she felt a compelling need to release all her pent-up emotions. Malak speaks to us about what inspired her and how she hopes to inspire young Palestinian artists.

Israel is going into their fifth round of elections since 2019. Host Diana Buttu breaks down what this means for Palestinians, how racist Israeli policies impact Palestinians both in Israel and the West Bank, and if we will see the return of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Diana Buttu speaks with Fida Jiryis about her new book ‘Stranger in my Own Land'. Fida is a writer and editor from Fassouta, in the upper Galilee, but currently resides in Ramallah. Fida writes about life as a Palestinian and the complexities within identity. She takes us on her unique and often tragic family journey, as Fida and her family were one of a few Palestinian families able to return to historic Palestine following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.

In this episode, we hear from Mohamed Hamed, the executive director and founder of the Mariam Foundation based in Nazareth. The Mariam Foundation provides assistance to Palestinian cancer patients from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, treated in Israeli hospitals. The Mariam Foundation is named after Mohamed’s sister, Mariam, who passed away at nine years old from leukemia. Mohamed vowed to devote his life and time to Palestinian children treated in Israeli hospitals. We hear from Mohamed about...

In this episode, we hear from Ariel Koren, a former Google employee who resigned because of a hostile work environment due to her social activism. Ariel spoke out against Project Nimbus, Google’s $1 billion artificial intelligence and surveillance contract with the Israeli military because she knew it would undoubtedly be used to harm Palestinians.

Diana Buttu speaks with two incredible Palestinian disciplinary artists, Emily Jacir and Nicolas Jaar. Emily is an award-winning artist who works in several genres including, film, photography, sculpture, interventions, archiving, performance, video, writing, and sound. In addition to being an artist, Emily has been actively involved in education in Palestine for more than 20 years. Nicolas Jaar is Palestinian-Chilean DJ and multi-disciplinary resident artist at Dar Jacir who has been...

Host Diana Buttu speaks with award-winning director, writer, and actress, Cherien Dabis. Cherien could be the first woman of color to win an Emmy in the “Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series” for Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, episode, “The Boy From 6B”. Cherien speaks about her Palestinian identity, how it has shaped her storytelling, and her experience in the new groundbreaking Netflix series 'MO' starring alongside Palestinian-American comedian Mo Amer as his sister.

This is the first in our 'Palestinian Who's Who' series, where we highlight Palestinians doing amazing things in their respective fields. To kick us off, host Diana Buttu, speaks with Palestinian-American Nujoud Fahoum Merancy, the current NASA Chief of Exploration Mission Planning. She worked on an ambitious new mission called Artemis 1. This mission will send the first woman of color to the moon.

On the 18th of August, Israelis conducted a raid in the middle of the night into Ramallah, breaking into the offices of Addameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research & Development, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees, Union of Agricultural Work Committee, and the Union of Health Workers Committees. Israelis confiscated and destroyed equipment and files, and upon leaving welded the offices shut with a military order duct-taped to the...