Sayfollah, a 20-year-old Palestinian-American from Florida, came to Palestine to visit his family, not knowing it would be his last trip home. On July 11, 2025, he was brutally beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the town of Sinjil, near Ramallah. This attack came amid a sharp escalation of settler violence across the West Bank. In this episode, we speak with Bahaa Fuqaha, the deputy chair of Sinjil municipality, about a town now under siege, and hear the heartbreaking account from Kamel, Say...
Aug 13, 2025•24 min•Ep. 136
Following their moral compass, student activists at Columbia demanded an end to the genocide in Gaza and called for a ceasefire. The response? Intimidation, suspensions, wrongful arrests, and, in Mahmoud’s case, being illegally detained by ICE and threats of deportation. How and why did the current student movement begin? What were the consequences of speaking out on Palestine? And what does the future hold for student activism and for Mahmoud himself? In this powerful conversation, Columbia gra...
Jul 30, 2025•32 min•Ep. 135
This episode uncovers a harsh and overlooked reality: Israel’s unequal protection and systemic discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel, which was particularly evident during Israel and Iran’s 12-day war, provoked by an Israeli attack on Iran. For nearly two weeks, most Israelis benefited from widespread access to shelters and rapid emergency response systems. Palestinian citizens of Israel, however, had unequal access to safe spaces due to Israel’s deliberate failure to equip them ...
Jul 16, 2025•24 min•Ep. 134
In today’s episode, we speak with Yara Eid, a young Palestinian journalist and human rights advocate from Gaza, currently based in London. Yara has worked with international organizations, including Amnesty International, and uses her platform to shed light on life under Israeli occupation and apartheid in Gaza. Yara is known for her viral interview on Sky News, where she directly challenged the anchor’s dehumanizing portrayal of Palestinians. Her calm yet firm response highlighted the media’s d...
Jul 01, 2025•33 min•Ep. 133
In this episode, we investigate Israel’s deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza. Through firsthand testimonies and expert insight, we trace how food became tools of siege—cut off from over two million Palestinians. As hunger spreads and desperation grows, we examine how this crisis is manufactured, and who bears responsibility. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with ...
Jun 16, 2025•29 min•Ep. 132
In this episode, we commemorate Al Nakba for the 77th year. We trace the story of one Palestinian family displaced from the al-Baqa‘a neighborhood in West Jerusalem during the 1948 Nakba. From Victoria’s memories of fleeing her rose-filled home to her grandson Majdi’s search for what was lost, we explore how memory, loss, and resilience are passed down through generations. Through personal testimony and historical context, this episode reflects on what it means to reclaim narratives, and why Pal...
May 16, 2025•22 min•Ep. 131
In Palestine, journalism is not just a profession, t’s an act of survival, resistance, and memory. This episode, released for World Press Freedom Day, explores the brutal reality Palestinian journalists face under Israeli occupation: targeted killings, censorship, and the erasure of their stories. Through the haunting last words of journalist Husam Shabat and testimony from journalist Dalia Hatuqa, we confront the question: what does press freedom mean when telling the truth can get you killed? ...
May 08, 2025•18 min•Ep. 130
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Noor Abdalla, a Syrian-American dentist and the wife of Mr. Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian student activist and legal U.S. resident who has been illegally detained by ICE since March 8, 2025, for speaking out about Palestinian rights. Mr. Khalil was abducted by ICE while coming home from a Ramadan iftar with Dr. Abdalla, who was 8 months pregnant at the time. Mr. Khalil’s chilling abduction has sent shockwaves through student and activist communities ar...
Apr 30, 2025•24 min•Ep. 129
On March 23, a convoy of Palestinian paramedics rushed to the site of an Israeli airstrike in Rafah. They were on a mission to save lives—but they never returned. In this episode, we uncover the harrowing story of the Rafah paramedic massacre, where Israeli forces ambushed, executed, and buried 15 emergency responders in a mass grave alongside their ambulance. Through the haunting final video filmed by paramedic Refaat Radwan and the testimony of the sole survivor, Munther Abed, we dig into what...
Apr 15, 2025•21 min•Ep. 128
Israel’s brutal system controls Palestinians not only in life but also in death. In this episode, we examine the Israeli government’s policy of withholding hundreds of Palestinian bodies, denying their families the right to a proper burial. Lawyer Isam Aruri sheds light on this long-standing practice, while Sanaa Daqqa shares her personal struggle to reclaim the body of her husband, Walid Daqqa, who remains withheld by Israel, turning mourning and grief into another battlefield. Thank you for tu...
Mar 25, 2025•18 min•Ep. 127
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a renowned and beloved Palestinian pediatrician and director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, has been illegally held captive and tortured by the Israeli army for more than 59 days. On December 27, 2024, the Israeli army kidnapped Dr. Abu Safyia while burning and besieging the Kamal Adwan Hospital. In this episode, we hear testimonies from the family of Dr. Abu Safiya, including his wife Ms. Albina Abu Safiya, and their son Elias Abu Safiya, who speak about the horrify...
Mar 12, 2025•21 min•Ep. 126
As Israel pushes to dismantle UNRWA, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees face an uncertain future. In this episode, we visit Al Jalazon refugee camp to hear from Mahfouz Safi, whose family was forcibly expelled from Beit Nabala in 1948 by Zionist militias. Through his story—and the voices of his sister, Jihad, we uncover the far-reaching impact of Israel’s crackdown on the agency that has provided education, healthcare, and aid to millions for over seven decades. As we explore the hist...
Feb 10, 2025•20 min•Ep. 125
As the ceasefire in Gaza goes into effect, the Israeli army has launched widespread attacks against the West Bank. In this episode of “This is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks with IMEU’s Sarah Abu Alrob about the ceasefire agreement breaking down what is means for Palestinians. The episode also delves into the Trump’s administration's actions giving Israel the green light to fully illegally annex the West Bank. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! Fo...
Jan 23, 2025•16 min•Ep. 124
As we approach 2025, Israel continues to bomb, attack, and occupy the birthplace of Christmas. This year, church officials have shared that Christmas services across Palestine will be somber and highlight the call to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Experts are even warning that Israel’s genocide against Palestinians could lead to the elimination of the Palestinian Christians in the Gaza Strip. Before the genocide, there were between 1,000 - 1,700 Palestinian Christians in Gaza. Following Israel’s...
Dec 20, 2024•24 min•Ep. 123
In this episode, we speak to Dr. Nimer Sultany, a law professor at SOAS. We discuss the ICC and the ICJ; what impact these cases will have and whether we should be optimistic about these legal developments. Dr. Sultany speaks with host Diana Buttu about the unprecedented number of legal actions taken before international courts, namely the International Court of Justice (also known as the World Court or the ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (known as the ICC). Dr. Sultany also expands on...
Dec 13, 2024•17 min•Ep. 122
In this episode of “This is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks with Dalia Alahmad at IMEU’s Palestine office about the incoming U.S. Trump administration and its impact on Palestinians. Ms. Buttu speaks with Ms. Alahmad about the concerns Palestinians have for the impending administration while also addressing the Biden administration’s ongoing funding of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and human rights abuses against the Palestinian people. The episode dives into the topline concerns, includ...
Nov 29, 2024•32 min•Ep. 121
In this two-episode special, host Diana Buttu speaks with award-winning Palestinian-American writers Fady Joudah and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, who are both finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards. Dr. Joudah and Ms. Tuffaha comprise two of the only five shortlisted writers for the 2024 National Book Award in Poetry, making this a foundational cultural honor for the Palestinian literary community and beyond. As Palestinians continue to endure Israel’s genocide and defy cultural erasure, Joudah and...
Nov 18, 2024•27 min•Ep. 120
In this two-episode special, host Diana Buttu speaks with award-winning Palestinian-American writers Fady Joudah and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, who are both finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards. Dr. Joudah and Ms. Tuffaha comprise two of the only five shortlisted writers for the 2024 National Book Award in Poetry, making this a foundational cultural honor for the Palestinian literary community and beyond. As Palestinians continue to endure Israel’s genocide and defy cultural erasure, Joudah and...
Nov 18, 2024•26 min•Ep. 119
Amidst Israel’s catastrophic genocide unfolding in Gaza, its military is escalating a relentless campaign of aggression across the Palestinian West Bank, marked by a daily barrage of military operations. Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 760 Palestinians, including 165 children, and injured 6,300 others in both the West Bank and Jerusalem. Israel has also held thousands more Palestinians captive, underscoring an intense and sustained pattern of severe human rights violations. In thi...
Oct 30, 2024•24 min•Ep. 118
Since 1948, Israel has imposed policies and measures to control and hamper the Palestinian economy. In this episode of “This is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks to Ali Hamdallah, a prominent Palestinian economist and analyst. Buttu and Hamdallah discuss the various ways Israel intentionally targets and controls the Palestinian economy to obstruct Palestinian sovereignty. In the episode, we hear how Israel’s theft of Palestinian land and natural resources is directly related to blocking the Pa...
Sep 28, 2024•17 min•Ep. 117
Can you imagine being used as a human shield? In this episode of “This is Palestine,” we hear the horrifying testimony of “Walid,” a Palestinian doctor in Gaza who was kidnapped by the Israeli military and used as a human shield.Host Diana Buttu breaks down Israel’s long-held policy of using Palestinians as human shields as she shares the terrifying testimony of Walid. You will hear Walid explain the frightening experience of being a doctor in Al-Shifa hospital and being taken by Israeli soldier...
Sep 10, 2024•23 min•Ep. 116
In this episode of This is Palestine, host Diana Buttu takes us to the heart of Gaza, where education—once the cornerstone of Palestinian resilience—is under siege. Meet Salma, a 12-year-old student who dreams of becoming a journalist, and Fatima, a university student who refuses to give up on her education despite Israel’s relentless bombings, displacement, and the destruction of her university. Their stories of perseverance shine against the backdrop of Israel's deliberate targeting of schools...
Aug 28, 2024•17 min•Ep. 115
In this episode of “This Is Palestine” host Diana Buttu speaks with award-winning Palestinian-American law professor George Bisharat about utilizing international justice mechanisms to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes. For over 10 months, Palestinians have been forced to endure Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and attacks on the Palestinian people. As Israel continues to commit war crimes with impunity, the world has witnessed case after case brought before international courts in the...
Aug 22, 2024•16 min•Ep. 114
In this episode, host Diana Buttu shares the horrifying details about one of Israel's secret torture camps or Israeli prisons, Sde Teiman, through the words of a Palestinian journalist from Gaza, Muhammad Arab. Muhammad's story is conveyed to Buttu through his lawyer, Khaled Mahajneh. Mahajneh is a Palestinian lawyer who has spent most of his legal career representing Palestinians who have been tried before Israeli military courts. Most famously, he is the lawyer who represented the 6 Palestinia...
Jul 24, 2024•16 min•Ep. 113
In this episode of “This is Palestine”, we hear the heartwrenching story of baby Aylul, a baby born during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Aylul’s story is one of tens of thousands of children born to Palestinian mothers who are being forced to experience pregnancy and childbirth as they try to survive Israel’s genocide. It is estimated that there are 50,000 Palestinian women currently pregnant in Gaza and approximately 180 births a day. Aylul was born in the early morning hours of June 8. That same ...
Jun 27, 2024•15 min•Ep. 112
In this episode of “This Is Palestine,” host Diana Buttu speaks to Josh Ruebner, the director of IMEU’s new 501C-4 organization, the IMEU Policy Project, about recent developments in the US Congress and Palestinian human rights. The episode unpacks the alarming rise in anti-Palestinian legislation and actions in Congress aiming to suppress Palestinian rights work amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Just days after the ICC issued a statement it is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister ...
Jun 11, 2024•32 min•Ep. 111
Over the past eight months, Israel has kidnapped or unlawfully “arrested” hundreds of Palestinians. In Gaza, there are disturbing reports of Israeli soldiers kidnapping Palestinians from their homes being shackled, stripped, and forced to endure degrading and inhumane treatment. Currently, there are over 3,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel without charge or even a trial. Additionally, there are thousands of Palestinian political prisoners who are imprisoned by Israel with no end in sight. Ri...
May 29, 2024•21 min•Ep. 110
In this episode of “This is Palestine,” we speak with Palestinian American Columbia student Maryam Alwan about the rise in student-led protests across college campuses speaking out against Israel’s genocide. She talks to us about the unified student demand calling on their universities to divest funds tied with Israel’s genocide and war crimes. We discuss the alarming attacks that students are facing at the hands of professors and others who support Israel’s genocide. Universities have even gone...
May 13, 2024•24 min•Ep. 109
Over the past six months, Israel has internationally destroyed Gaza’s healthcare system as part of its genocidal campaign. By November 2023, Israel had repeatedly bombed more than 36 hospitals in Gaza. As of publishing, the Israeli military has besieged and attacked Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza for over 11 days. Horrifying reports continue to emerge of Israeli soldiers killing Palestinians sheltering inside and abducting medical workers. Additionally, Israel has blocked the entry of food, ...
Mar 30, 2024•27 min•Ep. 108
In this episode, host Diana Buttu speaks with Palestinian human rights lawyer Ahmed Abofoul about South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging Israel with the crime of genocide in Gaza. Mr. Abofoul is a Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer with Al-Haq, one of the oldest Palestinian human rights organizations. On January 26th, the ICJ ruled that Israel is plausibly committing the crime of genocide in Gaza and must take all measures to prevent acts of genocide. Since ...
Mar 20, 2024•19 min•Ep. 107
