“In July 2025, two Israeli soldiers were dancing at a music festival in Belgium. Hours later, they were in handcuffs—being questioned by federal police on war crimes charges. For the first time in 77 years, a European country arrested Israeli soldiers for crimes committed against Palestinians.”

In Episode 64 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Hanan and Shamim are joined by Dyab Abou Jahjah, the Lebanese-Belgian activist, writer, and political organiser who is co-founder of the Hind Rajab Foundation—an organisation that is fundamentally reshaping how war crimes against Palestinians are pursued under international law.

For more than three decades, Dyab has fought for Palestinian rights—from grassroots organising in Antwerp to legal advocacy at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Through strategic legal filings, jurisdictional challenges, and relentless pressure on European institutions, the Hind Rajab Foundation has launched what many consider the most serious legal challenge to Israeli impunity in generations.

This conversation is about more than one arrest—it’s about the collapse of impunity, the power of legal resistance, and why accountability is no longer theoretical.

Dyab Abou Jahjah Works: 

Hind Rajab Foundation → https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/donate 

March 30 Movement → https://30-3.org/ 

Hind Rajab Foundation Social Media:

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/HindRajabFoundation/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/hindrajabfoundation/

X/ Twitter → https://x.com/HindRFoundation 

Dyab Abou Jahjah Social Media:

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/aboujahjah/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aboujahjah/ 

X/ Twitter → https://x.com/Aboujahjah 

Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@AbouJahjahD 

The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #DyabAbouJahjah #HindRajabFoundation #WarCrimes #AccountabilityNow #EndIsraeliImpunity #JusticeForPalestine #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #InternationalLaw #ICJ #ICC #HumanRights #ArrestWarCriminals #Palestine

“For six years, he documented Israeli war crimes when most institutions refused to look. Then, in the middle of a genocide the world claimed was ‘too complicated,’ he helped organise something many said was impossible—a sold-out Wembley Arena concert, 12,500 people strong, raising £1.5 million for Palestine.”In Episode 63 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Hanan and Shamim are joined by Frank Barat — documentary filmmaker, activist, organiser, and one of the most important behind-the-scenes figures in the global Palestine solidarity movement.Frank spent six years documenting Israeli war crimes through the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, helping to build one of the most comprehensive people’s archives of international law violations. He has edited landmark books with Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, and many others, preserving testimony and analysis that mainstream institutions worked hard to suppress.Just three months ago, Frank helped pull off what many believed could never happen: a sold-out Wembley Arena benefit concert for Palestine, featuring major artists and raising £1.5 million for Palestinian relief—proving that culture, when mobilised with integrity, remains one of the most powerful tools of resistance.Frank is also Executive Producer on Annemarie Jacir’s acclaimed new film Palestine 36, which recently premiered to standing ovations and is a must-see on the big screen.This episode is about movement-building, cultural resistance, and what it really means to stand with Palestine when it matters most.Frank Barat’s Works:On Palestine → https://bit.ly/3MwCT0Y Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement → https://bit.ly/3KTYm3p Other Mentioned Books and Films:Understanding Power: The Indispensible Chomsky → https://bit.ly/3KsfZHzPalestine 36 → https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/palestine-36The Voice of Hind Rajab → https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36943034/All That’s Left of You → https://www.watermelonpictures.com/films/all-thats-left-of-you The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #FrankBarat #Palestine36 #RussellTribunal #CulturalResistance #ArtistsForPalestine #GazaGenocide #FreePalestine #EndTheOccupation #SolidarityInAction #StopTheGenocide #IsraelPalestine #AntiColonialism #TruthToPower #BDS

“In October 2023, while the world watched Gaza burn from their screens, one man walked into the inferno. A plastic surgeon who could have been earning millions on Harley Street instead chose to operate—43 days straight—under relentless bombardment. Sometimes without anesthesia. Sometimes sleeping on operating tables, wiped down with disinfectant. Today, that surgeon, now Rector of the University of Glasgow, joins us.”

His eyewitness testimony helped bring Gaza’s genocide case to the International Court of Justice. Germany banned him. France banned him. Pro-Israel groups attempted to end his medical career. His only ‘crime’: speaking out and bearing witness to the genocide in Gaza.

In Episode 62 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Hanan and Shamim are honored to be joined by Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah, the British-Palestinian plastic and reconstructive surgeon and one of the world’s leading experts in conflict medicine. Dr. Abu Sitta has worked in 12 war zones and, over the past two years, has become perhaps the most indispensable medical witness to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.

This episode is a devastating, urgent, and necessary conversation about truth-telling under fire and the courage it takes to document a genocide in real time.

Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah's Work:

The Ghassan Abu-Sittah Children’s Fund → https://gascf.org/ 

American University of Beirut Global Health Institute → https://ghi.aub.edu.lb/

The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #GhassanAbuSittah #DrAbuSittah #GazaGenocide #Gaza #Palestine #ConflictMedicine #MedicalWitness #EndTheOccupation #FreePalestine #StopTheGenocide #GazaUnderAttack #HealthcareUnderSiege #ProtectMedicalWorkers #TruthToPower #ICJGenocideCase #IsraelPalestine

Over 110 family members. That’s how many Dr. Ramzy Baroud has lost in Gaza’s genocide. And he stopped counting a year ago. Among them: his sister, Dr. Soma — the 166th doctor murdered by Israeli forces. And his 11-year-old cousin Lema, an aspiring journalist who hoped to be the voice of her generation, killed alongside her parents and four siblings when Israeli warplanes flattened their shelter. Lema had been documenting the genocide on her phone.

In Episode 61 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Hanan and Shamim are joined by Dr. Ramzy Baroud, the Palestinian author, historian, journalist, and lifelong refugee from the Nuseirat camp whose work has become indispensable during the genocide in Gaza. For 25 years, Dr. Baroud has chronicled Palestinian life and resistance with unmatched clarity and courage through the Palestine Chronicle, one of the only remaining independent outlets publishing Palestinian voices from Gaza in real time.

Dr. Baroud is the author of several seminal books on Palestinian identity and struggle—works that have shaped global understanding of the Palestinian experience. He testified before the Gaza Tribunal that found Israel guilty of genocide, and his journalism has become essential reading as Western media continues to obscure, distort, and sanitize Israeli atrocities.

This is a conversation about grief, courage, and the refusal to let a people’s story be erased.

Dr. Ramzy Baroud’s Work:

The Palestine Chronicle (Independent news outlet)  → www.palestinechronicle.com

My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story  → https://bit.ly/44yXXdc

The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story → https://bit.ly/4rfEjwG

Books Mentioned:

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid → https://bit.ly/484kYXR 

A People's History of the United States → https://bit.ly/4ojQhmo 

The Enlightenment Podcast Feed:

feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #RamzyBaroud #PalestineChronicle #GazaGenocide #PalestinianJournalism #PalestineHistory #EndTheOccupation #FreePalestine #StopTheGenocide #GazaUnderAttack #DecolonizePalestine #IsraelPalestine #JournalistsUnderFire #ProtectPalestinianVoices #TruthToPower

For over a century, we’ve all been told that Britain lawfully governed Palestine — that the League of Nations mandated Britain to create a Jewish homeland, and that the international community supported these actions. Professor John Quigley has spent 40 years in legal archives uncovering the truth, and his assertion is that every single one of these claims is a lie.

In Episode 57 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Hanan and Shamim are joined by Professor John Quigley, one of the world’s foremost authorities on international law and the legal history of Palestine. For four decades, Professor Quigley has meticulously examined the British Mandate, the Balfour Declaration, and the legal maneuvers that shaped — and distorted — the fate of Palestine. His conclusion is seismic: Britain’s entire presence in Palestine from 1917 to 1948 was unlawful, and the foundational myths that have justified displacement, partition, and ongoing atrocities are built on legal fraud.

Professor Quigley is Professor Emeritus of International Law at The Ohio State University, and the author of numerous landmark books. His newest work, Britain and Its Mandate Over Palestine: Legal Chicanery on a World Stage, exposes the manipulation, forged legitimacy, and political engineering that set the stage for over a century of Palestinian dispossession.

This conversation is essential for anyone who wants to understand not just history — but the legal foundations of the violence unfolding today.

Professor John Quigley’s Work:Britain and Its Mandate Over 📚 Palestine: Legal Chicanery on a World Stage https://bit.ly/446WY3S

📚 The Legality of a Jewish State: A Century of Debate over Rights in Palestine https://bit.ly/484QWSG 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #JohnQuigley #MandateForPalestine #BritishMandate #PalestineHistory #InternationalLaw #LegalChicanery #EndTheOccupation #FreePalestine #AccountabilityForBritain #DecolonizePalestine #IsraelPalestine #GazaGenocide #HistoricalTruth #BritainOwesPalestine

"She’s a Palestinian-American filmmaker who’s breaking boundaries in Hollywood, amplifying Arab and queer voices, and using cinema as a form of resistance.”

In Episode 59 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan sit down with Rolla Selbak, the award-winning Palestinian-American filmmaker, activist, and podcaster whose work challenges stereotypes and reclaims the narrative for marginalized communities through the power of storytelling.

Rolla first made waves with her debut feature film Three Veils, the first Arab-American lesbian feature film, which she wrote, directed, and produced. The film broke new ground for Middle Eastern representation and earned international acclaim for its courage and honesty. She’s also the creator of the Safina Filmmaker Project, an initiative that supports and uplifts independent Arab and Palestinian filmmakers around the world, and the host of the Safina Filmmaker Lounge Podcast — available on Apple Podcasts — where she features conversations with filmmakers redefining Arab cinema.

Beyond her creative work, Rolla is a passionate advocate for inclusive filmmaking, authentic representation, and creative freedom in spaces that have long silenced Palestinian and Arab voices.

This episode celebrates not just cinema — but the courage to tell your story when the world tries to erase it.

🎥 Rolla Selbak’s Work:

Three Veils → https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470173/

CHOKE (Short film) → https://vimeo.com/rollaselbak/choke

Finjan (Short film) → https://vimeo.com/rollaselbak/finjan 

Safina Filmmaker Project → https://www.safinafilmmakerproject.com/about 

Safina Filmmaker Lounge Podcast → https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/safina-filmmaker-lounge/id1785331690 

🌍 Rolla Selbak’s Social Media:

Rolla Selbak Official → Website https://www.rollaselbak.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rollaselbak/

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #RollaSelbak #ThreeVeils #SafinaFilmmakerProject #SafinaFilmmakerLounge #PalestinianFilmmaker #ArabCinema #QueerCinema #WomenInFilm #PalestinianStorytelling #FreePalestine #ArtAsResistance #FilmmakersForPalestine #DecolonizeTheScreen #ArabRepresentation #PalestineWillBeFree

 “He’s treated the wounded under fire, been shot by an Israeli sniper, and spent over five decades fighting for Palestinian liberation through medicine, unity, and nonviolent resistance.”

In Episode 58 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Dr. Mustafa Barghouti — a Palestinian physician, political leader, and General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara) — whose lifelong mission bridges the frontlines of healthcare and the frontlines of freedom.

For more than 50 years, Dr. Barghouti has embodied the spirit of steadfastness (sumoud) — healing the injured, documenting Israeli war crimes, and building Palestinian democracy from within. From his political awakening during the 1967 war, to being shot by an Israeli sniper while treating the wounded, to his ongoing efforts to unify Palestinian leadership across divisions, Dr. Barghouti’s journey stands as a testament to moral courage and national resilience.

This episode is not just about politics — it’s about humanity, healing, and the unstoppable will of a people fighting for life against all odds.

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti’s Work:

🩺 Palestinian Medical Relief Society → https://www.pmrs.ps 

Infrastructure and Health Services in the West Bank (Red Book) → https://bit.ly/43GlUPs

The Ploy of the Century : Dimensions and Confrontational Strategies → https://bit.ly/3LnfkqO 

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti’s Social Media:

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/mbarghouti1/

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/mustafa_barghouti/

X (Twitter) → https://x.com/MustafaBarghou1?

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #MustafaBarghouti #AlMubadara #PalestinianResistance #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #MedicalResistance #NonviolentResistance #PalestinianUnity #PalestineWillBeFree #EndTheOccupation #DecolonizePalestine #PalestinianLiberation #Sumoud #JusticeForPalestine #HealthcareUnderOccupation

In Episode 57 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined once again by Dr. Victor Kattan, the distinguished British-Palestinian legal scholar and historian whose groundbreaking legal campaign may redefine the world’s understanding of colonial responsibility.

In September 2025, Dr. Kattan and a team of leading barristers and scholars filed a 400-page petition to the British government, demanding accountability for Britain’s unlawful occupation of Palestine. This historic initiative — titled Britain Owes Palestine — was the brainchild of Munib Al Masri, the renowned Palestinian industrialist, philanthropist, and lifelong advocate for justice, whose vision has united some of the world’s top legal experts to challenge a century of British colonial impunity.

Supported by top legal minds including Ben Emmerson KC, Danny Friedman KC, and scholars such as John Quigley and Avi Shlaim, this historic petition is the first of its kind to hold a former colonial power legally accountable under international law.

In this powerful conversation, Victor traces how Britain’s actions from the Balfour Declaration (1917) to the Nakba (1948) directly enabled Israeli settler-colonialism and today’s atrocities in Gaza. He discusses the legal and moral implications of empire, deconstructs British archival records, and reflects on how the struggle for justice in Palestine is also a struggle against historical amnesia.

Dr. Kattan previously joined the podcast in November 2024 to discuss Palestinian history and international law — but this time, he returns with what could become one of the most consequential legal movements in modern history.

Dr. Victor Kattan’s Work:

Britain Owes Palestine Petition  → https://www.britainowespalestine.org/ 

ABC Article: The hidden history of British war crimes in Palestine — and the campaign for an apology → https://bit.ly/british-war-crimes-in-palestine 

From Coexistence to Conquest: International Law and the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1891-1949 - https://bit.ly/from-coexistence-to-conquest Making Endless War: The Vietnam and Arab-Israeli Conflicts in the History of International Law (Law, Meaning, And Violence) → https://bit.ly/making-endless-war

Previous Episode with Dr. Victor Kattan (Ep. 9 ) → youtube.com/watch?v=HuhQH7L9JsI

Britain Owes Palestine: A Petition for Justice → https://bit.ly/4oPhcar 

Dr. Victor Kattan’s Social Media:

Facebook  →  facebook.com/KattaninSingapore/ 

Instagram  → instagram.com/vmkattan/ 

X  (Twitter) →  x.com/VictorKattan? 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #VictorKattan #BritainOwesPalestine #ColonialAccountability #InternationalLaw #PalestinianLiberation #FreePalestine #EndTheOccupation #BalfourDeclaration #DecolonizeHistory #GazaGenocide #JusticeForPalestine #PalestinianHistory #EmpireAndResistance #LegalAccountability

“He’s been called one of the most important Palestinian historians of his generation — a scholar who not only documents resistance but defends the very right of Palestinians to produce knowledge under siege.”

In Episode 56 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti, the leading Palestinian Oxford-trained historian who developed the contemporary definition of scholasticide, a concept that was coined by the renowned Palestinian scholar and Prof Takriti’s old mentor at Oxford Karma Nabulsi. He has also played a key role in disseminating frameworks and campaigns related to this concept, in an effort to organize the global academic community against the Gaza genocide. Together, they explore how the erasure of Palestinian history is central to the colonial project and how reclaiming that history is an act of resistance.

Dr. Takriti is an Associate Professor of History and the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair of Arab Studies at Rice University. He is also one of the principal co-founders of Scholars Against the War on Palestine, and the co-creator (with Karma Nabulsi) of the Palestinian Revolution Digital Archive, which won the 2019 MESA Education Award for its groundbreaking preservation of revolutionary memory. Dr. Takriti is the North American representative on the Emergency Committee of Universities  in Gaza, a body that was created after the genocide, uniting all the major non-profit higher education institutions in the occupied territory. He is also a co-founder of the ISNAD program that supports these higher education institutions.

In this episode, Dr. Takriti traces the continuum of Palestinian resistance from 1908 to today’s genocide in Gaza, revealing how every generation of Palestinians has fought not only for land, but for the right to think, write, and teach freely.

This conversation is both intellectual and revolutionary — an exploration of how knowledge itself becomes a battleground in the struggle for liberation.

Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti’s Work:

 📚 Tradition of War → https://www.amazon.com/Traditions-War-Occupation-Resistance-Law/dp/0199279470 

🎙Thawra Podcast → https://open.spotify.com/show/0e0eE7aKt5EQdg07CzeVoI 

Dr. Abdel Razzaq Takriti’s Websites:

 📚 The Palestinian Revolution Digital Archive → https://learnpalestine.politics.ox.ac.uk 🎓 Scholars Against the War on Palestine → https://sawpal.org

The Enlightenment Podcast: The Enlightenment Podcast Feed

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #AbdelRazzaqTakriti #PalestinianHistory #Scholasticide #DecolonizeKnowledge #PalestinianLiberation #EndTheOccupation #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #IsraelPalestineWar #PalestinianResistance #AcademicFreedom #PalestineArchives #VoicesForPalestine #HistoryAsResistance

“She’s been called a pioneer of Palestinian cinema — the filmmaker who broke barriers, rewrote history, and built a cinematic revolution for her people.”

In Episode 55 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Annemarie Jacir, the award-winning Palestinian filmmaker and writer whose body of work has not only made history but also given Palestine a lasting voice on the global stage. Together, we explore Annemarie’s artistic journey, the challenges of making films under occupation, and the transformative role of cinema in Palestinian resistance.

Annemarie Jacir has written, directed, and produced over 16 films, with her work premiering at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Rotterdam, Toronto, and more. All of Annemarie’s feature films have been selected as Palestine’s official Oscar entry — a historic achievement in itself. Annemarie’s groundbreaking short film Like Twenty Impossibles became the first Arab short film ever selected for Cannes, cementing her place in film history.

Annemarie’s latest feature, Palestine 36, was created in the midst of the Gaza genocide, literally while missiles flew overhead. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, earning the longest standing ovation in TIFF history, according to festival director Cameron Bailey. Palestine 39 will also premiere this October at the BFI London Film Festival, and will be in cinemas across UK and Ireland starting Oct. 31.

Annemarie has served on the juries of Cannes, Sundance, and Berlin, and is a member of both BAFTA and AMPAS. Annemarie continues to inspire a new generation of Palestinian filmmakers, proving that art itself can be an act of defiance and liberation.

This episode is not just about filmmaking — it is about cultural survival, creative resistance, and why stories are among Palestine’s most powerful weapons.

Annemarie Jacir’s Work:

🎬 Like Twenty Impossibles  → https://www.netflix.com/ae-en/title/81474205

🎬 Salt of This Sea → https://www.netflix.com/ae-en/title/70117041

🎬 When I Saw You → https://vimeo.com/ondemand/19606

🎬 Wajib → https://www.netflix.com/watch/80211283

🎬 Palestine 36 → Festival screenings (TIFF, BFI London 2025, Rome 2025, Chicago International, AFI, Tokyo, Sau Paulo) – distribution TBA. UK Distribution Curzon, France Haut et Court , USA Watermelon Pictures, Germany Alamode Films, Turkey TRT) 

Annemarie Jacir’s Social Media:

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/annamariajacir/?hl=en 

X (Twitter) → https://x.com/annemariejacir?lang=en 

Palestine 36 Film → https://www.instagram.com/palestine36film/?hl=en

The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast 

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #AnnemarieJacir #PalestinianCinema #PalestinianFilmmakers #PalestinianCulture #PalestinianLiberation #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #EndTheOccupation #CinemaAsResistance #ResistanceThroughArt #Palestine36 #GazaUnderAttack #StorytellingAsResistance #VoicesForPalestine

“I've never had an M16 pointed at me before. After just one hour in Bil'in! The Palestinians I met weren't terrorists but human beings — kind, resilient, and oppressed — fighting for the most basic right of all: freedom. What shocked me most was the deep-rooted racism among the majority of Israelis — a society taught to dehumanize Palestinians.” – Robert Martin, Bil'in, West Bank (2014)

In Episode 54 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Robert Martin, the Australian filmmaker and activist who went from being anti-Palestinian to risking detention and psychological torture for breaking the Gaza blockade. Together, we explore Robert’s extraordinary transformation, his frontline experiences in Palestine, and his unflinching commitment to justice.

Robert was detained and tortured by Israeli forces in July 2024 during the Handler Humanitarian Mission. Once a real estate professional with little awareness of Palestine, his first visit to Bil’in changed everything. Since then, Robert has become a leading voice exposing Israel’s occupation and brutality, reaching millions worldwide through his films and activism—despite facing ongoing threats for speaking truth to power.

This episode is not just about Robert’s story—it is about awakening, the price of resistance, and why solidarity with Palestine is a moral imperative for us all.

Robert Martin’s Social Media:

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/robert_martin_palestine_/?hl=en

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/robert.martin.767615/ 

X (Twitter) → https://x.com/Robert_Martin72? 

Books mentioned:

The 51 Day War by Max Blumenthal → https://www.amazon.com/51-Day-War-Ruin-Resistance/dp/156858511X 

The Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast 

 #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #RobertMartin #FreePalestine #EndTheOccupation #PalestinianLiberation #GazaSiege #HandlerMission #TruthToPower #ExposeApartheid #JusticeForPalestine

“He’s been called ‘one of the most self-hating Jews on earth,’ faced death threats from fellow Jews, and in November 2023, Senator Chris Coons had him removed from an Amtrak train by police after he confronted him about opposing a Gaza ceasefire...”

In Episode 53 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Aaron Maté, the award-winning Jewish-Canadian journalist who has become one of the most fearless voices exposing Israeli genocide and apartheid. Together, we discuss Aaron’s journey into journalism, his relentless work debunking Israeli propaganda, and the moral imperative of standing for Palestinian liberation.

Aaron is a journalist at The Grayzone, host of Pushback, and co-host of Useful Idiots. The son of Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Maté, Aaron has risked both his career and his safety to speak out on Palestine. He has called Israel’s onslaught in Gaza—where one out of every 50 people has been killed—“one of the worst crimes in human history.”

This episode is not just about journalism—it is about truth-telling in the face of empire, the personal costs of resistance, and why silence in the face of genocide is never an option.

Aaron Maté’s Work:

📰 The Grayzone → https://www.youtube.com/@thegrayzone7996

🎙️ Pushback Podcast → https://open.spotify.com/show/5H4mm4a8gXLVbBGDoiYcsN?si=b67e1e32e16041d9

🎙️ Useful Idiots → https://www.youtube.com/@usefulidiots

Their Blood, Our Bullets: The Hidden Story of US-Russia War for Ukraine Useful Idiots → https://www.amazon.co.uk/Their-Blood-Our-Bullets-US-Russia/dp/1682193659 

Social Media

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/aaronjmate/?hl=en 

X (Twitter) → https://x.com/aaronjmate/ 

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/aaronjmate/

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #AaronMate #TheGrayzone #PushbackPodcast #UsefulIdiots #ExposePropaganda #JournalismAndJustice #EndTheOccupation #PalestinianLiberation #FreePalestine #TruthToPower

In Episode 52 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Huwaida Arraf, the Palestinian-American human rights attorney, activist, and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Huwaida has dedicated her life to building international solidarity networks that confront Israeli apartheid and injustice.Huwaida co-founded ISM, which brought over 10,000 international witnesses to Palestine, challenging Israel’s impunity on the ground. She is also a survivor of the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla, when Israeli commandos violently attacked humanitarian ships attempting to break the blockade on Gaza. Beyond her activism, Huwaida ran for U.S. Congress in Michigan, continuing her fight for justice within the political arena.In this episode, Huwaida reflects on the role of international solidarity in dismantling structures of oppression, the costs of resistance, and the urgent need for global action. Her life’s work is a defiant reminder that standing with Palestine means standing against apartheid everywhere—and that silence, in the face of injustice, is complicity.Follow Huwaida Arraf’s work: 🌍 International Solidarity Movement → https://palsolidarity.org/ 🌍 Freedom Flotilla Coalition → https://freedomflotilla.org/ Huwaida Arraf’s Social Media:Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/huwaidaarraf/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/huwaida.arraf/X → https://x.com/huwaidaarraf/ Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast #TheEnlightenmentPodcast #HuwaidaArraf #InternationalSolidarity #ISM #FreedomFlotilla #JusticeForPalestine #EndTheBlockade #DismantleApartheid #FreePalestine #HumanRights #ResistanceVoices #RachelCorrie #ThomasHurndall #RememberRachelCorrie #JamesMiller #BrianAvery #AysenurEygi #MarkPerlmutter

In Episode 51 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Vivien Sansour, the Palestinian artist, conservationist, and visionary founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library. Through her groundbreaking work, Vivien is preserving endangered Palestinian seed varieties and ensuring that stories of land, food, and heritage remain alive—one harvest at a time.

Vivien established the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library in Battir in 2014, creating a living repository of seeds at risk of extinction. Beyond conservation, she founded the Traveling Kitchen to reconnect farms and kitchens, bringing food, culture, and community together. Her work has been featured at the V&A in London and the Venice Biennale, and she has held fellowships at Harvard and Bard.

In this episode, Vivien reflects on the intimate relationship between seeds, memory, and resistance, and how the preservation of agriculture is not only cultural heritage but an act of defiance against erasure. By saving Palestinian seeds, she is reclaiming identity, defending land, and refusing the systematic attempts to uproot a people’s existence.

Palestine Heirloom Seed Library:

Website → palestineheirloomseedlibrary.com/ 

The Seed Protector’s Project → palestineheirloomseedlibrary.com/projects/the-seed-protectors 

Vivien Sansour nad PHSL Social Media:

🌱 Palestine Heirloom Seed Library → instagram.com/paliheirloomseedlibrary

🌱 Vivien Sansour Instagram → instagram.com/viviensansour 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast 

#Palestine #VivienSansour #SeedLibrary #FoodSovereignty #CulturalResistance #PalestinianHeritage #LandAndLiberation #SaveTheSeeds #EnlightenmentPodcast #FreePalestine

In Episode 50 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Bob Suberi, a Yemeni-American Jew, Vietnam veteran, and activist who was recently arrested by Israeli forces while attempting to break the Gaza blockade aboard the Freedom Flotilla. Bob joins us to share his remarkable journey, his fight for justice in Palestine, and his work dismantling Zionist propaganda.

Bob is a 77-year-old former St. Louis restaurant owner who spent nearly six decades as a committed Zionist—until a profound awakening during his 2019 visit to the West Bank changed the course of his life. Since then, he has become an outspoken advocate for Palestinian liberation, leading Veterans for Peace St. Louis and regularly joining protective presence missions in Masafer Yatta, where Palestinian communities face relentless harassment and displacement under Israeli occupation.

In this uncompromising conversation, Bob lays bare his transformation from decades of Zionist belief to becoming a frontline witness to Israeli crimes. He challenges the myths that sustained his former worldview, exposes the brutality of the blockade and occupation, and makes a fierce call for solidarity with Palestinians. This episode is not just a story of awakening—it’s a defiant challenge to propaganda and silence.

Bob’s Work and Affiliations:

🌍 Freedom Flotilla Coalition → https://freedomflotilla.org/

Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Social Media:

Facebook  →  facebook.com/FreedomFlotillaCoalition/ 

Instagram → instagram.com/gazafreedomflotilla/ 

X (Twitter) → https://x.com/gazafflotilla 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast 

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #BobSuberi #FreedomFlotilla #VeteransForPeace #EndTheBlockade #MasaferYatta #JusticeForPalestine #DismantleZionism #FreePalestine #Solidarity

In Episode 49 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Omar El-Akkad, the award-winning Egyptian-Canadian journalist and novelist whose viral tweet about Gaza later became the title of his explosive nonfiction debut—now a New York Times bestselling book.

Omar is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade covering conflicts from Afghanistan to Guantánamo Bay for The Globe and Mail. He is the acclaimed author of the novel American War, praised by the BBC, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning novel What Strange Paradise. His latest work, the explosive nonfiction debut One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, is a searing indictment of Western complicity in the genocide of Palestinians and has been shortlisted for the 2025 Palestine Book Award.

In this powerful episode, Omar discusses the urgent need to dismantle Zionist propaganda, the role of literature in the fight for liberation, and the personal costs of speaking truth to power. His courage, moral clarity, and willingness to risk his career in pursuit of justice make his voice one of the most important of our time.

Omar’s Work: 📘 American War → https://www.amazon.com/American-War-Omar-El-Akkad/dp/0451493583 

📘 What Strange Paradise → https://www.amazon.com/What-Strange-Paradise-Omar-Akkad/dp/1984899244/ 

📘 One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This → https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Will-Have-Always-Against/dp/0593804147/ 

Support the People of Palestine

The Sameer Project → https://www.instagram.com/thesameerproject 

The Ghassan Abu-Sittah Children’s Fund → https://gascf.org/ 

Palestine Children’s Relief Funds → https://www.pcrf.net/ 

Medical Aid for Palestinians → https://www.map.org.uk/ 

Gaza Funds → https://gazafunds.com/all 

The Hind Rajab Foundation → https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org/ 

Omar on Social Media: X (Twitter) → https://x.com/omarelakkad?lang=en Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/oelakkad/?hl=en 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #OmarElAkkad #AmericanWar #WhatStrangeParadise #PalestineBookAwards #PalestinianLiberation #OneDayEveryoneWillHaveAlwaysBeenAgainstThis #DismantleZionism #WesternComplicity #JusticeForPalestine #FreePalestine #TruthToPower #LiteratureForJustice #EndTheOccupation

In Episode 48 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Professor Omer Bartov, one of the world’s foremost Holocaust and genocide scholars, whose moral clarity and scholarly rigor have led him to unequivocally describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide—a position he reached through a deeply personal and professional journey.

Professor Bartov is the Dean's Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University and has been described by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as one of the world’s leading specialists in genocide. Born in Israel, he served in the Israeli Army and fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, eventually rising to the rank of company commander before embarking on an academic career that would make him a globally respected historian.

He is the author of multiple award-winning books, including Anatomy of a Genocide and his latest, Genocide, the Holocaust and Israel-Palestine – First Person in History in Times of Crisis. His forthcoming book, Israel: What Went Wrong?, is due to be published in April 2026. In a principled stand, Professor Bartov resigned from the editorial board of Yad Vashem Studies after two decades, when his colleagues refused to confront Israel’s killing and maiming of thousands of Palestinian children.

In this compelling episode, Professor Bartov reflects on his own transformation from soldier to outspoken critic of Israeli policies, unpacks the historical and legal frameworks for understanding genocide, and speaks about the ethical responsibility of scholars in times of moral crisis.

Professor Bartov’s Work:

Anatomy of a Genocide → https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Genocide-Death-Called-Buczacz/dp/1451684533

Genocide: The Holocaust and Israel-Palestine – First Person in History in Times of Crisis → https://www.amazon.com/Genocide-Holocaust-Israel-Palestine-First-Person-History/dp/1350332321

Israel: What Went Wrong? (Coming April 2026) → https://www.amazon.co.uk/Israel-What-Wrong-Omer-Bartov/dp/0374618186 

The Eastern Front, 1941-45: German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare (St Antony's Series)

 → https://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Front-1941-45-Barbarisation-Warfare/dp/0333949447/

Hitler's Army: Soldiers, Nazis, and War in the Third Reich (Oxford Paperbacks)

 → https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Army-Soldiers-Oxford-Paperbacks/dp/0195079035/ 

Professor Bartov on Social Media:X (Twitter) → https://x.com/bartov_omer LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/omer-bartov-6336343a/ 

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/OmerBartov/ 

Website  → https://vivo.brown.edu/display/obartov 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #OmerBartov #GazaGenocide #HolocaustScholar #GenocideStudies #EndGazaGenocide #JusticeForPalestine #BrownUniversity #IsraelWhatWentWrong #DecolonizeHistory #MoralCourage #GenocideAwareness #PalestinianRights #HumanRightsNow #ScholarActivism

In Episode 47 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Ahed Tamimi, the iconic Palestinian girl, national hero, freedom fighter, and symbol of resistance whose unwavering defiance in the face of Israeli military occupation has inspired people around the world.

As a teenager, Ahed became internationally known when videos of her confronting heavily armed Israeli soldiers in her village of Nabi Saleh went viral. Her courage and dignity in those moments made her a global symbol of Palestinian resistance—described by many as “the face of Palestinian defiance.”

Now in her early twenties, Ahed continues her activism on the ground in the occupied West Bank. She previously pursued international law at Birzeit University, driven by her commitment to justice and Palestinian liberation. Although she ultimately chose not to complete the degree, her pursuit of education remains part of a broader resistance—one shaped by relentless restrictions on her freedom and movement under occupation.

Her powerful memoir, They Called Me a Lioness, co-written with Dena Takruri, offers a gripping and emotional portrait of life under occupation—where childhood, resistance, and survival are inseparable.

In this deeply moving episode, Ahed reflects on growing up under military rule, the emotional weight of being a national symbol, and how she continues to fight—through storytelling, advocacy, and an unshakable love for her people.

Ahed’s Work:

📘 They Called Me a Lioness: A Memoir

→ https://www.amazon.com/They-Called-Me-Lioness-Palestinian/dp/0593134583 

Dena Takruri on Social Media:

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/denatakruri/ 

X (Twitter) → https://x.com/dena 

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/denatakruri/ 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #AhedTamimi #TheyCalledMeALioness #PalestinianResistance #FreePalestine #BirzeitUniversity #YouthActivism #LegalAdvocacy #JusticeForPalestine #LifeUnderOccupation #DecolonizeNow #PalestinianVoices #EndTheOccupation #PalestinianLiberation #SymbolOfResistance

In Episode 46 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Heather Masoud and Catherine Pawson, the visionary co-founders of Zaytoun, a pioneering social enterprise that launched the world’s first Fairtrade certified olive oil in 2009. For over two decades, Zaytoun has supported Palestinian farmers through ethical trade and solidarity, while celebrating the deep cultural heritage of Palestinian food.

Zaytoun is more than a brand—it’s a movement grounded in economic resistance. Through direct partnerships with suppliers in Palestine, they’ve offered high-quality Palestinian products to the UK market, helping to sustain communities living under military occupation. From olive oil to maftoul, their work uplifts both land and people.

Heather brings a background in natural resource management, while Catherine’s journey began through Arabic and Islamic studies, giving her the linguistic and cultural foundation to connect deeply with West Asia—commonly referred to as the Middle East.

In this episode, Heather and Catherine reflect on two decades of solidarity work, the challenges of building ethical supply chains under occupation, and the joy and resilience embedded in Palestinian culinary heritage.

Zaytoun’s Work:🌿 Zaytoun Official Website→ https://www.zaytoun.uk

🛒 Shop Palestinian Products→ https://zaytoun.uk/products/

Zaytoun on Social Media:Instagram → https://instagram.com/zaytoun_cicBluesky → @zaytouncic.bsky.socialFacebook → https://facebook.com/ZaytounCIC

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #Zaytoun #FairtradePalestine #PalestinianOliveOil #PalestinianFarmers #HeatherMasoud #CatherinePawson #PalestinianHeritage #CulinaryResistance #BuyPalestinian #EconomicJustice #FoodSovereignty #PalestinianVoices #DecolonizeTrade #JusticeForPalestine #FairTradeNotAid

In Episode 45 of The Enlightenment Podcast, Shamim and Hanan are joined by Dr. Raz Segal, an Israeli-American Holocaust and genocide scholar who made headlines for courageously stating that what is unfolding in Gaza is a “textbook case of genocide”—just days after October 7th.

Dr. Segal is an associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies and an endowed professor in the study of modern genocide at Stockton University, where he also directs the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies program. With a background rooted in both Israeli and American academia, his work critically examines how systems of power and identity shape state violence, memory, and denial.

In this episode, Dr. Segal offers a rigorous scholarly analysis of genocide as a legal and historical concept, unpacks the structures of violence in Gaza, and reflects on the responsibility of scholars, especially those rooted in Jewish history, to speak truth to power.

Dr. Segal’s Work:

Genocide in the Carpathians → https://www.amazon.com/Genocide-Carpathians-Breakdown-Violence-1914-1945/dp/0804796661 

Days of Ruin → https://www.amazon.com/Days-Ruin-Munkacs-During-Holocaust/dp/9653084283 

Gaza is a Textbook Case of Genocide (Jewish Currents) → https://jewishcurrents.org/gaza-is-a-textbook-case-of-genocide

Jewish Currents Social Media: X (Twitter) → https://x.com/JewishCurrents Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jewishcurrentsmag/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/jewish-currents/ 

Enlightenment Podcast Social Media:

https://feedlinks.link/enlightenmentpodcast

#TheEnlightenmentPodcast #RazSegal #GazaGenocide #HolocaustStudies #GenocideScholarship #StopGazaGenocide #JewishVoiceForJustice #AcademicActivism #ModernGenocide #GazaCrisis #DecolonizeHistory #SpeakTruthToPower #GenocideAwareness #JusticeForPalestine #StocktonUniversity #HumanRightsNow