This week Michael and Lara welcome Hala Hanina, a native Gazan. Hala is a PHD student who had left the country just a few days before October 7th in order to secure a visa for her studies; it’s the first time that she’s been outside of Palestine during an aggression. She’s currently separated from her husband and the rest of her family who are still in Gaza. Hala refers to Palestine as the Phoenix; the mythical bird that rises from the ashes and cannot be defeated. After so many bombings, attacks, and assaults, the people of Gaza continually rebuild their life and continue on. Hala speaks about the choice to migrate from the north to the south, or to leave Palestine. She points out that “it’s not about where we are; it’s who we are.” Just being Palestinian is seen as a crime by the occupation. Hala provides an insightful perspective into the war crimes that are being committed right now, like extortion to cross the border, forced starvation, and the deliberate targeting of medical facilities and personnel. It’s an emotional episode from an incredibly strong Palestinian voice.

Another young Palestinian girl was murdered, and the image of her body hanging from a wire with her legs shaved off has made its way around the internet. Yet the genocide continues. Lara and Michael discuss this, along with the mounting offenses at the Rafah border, the siege of Nassar Hospital, enforced starvation by the occupation and the celebration of this tactic by Israeli citizens. South Africa issues an emergency request for the ICJ to consider the bombings and ongoing attacks at the Rafah border as blatant non-compliance to their initial order which requires Israel to take all provisional measures to avoid a genocide. Michael discusses Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s “relevant partners” and Lara points out a damning statement from Rami Igra of the Mossad where he claims that all Palestinian children over the age of 4 are “involved” as a Hamas supporter. It’s another week of the occupation blocking humanitarian aid, targeting journalists, doctors, women, and children, and being fully transparent about the ongoing genocide.

6-year old Hind has been missing for over a week. She was last heard from on the phone with the Red Crescent rescue team after her family had been murdered around her as she was trapped in a car, surrounded by Israeli tanks. Lara and Michael discuss what we know of Hind and attempts at rescuing her. This event, among other heinous crimes, continue even after the ICJ ruling last week calling on Israel to take all measures to prevent genocidal acts. The pod touches on the blocking of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza, ongoing raids in the occupied West Bank, attacks on hospitals, and the increasing flight departures from Ben Gurion airport. The cracks are causing the structure to crumble, but at what cost to Palestinian lives?

The groundbreaking ICJ case proposed by South Africa against Israel has just closed, and Lara and Michael (mostly Lara) break down what it means. It’s important to remember that South Africa didn’t call for a ceasefire, as this is not legal terminology. All six counts brought against Israel were ruled in South Africa’s favor; these are 1) Israel must take all measures within it’s power to stop murdering & harming Palestinians and preventing their birth, 2) Israel must ensure that it’s military follow all measures from point 1, 3) Israel must prevent and punish all genocidal intent, 4) Israel shall ensure humanitarian aid to Gaza, 5) Israel must not destroy evidence related to these allegations, and 6) Israel must report back to the court in one month’s time. Lara does an excellent job of summarizing the court’s findings, and highlighting the myriad wins that stem from this case. This is among the first legal decisions to attempt to hold Israel accountable for their actions. Michael and Lara speak about how legislation + activism + boycotting as a unified force is the only way to ensure the Palestinian right of return and the end of apartheid and violence against Palestinians.

Lara and Michael are honored to welcome Plestia this week. 22-year old Plestia reported from Gaza from October 7th until recently, having spent over 100 days capturing the violence against Palestinians. She talks about what life was like in Gaza before October 7th, reminiscing about her favorite restaurants, cafés, and shopping areas. She gets candid about the bleak conversations she would have on a daily basis with her co-journalists, and she touches on survival guilt and how difficult it became to not pit one tragedy against another. Plestia is now safely in Australia but still involved in the Palestinian struggle for freedom and actively calling for a ceasefire.

This week, Lara and Michael have the pleasure of speaking with Chris Smalls, the President of the Amazon Labor Union. Chris highlights the need to organize for social change. Michael speaks about the Histadrut, a 1920’s labor union created to ban Palestinian workers from equal access to jobs. The pod discusses the overlaps in the Palestinian struggle for freedom and that of workers from Google, Amazon, and Starbucks, and the importance of community and solidarity. Chris touches on the AFL-CIO and talks about his experience creating his own union. This week’s episode is a call to action for all employees, regardless of your sector.

Immortal Technique shares his wealth of knowledge today. The Peruvian-born rapper & activist talks about the lessons he learned growing up, when and why he became active in the Palestinian fight for freedom, how the US used the aftermath of 9/11 to start a war in Afghanistan, and how Christian Zionists are funding much of the occupation’s actions.