Germany has repeatedly stressed its unwavering support for Israel and its actions in Gaza over the past 14 months, but what is underpinning this position and will it ever shift?Against the backdrop of Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, Germany has emerged alongside the US as one of Israel’s most ardent defenders. While US support has been crucial in allowing Israel to carry out its genocide, Germany's backing is rooted in complex historical and political factors, including its concep...
For many, the civil war in Syria has been a distant memory, but that all changed when in a sudden turn of events, rebel groups captured the country's second largest city, Aleppo, and began to move towards other northern cities. But why is all this happening now? Syrian journalist Hussam Hammoud joins us to explain.What a difference a few days make. Up until the end of November 2024, Syria's second largest city Aleppo was firmly under the control of President Bashar Al-Assad and to many outsid...
Many have wondered how states have allowed the massacres in Gaza to continue for over a year and what can be gained from them. Investigative journalist Kennard exposes corporate power and state intervention to highlight why the genocide in Gaza has been allowed to continue.In this episode, MEMO is in Conversation with investigative journalist and author Matt Kennard who joins us to delve into Western complicity in the Gaza genocide and examine how deeply this complicity runs. Known for his gr...
From raising a family to a nation, how debates around modernisation, democracy and capitalism gave birth to a new Arab woman. In the 1850s the Arab world underwent a gendered revolution brought about by western missionaries, integration into the global capitalist economy, the print press and reform efforts. Life in the eastern Mediterranean within a few decades after the 1850s was unrecognisable from a few years prior. Women, gender and childrearing were at the centre of tension and chan...
The 16 and 17 centuries saw an eruption in espionage, spying and covert operations, with a growing network of Christian clergymen, traders, slaves, travellers, nobles and others who were also intelligence operatives for Istanbul. We speak to the author of the book 'Spies for the Sultan' to find out more.The Bishop of Heraclea, an Orthodox clergyman, approached the Habsburg royal family with a devious plot, the Austro-Spanish dynasty could form a secret alliance with the Persian Shah to take c...
As an anti-apartheid activist, Stavit Sinai has repeatedly taken action against the occupation state of Israel, but she made headlines when, in 2022, she was one of two Israelis arrested for storming the site of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in the UK, she speaks to MEMO about why it's important not to stay silent.Elbit Systems is Israel's premier arms and military technology company, which claims that its drones are the backbone of the Israeli occupation forces. With 18,000 employe...
CAPTION: On Nakba Day in 2022, 7 activists stormed the site of Israel's largest weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in an effort to disrupt its operations and highlight the atrocities its 'field tested' weapons have caused against Palestinians. Two of the activists were Israeli and they spoke to MEMO to discuss why they continue to protest. Elbit Systems is Israel's premier arms and military technology company, which claims that its drones are the backbone of the Israeli occupation forces...
The anti-Zionist Jewish movement has led numerous anti-war protests calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza, but what’s the history of Jewish opposition to Zionism?Israel claims to be working to protect world Jewry, but as it continues its bombing of Gaza and expands its military operation into southern Lebanon, the anti-Zionist Jewish movement continues to declare the state’s actions are ‘not in our name’. But where does Jewish opposition to Zionism stem from? What are its ideological fou...
Algeria won its War on Independence because it won a media war against the French following help from Yugoslavia. But what did the images coming out of Algiers show and how did they frame its battle for a new beginning?France lost the Algerian War (1954-1962) diplomatically because it lost the media war and this forced it to end its 132-year rule of the North African country. The fight for independence was led by the Algerian National Liberation Front or FLN, who had help from abroad. One cou...
Looking back at Israel's conduct over the past year, Baroud highlights Tel Aviv's use of African mercenaries in the execution of its onslaught on Gaza and how the West is enabling the continuation of this aggression.In this week’s MEMO in Conversation prominent Palestinian journalist and author Dr Ramzy Baroud shares his unique perspective on the events leading up to 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli military offensive. Baroud, a descendant of Palestinian refugees and son of a freedom...
Craig Mokhiber resigned from the UN over its inaction with regards the 'textbook case of genocide' taking place in Gaza. One year on, little has changed. He joins MEMO in Conversation to discuss the events of the past 12 months.It has been almost a year since Craig Mokhiber resigned from the UN over the world body's inaction with regards the genocide unfolding in Gaza. The former senior UN human rights official joined MEMO in Conversation to address the UN's failure to act decisively in the f...
Palestinians aren't suffering post traumatic stress disorder, there's been no 'post' for them as they continue to live under occupation and colonialism. 'Ongoing stress disorder' is what they experience daily, says the executive producer of Where the Olive Trees Weep.In this week's MEMO in Conversation we speak to Ashira Darwish, one of the producers of 'Where the Olive Trees Weep', a powerful documentary offering a searing look into the struggles and resilience of the Palestinian people livi...
The occupation's reliance on swift, decisive wars have left it unprepared for the current genocide it is carrying out in Gaza. Military, economic and political spheres are showing signs of decline as a result. Can Israel survive after the war on Gaza?Is Israel in a death spiral? That’s the question we will be discussing with our guest, Sharmine Narwani, a Beirut- and UK-based geopolitical analyst. Narwani recently delivered a presentation at the American University of Beirut (AUB), entit...
Millions of Muslims in the US have said Gaza is the most important election issue for them, but with the frontrunners in the presidential election being Israel supporters Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, how will they vote?On 5 November, Americans will take to the polls to pick the 47th president of the United States. The choice before them will be incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. For large sections of the American public the choice is clear, for Harris ...
Israeli occupation authorities have uprooted more than 800,000 Palestinians olive trees since 1967, Treedom for Palestine is working to replant them and protect Palestinian farmers' deep ties to their land.This week on MEMO in Conversation we have a truly inspiring story that beautifully illustrates the power of art, activism and agriculture in creating tangible change. Our guest, Cyrus Copeland, Executive Director of Treedom for Palestine, shares the remarkable journey of an initiative that ...
There are many parallels between Canada and Israel as settler-colonial states, including the erasure of indigenous populations. But how do Canada's own historic and present policies shape its stance on Israel's actions in Gaza and its foreign policy with regards Palestine?
Palestinians who have been released from Israeli detention since October 2023 have reported systematic abuse, torture and sexual assault, join us as we discuss the implications of Israel's degrading treatment of Palestinians and why it has intensified such measures over the past few months.Israeli rights group B'Tselem published a harrowing new report, "Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps", which provides testimonies from 55 Palestinian prisoners and expos...
What do Turkiye's Justice and Development Party (AKP), Tunisia's Ennahda and the Muslim Brotherhood have in common and are their ties shaping policy in the Middle East and Turkiye? Turkiye's youngest editor joins us to discuss what drives their relationship. In 2013, at the height of the Gezi Park protests, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a decision that surprised many Turks. He boarded a flight for Tunisia and held a meeting with the Ennahda Party. Many Turkish journalists ...
We have all watched the genocide unfold in Gaza and seen imges of the victims, but what are their stories, how have they lived their lives and what is the importance of Gaza in the larger struggle or a free Palestine? Join our MEMO in Conversation as we talk to the men behind 'Day break in Gaza' a book which provides insight through the stories of Palestinians Gaza. Tune in to MEMO’s latest podcast featuring an exclusive interview with Matthew Teller and Mahmoud Muna, editors of the powe...
When Greene agreed to be interviewed on Talk TV he was told that conversation would be open and he was welcome to put his points across to viewers and the hosts, however when the show started, presenter James Whale shut him down for wearing a keffiyeh and refused to speak to him. Greene tells MEMO why he continues to remain active in spite of such attacks.American students are rebelling. The campus protests across the US against Israel's genocide in Gaza and Washington's support for Tel Aviv'...