Israel/Palestine Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Guests: Sima & Mai, Young Ambassadors for Peace / Parents Circle –Families Forum

Hosts: Alexandria, Mert & Efe

Sima and Mai are Young Ambassadors for Peace with the Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF), an organization of over 800 bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who have each lost a close relative to the conflict. Mai's grandfather, Haim Perry, an artist and peace activist from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken hostage on October 7 and killed after four months in captivity. His uncle Daniel Darlington was killed at the Nova Festival the same day. Sima's 14-year-old brother was killed by an Israeli soldier, a loss that profoundly affected her family. Despite these tragedies, both dedicate themselves to reconciliation and dialogue, promoting peace, understanding, and coexistence. Through the Young Ambassadors program, they share this message in schools and communities across Israel, Palestine, and beyond.

In this final episode: We listen with the heart. The first and last words of this podcast belong to the people who have lost a loved one but still remain comitted to justice and peace. We begin and end the series with the human reality of the conflict, remembering that real people grieve and endure on both sides. Their stories, losses, and resilience have inspired this journey. The young olive tree on our podcast cover, growing in the desert, reminds us of the hope Sima and Mai bring to Israel and Palestine—the wounded and “magical land between the river and the sea” (Mai) they call home.

This episode was recorded July 23, 2025.

We dedicate our Podcast series to Sima & Mai, Udi Goren, Khalil Sayegh. To Tal’s wife Ela and their children Niv, Einav, Udi, and Lotan; to Khalil Sayegh’s mother and siblings; to Mai’s and Sima’s families; to her mother Bushra.

We dedicate this podcast to the blessed memory of:

Tal Chaimi,

Lara Sayegh,

Jeries Sayegh,

Mahmoud,

Haim Perry,

Daniel Darlington.

Efe, Mert, and Alexandria speak with Mai and Sima about their personal losses, the journey of healing, and their work fostering dialogue, understanding, and hope across deep divides.

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Prof. Eyal Naveh – Tel Aviv University

Hosts: Yusuf & Mert

Bio: Eyal Naveh is an Israeli historian and educator specializing in history education in conflict contexts. He has taught at Kibbutzim College of Education and Tel Aviv University, where he served as Head of the Department of General History and Chair of the General and Interdisciplinary Studies Program. Naveh is co-director of the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East and has been a visiting professor at Harvard, UC Berkeley, Cornell, the University of Toronto, Venice International University, and the University of Vienna. He is best known as a co-creator of the groundbreaking history textbook Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine (2012), developed with Israeli traumatologist Prof. Dan Bar-On and Palestinian sociologist Prof. Sami Adwan. The book presents Israeli and Palestinian perspectives side by side, enabling students to engage with complex, conflicting narratives without flattening differences. It has received international recognition as a model for post-conflict history education.

In this episode: Yusuf and Mert speak with Prof. Naveh about the creation, use, and relevance of the groundbreaking history textbook Side by Side. They discuss collaborating with Israeli and Palestinian educators, the challenges of presenting contrasting narratives, and the book’s reception in schools and academia locally and internationally. The conversation explores the role of history education in conflict regions, political polarization, and teaching empathy, critical thinking, and complex truths to new generations. Prof. Naveh reflects on divisions since October 7, the shrinking space for peace education, and lessons for educators and students in Germany.

This episode was recorded July 22, 2025.

LInks:

Prof. Dr. Eyal Naveh: https://english.tau.ac.il/profile/enaveh

Prof. Dr. Sami Adwan: https://www.torgnysegerstedt.se/en/main-article-sami-adwan/

Prof. Dr. Dan Bar On: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Bar-On https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/allgemein/pionier-des-dialogs/

Adwan, Sami, Dan Bar-On, and Eyal Naveh, editors. Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine. The New Press, 2012. https://thenewpress.org/books/side-by-side/?v=eb65bcceaa5f

Peace Research Foundation in the Middle East: https://www.vispo.com/PRIME/index.htm

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone, PhD, Author & Psychotherapist

Hosts: Alexandria & Yusuf

Bio: Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychotherapist, rabbi, and a leading figure in the international Jewish Renewal movement. Raised in an Orthodox Jewish family in St. Louis, she is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor—her mother escaped Nazi Germany on the last Kindertransport, and her Jewish American father was one of the liberators of Bergen-Belsen. She is also the younger sister of the radical feminist pioneer Shulamith Firestone.

Ordained in 1992 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Rabbi Firestone integrates Jewish mystical traditions, feminist insights, and contemporary psychology to address inherited trauma. She is the author of the award-winning Wounds into Wisdom: Healing Intergenerational Jewish Trauma (2019), which received the 2020 Nautilus Gold Award in Psychology and the Jewish Women’s Caucus Book Award from the American Association for Women in Psychology.

Her work explores trauma, spirituality, feminism, and healing, providing practical tools for individuals and communities to transform inherited wounds.

In this episode: Alexandria and Yusuf speak with Rabbi Dr. Firestone about trauma, inheritance, and healing. They explore her journey to becoming a rabbi and psychotherapist, and how trauma affects families, communities, and societies. Rabbi Firestone explains intergenerational trauma through family stories, collective memory, and epigenetics, highlighting that trauma can be transformed through awareness and intentional healing. The conversation covers Jewish collective trauma, historical persecution including the Holocaust, and contemporary crises such as October 7 and the Gaza war, examining retraumatization and suffering in both Jewish and Palestinian communities. She reflects on the challenges of healing amid ongoing conflict, the roles of justice, empathy, and ending violence, and shares insights on ritual, dialogue, and resilience, offering hope for young people navigating uncertain times.

This episode was recorded March 13, 2025.

Links:

Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone: https://www.tirzahfirestone.com/

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Dr. Yael Danieli (UN Senior Representative)

Host: Alexandria, Mert & Efe

Bio: Dr. Yael Danieli is a truly historic figure as a world-renowned clinical psychologist who has transformed the study of trauma through her pioneering work on the transgenerational impact of the Holocaust. She co-founded the Group Project for Holocaust Survivors and their Children, establishing the world’s first psychological care program for survivors, and in 2014 founded the International Center for the Study, Prevention, and Treatment of Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma. Creator of the Danieli Inventory for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma, she has redefined research on inherited trauma across cultures.

A trailblazing victimologist, Dr. Danieli has advised the UN, the International Criminal Court, all international genocide tribunals, and South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She is the only living person who has helped establish all existing victims’ rights tools in international law and contributed to reparative justice in some of the world’s most troubled regions. In 2021, she received the Human Rights Leadership Award from the Manhattan Borough President and the Arts4All Foundation.

In this Episode: Alexandria, Efe, and Mert speak with Dr. Danieli from Berlin, 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz. She reflects on growing up in British Mandate Palestine, witnessing the arrival of Holocaust survivors, and experiencing the early years of Israel—experiences that shaped her lifelong dedication to trauma and resilience. The conversation explores her pioneering work in psychological care, including the development of the Danieli Inventory, the International Center, and her advisory roles in international law. Core trauma concepts discussed include the “conspiracy of silence,” coping styles, and intergenerational trauma. Dr. Danieli addresses the profound psychological impact of October 7 on Jewish communities, the rise in antisemitism and deep sense of betrayal, and the situation in Gaza. She also discusses Sadat’s 1977 Knesset speech, in which he described the “psychological wall” of fear, noting that it represents 70% of the Middle East conflict. Throughout, she emphasizes reparative justice and society’s responsibility to respond to human suffering, offering listeners rare insight from a historic and authoritative voice in trauma studies and international justice.

This episode was recorded July 24, 2025.

Links:

https://www.dryaeldanieli.com/

International Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma: https://icmglt.org/

Dr. Danieli asks the hosts to read key findings from a study she conducted for the UN Human Rights Commissioner on the “Necessary Elements of Healing after Massive Trauma.” She explains that these findings are based on extensive research across diverse post-conflict contexts, highlighting the psychological, social, and moral elements essential for recovery at the individual, societal, national, and international levels. She later emphasizes that acknowledging both Israeli and Palestinian pain requires applying these findings to both sides, holding them together, and stressing that effective healing must address the suffering of all communities involved at all levels. https://tinyurl.com/y9bra9m6

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Michael Sfard – Human Rights Lawyer, Tel Aviv

Hosts: Mert & Yusuf

Bio: Michael Sfard is Israel's leading human rights lawyer, known for representing activists, major human rights and peace organizations before Israel’s Supreme Court and in international forums. His practice focuses on strategic litigation against occupation, racism, and discrimination. A graduate of the Hebrew University and University College London, he has received the Emil Grinzweig Human Rights Award and authored The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine, and the Legal Battle for Human Rights (2018). He serves as a commissioner with the International Commission of Jurists. He is the grandson of the sociologist and Holocaust survivor Zygmunt Bauman, and the son of parents who were expelled from Poland in 1968 for their participation in student protests, a background that connects him to a family tradition of critical thinking and engagement with justice.

In this episode: Mert, and Yusuf speak with Michael Sfard about the power and limits of law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sfard shares why he became a human rights lawyer, and how international law has shaped – and struggled with – questions of justice, occupation, and rights. The conversation traces the evolution of international law and Israel’s legal system, examines what law says about military occupation and Gaza’s contested status, and unpacks recent rulings and warrants from the ICJ and ICC. He offers insights into the daily life in the West Bank, reflecting on how realities have shifted since October 7. Finally, he asks whether law can still serve justice in an uneven world – and what message he would give to a new generation of justice-seekers.

This episode was recorded June 10, 2025.

Links:

Michael Sfard: https://www.sfard.co.il/en

ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (17 July 2024): https://tinyurl.com/54nf99ru

ICERD Artikel 3: https://tinyurl.com/muw46yvf

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Dr. Nahed Samour, Radboud University, NL

Host: Yusuf

Bio: Dr. Nahed Samour is an internationally recognized legal scholar. She studied law and Islamic studies in Bonn, Birzeit/Ramallah, London, Berlin, Harvard, and Damascus, and completed her PhD at the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History in Frankfurt. She has conducted postdoctoral research in Helsinki, Göttingen, and Berlin, and taught as junior faculty at the Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School. Currently, she conducts research and teaches at Radboud University in the Netherlands, focusing on constitutional law and international law.

In this Episode: Yusuf speaks with Dr. Nahed Samour about the experiences of the Palestinian community in Germany since October 7 and the international legal assessment of the latest developments in Israel and Gaza. Dr. Samour explains the legal foundations of the concept of genocide, the ICJ’s preliminary measures in South Africa’s case against Israel, and the standards for proving genocidal intent. She also discusses the international responsibility of states supplying weapons to parties in conflict, historical comparisons with Bosnia and Myanmar, and the mechanisms in international law designed to prevent or stop an ongoing genocide. Another key topic is the ICC arrest warrants issued against Hamas leaders and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Dr. Samour explains the potential legal implications of these decisions and finally, she examines the ICJ advisory opinion on the occupation of the Palestinian territories, its significance under international law, and consequences for German foreign policy.

This episode was recorded March 20, 2025.

Links:

Dr. Nahed Samour: https://racereligionresearch.org/research-project/researchers/nahed-samour

UN Genocide Convention: https://tinyurl.com/rv8puxnj

ICJ Provisional Measures, South Africa v. Israel (26 Jan. 2024): https://tinyurl.com/2aesmt7n

ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (17 July 2024): https://tinyurl.com/54nf99ru

ICERD Artikel 3: https://tinyurl.com/muw46yvf

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Claus Kreß (University of Cologne / International Court of Justice)

Hosts: Philip, Yusuf & Efe

Bio:
Prof. Claus Kreß is a leading scholar of international law. He holds the Chair for Criminal Law and International Law at the University of Cologne and directs the Institute for Peace Research and Security Law. He has held guest professorships at Cambridge, Melbourne, Kyoto, and Columbia. His research on the use of force, the law of armed conflict, and international criminal law is reflected in over 200 publications. He is a Life Member of Clare Hall College, Cambridge.

Kreß has played a central role in shaping international criminal law, serving as a delegate for Germany during the drafting of the Rome Statute, helping define the crime of aggression adopted in 2010, and acting as Special Adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. He has also been appointed ad hoc judge in the ICJ genocide case The Gambia v. Myanmar and has received multiple honorary doctorates as well as the M.C. Bassiouni Justice Award. He is a member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

In this episode:
In this legal anchor episode, hosts Efe, Philip, and Yusuf speak with Prof. Kreß about key concepts of international law, its institutions, and jurisprudence concerning Israel and Palestine. They explore the Rome Statute, the differences between the ICJ and ICC, and the definitions of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Prof. Kreß analyzes the October 7 Hamas attacks, the status of Gaza after 2005, and ICC charges against Hamas and Israeli officials. He explains the difficulty of proving genocidal intent, referencing the Srebrenica genocide, and discusses the ICJ’s evaluation of South Africa’s case against Israel and its 2024 advisory opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The conversation also addresses Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, risks to international law from sanctions against ICC officials, and broader challenges to the rules-based international order. Prof. Kreß concludes by emphasizing the importance of youth engagement to safeguard and strengthen the future of international justice.

This episode was recorded July 3, 2025.

Links:

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Claus Kreß: https://iipsl.jura.uni-koeln.de/en/people/director

UN Genocide Convention: https://tinyurl.com/rv8puxnj

ICJ Provisional Measures, South Africa v. Israel (26 Jan. 2024): https://tinyurl.com/2aesmt7n

ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (17 July 2024): https://tinyurl.com/54nf99ru

IVth. Geneva Convention (1949), Article 49 (6): "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.“ https://tinyurl.com/542zardk

ICERD Artikel 3: https://tinyurl.com/muw46yvf

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Guests: Dr. Agnès Callamard, Secretary General, Amnesty International & Dr. Julia Duchrow, Secretary General, Amnesty International, Germany

Hosts: Alexandria, Mert & Yusuf

Bio: Dr. Agnès Callamard is a globally recognized human rights expert and current Secretary General of Amnesty International. She previously served as UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, leading the landmark investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Callamard also directed Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression initiative and is a leading voice on international law and accountability.

Dr. Julia Duchrow is Secretary General of Amnesty International Germany and a legal scholar specializing in human rights advocacy. She formerly led Amnesty Germany’s Policy and Advocacy division and headed Human Rights and Peace at Brot für die Welt. Duchrow has represented Germany on the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency board and advised the German Foreign Office on civilian crisis prevention, emerging as a prominent voice on human rights, civil liberties, and Germany’s role in international justice.

In this Episode: Recorded on July 14, 2025, hosts Yusuf, Alexandria, and Mert speak with Dr. Callamard and Dr. Duchrow about the human rights situation since Oct 7 in Israel, Gaza, the Westbank, Germany, the US and Iran.

Amnesty International's 2022 Apartheid report was widely criticized in Germany, esp. for extending the legal allegation of apartheid to Israel proper. Another essential point of criticism was its retrospective analysis that gives "the impression that all measures to institutionalize the described system were deliberately and intentionally implemented from the founding of the state onward. This largely obscures the conflict dynamics that repeatedly contributed to worsening the situation and prevented alternative developments."

Cf: https://www.swp-berlin.org/10.18449/2022A13/

To explore multiple perspectives, we also recommend to listen to our episode with Eyal Benvenisti (Ep. 36), a leading authority on the laws of occupation.

This episode was recorded July 18, 2025.

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms and the state of jurisprudence are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Nazih Musharbash – President of the German-Palestinian Society

Hosts: Philipp & Mert

Bio: Nazih Musharbash is the President of the German-Palestinian Society. He served for many years as a school principal and as coordinator for school development and evaluation at the Weser-Ems regional authority. Musharbash lives in Bad Iburg and was a member of the city council for 34 years as well as a county councilor in Osnabrück for more than 25 years. In 1997, he was elected to the Lower Saxony state parliament as a member of the SPD. In 2025, he received the Courage Award of the Committee Courage in his hometown of Bad Iburg.

In this Episode: Recorded June 20, 2025, hosts Philipp and Mert welcome Nazih Musharbash, President of the German-Palestinian Society. He speaks about his personal background, his decades of work in politics and education, and what motivated him to strengthen German-Palestinian relations. They reflect on the aftermath of October 7 and the Gaza war, the challenges of making Palestinian perspectives heard in Germany, and the broader role of the German-Palestinian Society today.

Drawing on his experience as a school principal, Musharbash also offers insights into how schools can create space for multiperspectival approaches to Israel/Palestine and how memory culture might be expanded to include Palestinian experiences. The conversation also explores media representation and prospects for political solutions—from the viability of a two-state model to grassroots initiatives. Musharbash closes with a hopeful outlook, encouraging young people to resist prejudice, value education, and stay engaged in the pursuit of justice and peace.

This episode was recorded March 14, 2025.

Links:
German-Palestinian Society:
https://dpg-netz.de/

Please also check out our other episodes in the political debate chapter to explore multiple perspectives.

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.

Guest: Alena Jabarine – Journalist and Author

Hosts: Efe & Philip

Bio: Alena Jabarine, born in 1985 in Hamburg, is a German-Palestinian journalist, author, and Middle East expert. She studied Political Science in Hamburg and earned a Master’s in International Relations in Barcelona. After a traineeship at NDR, she worked as a radio and TV reporter and contributed to NDR Info, STRG_F, Panorama 3, Monitor, StudioM, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and Spotify Originals.

She has received multiple awards, including the Kurt-Magnus-Preis (2016), MedienSpiegel (2016), Juliane-Bartel-Medienpreis (2018), and the Grimme Online Award (2021). From 2020–2022 she lived in Ramallah, reporting on everyday life and politics for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Since May 2024, she curates Gaza Talks at the Berliner Ensemble. In May 2025, her autobiographical book Der letzte Himmel. Meine Suche nach Palästina (Ullstein, 2025) became a Spiegel bestseller, establishing her as one of the most prominent Palestinian voices in Germany today.

In this Episode: Alena Jabarine shares her insights on the devastation of Gaza and the escalating crisis in the West Bank following October 7. She discusses how Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank, and Germany have experienced the aftermath of the attacks, the challenges faced by families, and the harshly criticized work of organizations such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. She reflects on the intersection of pro-Palestinian advocacy and public perception with freedom of expression, and considers what lessons society and schools can draw to support Palestinian communities in Germany.

This episode was recorded on July 9, 2025.

Links:
Jabarine, Alena. Der letzte Himmel: Meine Suche nach Palästina [The Last Sky: My Quest for Palestine]. Ullstein Verlag, 2025
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/der-letzte-himmel/hardcover/9783550203145?utm_source=chatgpt.com

The book title references:
Darwish, Mahmoud. “The Earth Is Closing On Us.” Translated by Abdullah al‑Udhari, in Victims of a Map: A Bilingual Anthology of Arabic Poetry. Ed. Adonis, Samih al‑Qasim, and Mahmoud Darwish. London: Saqi Books, 1984, pp. 12‑13.

Disclaimer:
Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team.

Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.