Kalam – Details, episodes & analysis

We are delighted to announce the first episode in our 13 part series from Ramallah on the occupied West Bank.

Today's guest is an icon of Palestinian journalism and advocacy, Mariam Barghouti.

In this episode, Mariam speaks about the hypocrisy of Western media, the pain she feels in reporting on resistance fighters and about being targeted herself by the Israeli military.

This episode is video recorded and available on YouTube, youtube.com/@KalamPodcast972

If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to suppor the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by signing up to our Patreon. For just $3 a month you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests and lots of bonus material - including our series Kalam Shorts: 10-15 explainers of concepts like Zionism and Orientalism. Join at patreon.com/kalampodcast

For continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

Please subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

On today's weekly news summary, Edgar and Sam discuss Israel's incursion into the West Bank, as well as the latest on the distribution of the Polio vaccine in Gaza, the Houthi's latest operations and the UK cutting 10% of its arms sales to Israel.

Our main story concerns the general strike that began today in Israel - paralysing large parts of the country including the airports. The Israeli Labour Court ordered for the strike to end even before it began, signalling the gravity of the situation.

As always, to support the show head to patreon.com/kalampodcast and sign up for just $3/month. For continuous updates follow us on Instagram and TikTok.

What is Hamas? Depending on who you ask, a resistance group or a terrorist organisation. For the people of Gaza, oftentimes, authoritarian thugs.

This is part one of a three part Kalam Shorts series on Hamas - on their founding as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 60's and 70's, and their rise to power in the aftermath of the failure of the Oslo Process.

If you would like to hear parts 2 and 3 of this series, please consider signing up to our Patreon community for just $3/month, at patreon.com/kalampodcast. With such a subscription, you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests as well as lots of bonus content. That's at patreon.com/kalampodcast

For continuous updates on the Middle East and the podcast, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

The Israeli military, the IDF, ordered the Hannibal Directive on October 7 to Prevent Hamas Taking Soldiers Captive, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The IDF has long denied the existence of such a directive, although leaks and ex-soldier testimonies seems to prove otherwise.

So what is the Hannibal Directive? On this episode of Kalam Shorts, Sam speaks to Edgar about the origins of the directive and why it was created.

This is a teaser, to listen to the full episode sign up to Klub Kalam at patreon.com/kalampodcast. For just $3/month you'll gain access to this episode and lots of other bonus content.

For continuous updates about the podcast and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

Earlier this week, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received standing ovations as he spoke at the US Congress in Washington DC.

He was applauded, while he is accused of a series of war crimes by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, which is imminently expected to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

Abdelghany Sayed is an expert on International Law and a teacher of it at Kent University in London. In this episode, he speaks to Edgar about the role of International Law when it comes to the Palestinian issue, and whether or not we should put our faith into it.

If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to suppor the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by joining Klub Kalam on patreon. For just $3 a month you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests and lots of bonus material - including our series Kalam Shorts: 10-15 explainers of concepts like Zionism and Orientalism. Join at patreon.com/kalampodcast

For continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

Please subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

Mariam Nezar, who goes by Mia, is co-founder of Bellies en-Route, which provides food tours of Cairo as well as cooking classes.

Together, Edgar and Mia eat their way through the streets of downtown. Foul, taameya, molokheyya, koshary, and even cow brain are on the menu today!

Get a feel for the street food of Cairo, as well as the history behind many of the city's most iconic dishes and restaurants.

To see much of the food spoken about in this episode, follow Kalam Podcast on Instagram @kalampodcast

If you would like to support us there is an excellent way to do so! By joining Klub Kalam on Patreon. For just $3/month you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests, as well as unique bonus material. Sign up at patreon.com/kalampodcast

"How can you be gay and support Palestine?" is a question that bugs Swedish club icon Fredrik "Apollo" Asplund. For him, it's obvious - the 1969 Stonewall Riots (protesting New York police harassing the city's queer communities) and the Palestinian Intifada are about the same struggle for freedom and dignity.

In the 80's and 90's gay people were killed in the millions by AIDS. Today, the people of Gaza are subjected to genoc!de. For Apollo - the solidarity is clear.

Listen to Edgar speak to his old friend Apollo - born in Kiruna but who made his way to New York, Paris, Mexico, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Read Apollo’s essay in Parabol Press about his solidarity with Palestine here: https://www.parabol.press/varfor-jag-som-gay-stodjer-gaza/

If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to suppor the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by joining Klub Kalam on patreon. For just $3 a month you'll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests and lots of bonus material - including our series Kalam Shorts: 10-15 explainers of concepts like Zionism and Orientalism. Join at patreon.com/kalampodcast

For continuous updates on the podcast and content about Palestine and the Middle East, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

Please subscribe to Kalam Podcast in whatever podcast application you're listening to right now - and give us a rating. It helps other people find out about us.

We proudly present Dr. Hanan Ashrawi – one of the foremost Palestinian activist and politicians of the last half century. On this episode she speaks to Edgar about the First Intifada, of which she was a guiding spirit and a crucial player. And the Oslo Peace Process – which was the fruit of much of her labour, while resulting in catastrophe.

So what does this Palestinian political veteran think about our current moment? Find out on this Kalam Podcast EXCLUSIVE - Hanan Ashrawi is not giving interviews currently, but made an exception for us.

If you’d like to support the work we’re doing at Kalam Podcast you can do so, by joining Klub Kalam on patreon.com/kalampodcast - for just $3/month you’ll gain access to full length interviews with all our guests as well as awesome bonus content.

For continuous updates follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

What is the Kuffiyeh, known by many simply as the “Palestine scarf”? How did this humble piece of clothing come to take on the political overtones it does today – and what more exactly does it signify?

In this episode, Sam speaks to Edgar about the origins, both historical and etymological, of this iconic scarf.

The sound above is a teaser, to listen to the full episode sign up to Klub Kalam at patreon.com/kalampodcast.

For continuous updates, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

Diana Buttu speaks to Edgar in the city of Haifa in historic Palestine, today's Israel. The impending war with Lebanon and the genocide in Gaza is strongly felt in this mixed city of Israelis and Palestinians.

Diana speaks about what it is like to be a Palestinian citizen of Israel in this moment - living in a "sick society".

For continuous updates, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast

If you like the show, please rate and subscribe to Kalam Podcast wherever you're listening right now.

And if you want to support us you can do so, by joining Klub Kalam and patreon.com/kalampodcast