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In its new report, The Elimination Project: Israel’s Systematic Dismantling of Palestinian Collective Life in the West Bank, B’Tselem examines what it describes as a system of interconnected policies shaping Palestinian life across the West Bank. The report identifies five mechanisms: violence and intimidation, restrictions on movement, economic strangulation, political and social destruction, and ethnic cleansing and territorial takeover. In this episode of This Is Palestine, Diana Buttu speaks with Yuli Novak, executive director of B’Tselem, about the report, the changes documented across the West Bank, and how these different mechanisms work together to affect Palestinian individuals, families, communities, and collective life. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

Palestine is heading to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games baseball tournament this September. In this episode, Nader Ihmoud shares the story of a Palestinian baseball team built across borders, from Gaza to Chicago, including the players who brought the team together, those it has lost, and its hopes for the future of Palestinian baseball. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

Illegal Israeli settlers have been besieging three Palestinian homes in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, for almost a month. Loui Ridi, one of the homeowners, is a Palestinian American who came all the way from the United States to the West Bank to protect his home. Loui and three other families have been living under severe humanitarian conditions, as Israeli settlers have cut off their water and electricity and prevented them from receiving food supplies and medical assistance. In this episode of “This is Palestine", Louis explains why he knows that the moment he leaves, Israeli settlers—backed by the Israeli army and supported by the Israeli government—will be able to take control of the area surrounding the three homes, including the homes themselves. This would allow them to isolate the eastern part of Qusra from the rest of the town. This is a tactic Israeli settlers have used to forcibly displace Palestinian families. In the neighboring town of Jalud, for example, settlers were able to force another family from their home. Similar tactics have been used to depopulate and displace Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

For Palestinians in Gaza, the death toll tells only part of the story. Thousands more remain missing, buried beneath the rubble, among unidentified bodies, or potentially held in Israeli detention. For their families, the absence of an answer means being trapped in limbo: unable to confirm a death, unable to hold a funeral, and unable to stop searching. In this episode of This Is Palestine, journalist Mahmoud Mushtaha discusses his investigation into Gaza’s missing people and the enormous challenges of finding them. He shares stories of families still searching for their loved ones, including 15-year-old Hassan Al-Qattah, an autistic boy who disappeared while searching for food in Gaza. For these families, the search continues without answers. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

Trapped in the West Bank for nearly three years, this is the story of Mariam, Um Mahmoud,  a cancer patient from Gaza who was diagnosed with leukemia and came to the West Bank to continue treatment that was unavailable in Gaza. She arrived just days before the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Since then, she has been unable to return home. Amid a deepening financial crisis, severe shortages of essential medications, and a healthcare system under immense pressure, Mariam continues to navigate her cancer treatment while living with the uncertainty of not knowing when she will ever be able to return home. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

As violence escalates in Lebanon, many are drawing comparisons to Gaza. In this episode, we speak with Palestinian journalist and activist Lama Abu Kharoub, from Burj el-Shemali refugee camp in Lebanon, who shares firsthand insights from Lebanon, where communities continue to face displacement, destruction, and uncertainty despite repeated promises of multiple ceasefires. The discussion explores the similarities between Israel’s assaults in Lebanon and Gaza, and its impact on civilians trapped in the violence. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

What does Gaza’s healthcare system look like nine months after the ceasefire? According to Dr. Mohammad Abu Afash, the crisis is far from over. From destroyed hospitals and chronic medicine shortages to disease outbreaks in overcrowded displacement camps. This episode explores the ongoing challenges facing healthcare workers and patients amid continuing attacks, displacement, and blockade. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

When footage of renowned Palestinian pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya appeared before Israel’s Supreme Court, many were shocked by how much he had changed. Shackled, visibly frail, and having lost nearly 40 kilograms in prison, he had already spent more than 18 months in Israeli detention without charge. In this episode of This Is Palestine, we unpack Dr. Abu Safiya’s case. We speak with Naji Abbas, Director of the Prisoners and Detainees Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel, about Israel’s so-called “Unlawful Combatants Law,” the conditions Dr. Abu Safiya and other detained healthcare workers have endured, and what his imprisonment reveals about Israel’s targeting of Palestinian medical personnel since the  outbreak of the genocide in Gaza. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

Since 1967, Israel has built and expanded settlements across occupied Palestine, fragmenting Palestinian communities and reshaping the landscape. In this episode of This Is Palestine, Dr. Jad Ishaq, Director General of the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ) traces how Israeli governments have used military orders, legal mechanisms, and political agreements to facilitate the expansion of settlements and the confiscation of Palestinian land. From Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley, he explains how a process described as temporary became permanent, leaving Palestinians increasingly confined to isolated enclaves while settlement expansion accelerates. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

In this episode of This Is Palestine, Diana Buttu speaks with midfielder Ahmed Al-Qaq about his journey from North Carolina to the Palestinian national team. Born and raised in the United States to Palestinian parents, Ahmed reflects on choosing to represent Palestine, the emotional experience of wearing the Palestinian jersey for the first time, and the bonds formed between players from Gaza, the West Bank, and the diaspora. This is a conversation about identity, belonging, representation, and what it means to play for Palestine on the world stage. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

As Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues despite the so-called ceasefire agreement, the psychological toll on Palestinians remains far less visible than the physical destruction. In this episode of This is Palestine, Samah Jabr examines the mental health impact of genocide, siege, starvation, displacement, and ongoing Israeli violence through the lens of what she calls “colonial trauma.” We discuss grief and despair beyond conventional psychiatric language, the long-term impact of violence on future generations, and the limits of providing mental health care under occupation and mass violence. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

How Do You Remember the City That Was Stolen From You?! In this episode of This Is Palestine, ninety-year-old George Bahu revisits his childhood in al-Baqa’a al Foqa, a Palestinian neighborhood in West Jerusalem before the Nakba. He remembers school, cinema, Bus No. 6, and his father’s transportation company that once connected Jerusalem to cities across Palestine. George also recalls the violence that transformed the city: the King David Hotel bombing, armed Zionist attacks on Palestinian neighborhoods, and the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948. Forced into exile with his family, George never returned home. But decades later, he still carries Jerusalem with him: in photographs, documents, dreams, and memory. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

As Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is marked on April 17, this episode turns to life behind Israeli prison walls, where time itself becomes a site of struggle. Former detainee Husam Shaheen shares his testimony of more than two decades in prison, moving from early activism and repeated arrests to a 27-year sentence that became a lived experience of endurance, resistance, and survival. Through his account, we see how imprisonment shapes not only the body but also memory, identity, and time itself. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

On March 30, 2026, Israel passed a new "death penalty law" that would impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of what Israel defines as “terrorism.” In this episode of This is Palestine, we speak with Qaddura Fares, former head of the Palestinian Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs and a former political prisoner himself, to unpack what this law actually changes and what it reveals about Israel’s discriminatory unequal legal system and political framework against Palestinians. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu

This episode examines the 1988 Beita incident, a few months following the outbreak of the first Intifada, when an entire Palestinian community was punished for a crime they did not commit. Through eyewitness accounts and historical context, we trace how home demolitions, mass arrests, and forced exile became tools of Israel’s collective punishment and how similar patterns continue to shape the present today. Thank you for tuning into This is Palestine, the official podcast of The IMEU! For more stories and resources, visit us at imeu.org. Stay connected with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theimeu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/theIMEU Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theIMEU/ For more insights, follow our host, Diana Buttu, on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianabuttu