WEBVTT - Palestinian Solidarity at the World Cup 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:09.880 Who who, and welcome to it could happen here. My 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:14.840 name is Sharene and today you are stuck with me. Yes, 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:18.960 what a treat for all of you beautiful people out there. 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:21.720 I've been wanting to do an episode about the World 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:23.759 Cup for a while, but I felt like there was 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:26.720 just so much to cover, and it was also happening 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:29.280 in real time, so I wanted to wait a bit 0:00:29.360 --> 0:00:32.640 so I could have enough stuff to pull from. I 0:00:32.760 --> 0:00:36.519 will say I am recording this on Monday, December nineteenth. 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:41.159 It is the day after the weekend where France lost 0:00:41.360 --> 0:00:45.200 to Argentina, and Argentina are now our World Cup champions. 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.960 I'm happy about that. And then Morocco did lose last 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:54.720 week to France, which was devastating to me and my 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:56.920 family and the rest of the Arab world because we 0:00:56.960 --> 0:00:59.720 would have loved to see them beat their colonizers, but 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:02.760 they got really far, and I want to talk about 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.440 the impact that that's had. They did coming forth when 0:01:06.520 --> 0:01:10.040 they lost to Croatia this weekend as well, so just 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:13.360 in case y'all needed to know that. But I will 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:18.399 say I am really happy for Argentina, and maybe it 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:22.200 was because Morocco lost to France, but I wasn't mad 0:01:22.240 --> 0:01:26.880 seeing France losing, and all the celebrations I've seen from 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:32.360 people celebrating Argentina have been so heartwarming and yeah, but anyway, 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:35.440 I wanted to focus on something that I think has 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:40.640 been so unprecedented and beautiful and singular and I think 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:45.360 deserves more coverage, and that is this show of Palestinian 0:01:45.400 --> 0:01:48.680 solidarity that has been happening during the World Cup. It 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:51.040 is so cool, and I want to talk about why 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:54.640 it's happening, the circumstances that could lead to this happening, 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:58.160 and what it means, because I think it's very significant 0:01:58.800 --> 0:02:03.280 moving forward, what it comes to Palestinian rights since Palestinian support. 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.640 So let's get into it. There's a great article by 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:12.799 British Palestinian writer Hamzalisha titled Palestine is the biggest winner 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:15.680 at this year's World Cup. And this article did such 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:18.799 a good job compiling some key moments, so I'm going 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.440 to be referencing from it a lot as we continue 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:25.959 this episode. Okay, here we go. Despite the Western media 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:29.760 doing its best to ignore it, the World Cup has 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:35.040 seen a huge tidal wave of Palestinian solidarity and it's 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.040 united the Arab world in a really special way, and 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.560 also highlighted just how many people Arab and non Arab 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:46.280 alike support the Palestinian cause and so, not to be 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:49.240 too cheesy, the biggest winners of this World Cup, in 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:52.160 my opinion, have even had a team at all competing, 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:56.239 and that's the Palestinians. The World Cup has been characterized 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:01.400 by unforeseeable developments and dramatic quote unquote up sets, which 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.320 it's a word I don't even really like, even if 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:07.079 it's grammatically correct when it's used in fucking sports jargon. 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:09.040 But I don't like it because it kind of sounds 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:12.720 like a bad thing because it's like upset who But really, 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:14.919 I think surprises like this are a really good thing 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:18.640 because what these upsets usually mean is simply that the 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.800 underdog one, which is a narrative I will always support. 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:27.200 So these surprises really started with Argentina's lost to Saudi Arabia, 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:32.160 which shocked everyone. The faces in the stadium, draws on 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:34.880 the floor, everyone was shocked. I watched it with my mom. 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:38.400 It was it was incredible and it was truly a 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:41.720 beautiful game. I highly recommend you at least watch some 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:45.200 clips from it. It was fucking cool. And I don't know, 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.200 it came out of nowhere, was really beautiful. And after 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:51.760 this victory, Kingston, man of Saudi Arabia, ordered that day 0:03:51.800 --> 0:03:54.960 that they won a public holiday. To say the least, 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.880 everyone was losing their minds and these surprises seemed to 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:02.080 be endless in this World Cup, mostly because, as I said, 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:06.840 the obvious teams were losing to the underdogs. And coming 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.520 out of this one of the most consistent themes has 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:14.880 been this overarching Palestinian solidarity that has unfolded, particularly among 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:20.880 fans of Arab nations. World Cup was already significant on 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.320 its own. It's held Inta, making it the first World 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:26.400 Cup to be held in the Arab world in the 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:30.040 Muslim world, and only the second held entirely in Asia 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:34.279 after the two thousand two tournaments in South Korea and Japan. 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:40.240 The Arab world is obsessed with soccer. An understatement to 0:04:40.279 --> 0:04:43.599 say obsessed, I should you not. It's a huge part 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:46.960 of Arab culture, Middle Eastern culture, and so this was 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:49.640 already a huge deal to start with. And I think 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:53.320 these two things together, the fact that it's very cultural 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:55.760 and the fact that this is the first time it's 0:04:55.839 --> 0:04:58.800 been on an Arab stage I think these two things 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:02.760 together created seed for Arabs and Middle Easterners to really 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:06.800 come together in a way we've never really seen. And 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:09.880 this first World Cup in the Arab World has captured 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:14.440 in this symbolic way, this reality where Western powers have 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:18.679 receded in the face of their challengers Morocco. They reached 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:23.240 the semifinals and they played France, their colonizers, which was 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:28.920 so symbolic. Saudi Arabia humiliated one of the tournament favorites, Argentina, 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.800 and then Tunisia did the same to its former colonizer 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:38.520 France Japan. They beat Germany and Spain. This traditional power 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:42.680 and balance in global soccer and what it means for geopolitics, 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:45.760 I feel like it can no longer be taken for 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:50.680 granted or ignored. As many as five million Moroccans live abroad, 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:54.440 mostly in Europe, and they've celebrated the team's victories in 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:58.720 huge street celebrations in France and Belgium and Spain and 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:03.080 the Netherlands, and just internationally. For Moroccans living outside of 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.719 Morocco and for so many other migrants from the Arab 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:11.159 world or Africa, they've been driven by decades of desperation 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:14.640 in their home countries to risk everything to reach Europe, 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:20.040 only to suffer abuse and contempt. So this achievement after 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:23.919 achievement was a huge pivotal milestone. And I think this 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:27.040 drive has been coupled with the show of Palestinian pride 0:06:27.040 --> 0:06:30.760 in Clethod as well. There was no Palestinian team at 0:06:30.800 --> 0:06:34.640 the World Cup, and yet the Palestinian flag was everywhere, 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:39.120 not only in the hands of celebrating Moroccan players and fans, 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:42.599 but also at every game and on the streets of Dacha, 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:48.400 and it was just overwhelming and so amazing to see. 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.360 And these displays they shocked some Israeli journalists, who had 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.520 been assured by their own government that the U S 0:06:56.600 --> 0:07:00.640 broker Abraham Accords that had happened between Israel and Morocco 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:04.080 and other Arab states. They thought that this signaled that 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:07.720 the Arab world had relinquished any pretense of advocacy for 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:12.360 Palestinian rights. But as we see with a lot of sports, 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:17.120 soccer creates its own form of civil society, and especially 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:21.000 because it's a huge international game in a way that 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:24.720 no other sport really is, and also being played in 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:30.200 a region where civil society has largely been suppressed by authoritarians. 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:33.960 It's made it clear in this World Cup that the 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:37.600 Arab public is not willing to follow their unelected leaders 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:41.360 and accepting the brutality against Palestinians and what human rights 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:46.160 organizations have called Israel's apartheid system a k a. Israel's 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:51.480 ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, violence, brutality, murder. The list can 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:55.160 go on. I'm sure you've heard me on my soapbox before, 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:59.320 but it always bears repeating. My point is that the 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:02.560 Arab public and the people in these Arab nations do 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:06.400 not represent and do not necessarily believe in these leaders 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:11.720 that again they did not elect. It's all authoritarian dictatorships 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:15.920 and just corrupt government that I mean, we can get 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.960 into history another time, but the disablement of so many 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:22.800 of these governments have been because of the Western world, 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:26.960 say the least, I don't know, different episode. I'm getting distracted, sorry. 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:30.280 Even countries that did not qualify for the World Cup 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:34.800 are surging with this united pride and pro Palestinian sentiment. 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:39.440 The Palestinian cause is obviously near and dear to the 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:43.480 hearts of many Arabs across the world. And again, not 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:45.800 only is this the first time the World Cup has 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:48.880 been hosted in an Arab country. It's also probably the 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:51.560 first time there has been such a large gathering and 0:08:51.640 --> 0:08:56.560 concentration of Arabs across nationalities gathered all in one place. 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:00.920 And again at almost every single game, there have been 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:04.520 fans holding the Palestinian flag or banners that say Free 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:09.520 Palestine in the stadium. In their matches against Australia and 0:09:09.600 --> 0:09:14.720 Belgium respectively, Tunisia and Moroccan fans each unfurled a huge 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:18.240 Free Palestine flag in the forty eight minute, which is 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:22.360 very significant because this is in reference to the nineteen Necba, 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:28.080 which translates to the catastrophe. The Neckba deserves millions of 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:31.559 episodes on its own, but essentially it was the mass 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:35.160 expulsion and ethnic cleansing of at least seven hundred and 0:09:35.160 --> 0:09:40.800 fifty thousand Palestinian refugees in ninety eight when the state 0:09:40.880 --> 0:09:43.920 of Israel was formed. A side note that I do 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:47.600 want to mention here is that there's an incredible film 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:49.920 on Netflix right now that you should all go watch. 0:09:50.480 --> 0:09:54.800 It's called Fara f A r h A. It's about 0:09:54.920 --> 0:09:57.760 the Neckba, and there's never been a film like this before. 0:09:58.160 --> 0:10:00.319 And the Israeli government has been doing this like smear 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:03.679 campaigned against it and has been calling it all sorts 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:09.439 of terrible things. But the other side, Palestinian supporters and Palestinians, 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:13.559 they've made it so successful. They've outdone the haters I 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:15.560 guess to say the least, and it's doing really well. 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:17.960 And it's because of these supporters that is doing so well. 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:21.240 So I mean, sorry to get a little bit tangential here, 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:24.680 but I really encourage you to watch Fudha on Netflix 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:28.319 right now. There's never been a film about this catastrophe 0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:32.240 the NBA, so I highly encourage everyone to watch or 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:34.320 even just like put it on in the background while 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:37.440 you're doing something else so it counts as views. Just 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:39.960 keep supporting it. I I think this is a really 0:10:40.000 --> 0:10:43.360 important time and it feels really significant that this is 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.680 all happening at the same time. So anyway, go watch 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.559 that film. But Tunisia and Moroccan fans each at the 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:54.640 forty minute, in reference to this catastrophe, they unfurled this 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:59.120 huge free Palestine flag, and by waving that Palestinian flag, 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:04.040 Moroccan ends and players expressed a very public descent from 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:07.000 the choices of their government and of the Western Powers 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:10.000 and as well as other Arab autocrats to abandon the 0:11:10.040 --> 0:11:13.800 Palestinians to their fate, and as they advanced, Morocco was 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:17.680 able to sustain the attention on these issues, and their 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:20.280 players proved time and time again that they are more 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:24.880 than deserving to be playing on this world stage. Morocco 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:27.920 was also the first African team to make the semifinals 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:30.600 of the World Cup, which is also a significant achievement 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:32.920 and a lovely slap in the face to anyone who 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:37.199 doubted them. The Moroccan defense was incredible, maybe some of 0:11:37.240 --> 0:11:41.760 the best defense I've ever seen, but due to soccer's globalization, 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.240 the top players in soccer have for decades all played 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:48.840 in Europe's elite leagues, and this was the first World 0:11:48.840 --> 0:11:52.679 Cup in which all five African teams were coached by 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:57.440 African coaches rather than by European ones, and Morocco's coach 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:01.280 in particular appears to have made in a exceptionable difference. 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:06.240 During Tunisia's game against France, a Genesian fan ran onto 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:09.720 the pitch and he waved a Palestinian flag, cart wheeling 0:12:09.760 --> 0:12:14.360 in the process. The crowd erupted into chance of Palestine 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:17.440 as he was dragged away by security and in a 0:12:17.480 --> 0:12:21.400 different match at the stadium, fans chanted with spirit and blood, 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:25.040 we will redeem you Old Palestine. They chanted this in Arabic. 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:29.280 And this occurred on the International Day of Solidarity with 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:33.640 the Palestinian People November twenty nine, and it felt very poetic. 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:38.280 And then when Morocco knocked the former champions Spain out 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:41.800 of the tournament, the Moroccan team posed for the standard 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:45.679 celebratory team photo and instead of holding the Moroccan flag, 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:49.800 they all held a Palestinian one. A winning team holding 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:54.040 up the flag of another country has literally never happened before, 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:57.800 and the fact that it's a Palestinian flag, I don't know, 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:02.280 man chills. I'm upset, obsessed, but okay, I feel like 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.640 I'm going to get more rambily and distracted, So before 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:07.560 I do that, let's take a break. I could not 0:13:07.679 --> 0:13:11.040 think of a witty segue to get there, but here 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:24.920 are some ads. Okay, we're back. I also wanted to 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:29.000 mention what, in my opinion, is the most iconic image 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:35.040 of the World Cup, and that is when Baracco's Sophia 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:38.679 and Buffal was dancing with his mom after his team's 0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:43.559 brilliant upset victory over Portugal in the quarterfinals. They were 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:47.080 dancing and happy, and she's wearing a hijab, and it 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:54.079 was just this pure display of joy and um. It 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:56.600 just it felt really familiar to me, and it felt 0:13:56.640 --> 0:13:58.840 that way to a lot of Middle Easterners and Arabs 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:03.520 and Moroccans. This moment, this dancing between him and his mom, 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:06.800 it was a statement of pride and of priorities and 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:11.040 a reminder that as the mother of another great football player, 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:15.600 Zenna Dean's Don, she once said that quote, some things 0:14:15.640 --> 0:14:19.160 are bigger than football. Buffall and his mother, like the 0:14:19.200 --> 0:14:23.480 majority of Morocco's players and coaches, they live in European cities, 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:28.640 and they're part of that continent's vast, marginalized and embattled 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:33.240 migrant underclass. Again, she wore a hijab, something that she 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:36.040 would be barred from doing if she was a teacher 0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:39.960 or a public servant in France. Against all of that, 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.240 this moment on the field was captured in a moment 0:14:43.360 --> 0:14:48.400 of unbridled joy. It was so pure and so human 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.520 and just reminded everyone, I hope reminded me and my 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:56.440 family of who we are. And again, I think this 0:14:56.520 --> 0:14:59.800 is really significant when you think about the geopolitical implications 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:03.200 that we've seen during these games, with countries like Morocco 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:06.720 playing against the teams of the countries that colonize them 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:10.360 AKA when they played with France, it really feels like 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:15.680 this beautiful blossoming of culture against all odds of trying 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:21.440 to suppress it. So outside the stadiums, this theme remained 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:25.160 the same when it came to Palestinian solidarity. A Saudi 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:29.160 Arabian vendor selling flags of different countries, he went viral 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:32.400 after he was spotted giving customers an extra Palestinian flag 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.280 as a free gift with any purchase. And so this 0:15:35.400 --> 0:15:38.800 uplifting message that has been repeated time and time again 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:41.880 during this World Cup is that Palestine can never be 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.640 removed from the hearts of the people. And there are 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.960 so many heartwarming videos like the one I mentioned, and 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:51.040 I urge everyone to follow Palestinian accounts to keep up 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:54.560 if you're curious. I know the World Cup is technically 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:59.440 over now, but these videos are so fun and joyful 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:03.800 to watch. I really felt so much joy watching them. 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.000 This outpouring of support for Palestine is reminiscent of an 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:09.800 earlier time in history. When the Arab world was also 0:16:09.920 --> 0:16:13.920 united in its support for Palestine. The Palestinian cause was 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:16.920 once a driving force in the policy direction of the 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:20.000 Arab world, and it reached its zenith in the nineteen 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:23.920 sixties when nations like Syria, Jordan in Egypt they went 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.280 to war against Israel with the anti imperial objective of 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:33.160 regional Arab unity in Palestinian liberation. However, those aspirations were 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:37.200 stomped out in nineteen sixty seven when Israel quote unquote 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:40.840 one the Six Day War or the June War, which 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:44.000 is also known as the nineteen sixty seven Arab Israeli 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.880 War or the Third Arab Israeli War. Just a very 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:51.880 quick history lesson here. This war was fought between Israel 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:55.160 and a coalition of Arab states, and it ended after 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:59.480 Israeli tanks and infantry advanced on a heavily fortified region 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:03.480 of Syria called the Golden Heights. They successfully captured the 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:06.720 Goal and Heights. After this, the next day, on June 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:10.359 tenth and nine, sixty seven, a U N brokered ceasefire 0:17:10.440 --> 0:17:13.359 took effect and the Sixth Day War came to an 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:17.760 abrupt end. The casualties between the two opposing sides are 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:22.800 basically incomparable. I'm gonna say some stats here, but despair 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.400 with me. Between seven hundred and seventy six and nine 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:29.760 hundred and eighty three Israelis were killed and four thousand 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:33.840 and five hundred and seventeen were wounded. Fifteen Israeli soldiers 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:40.120 were captured. Arab casualties were far greater. Between nine thousand 0:17:40.119 --> 0:17:44.000 and eight hundred and fifteen thousand Egyptian soldiers were listed 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.800 as killed or missing in action. An additional four thousand, 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:52.120 three hundred and thirty eight Egyptian soldiers were captured. Jordanian 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:55.359 losses are estimated to be seven hundred killed in action 0:17:55.640 --> 0:17:59.280 with another two thousand and five hundred wounded. The Syrians 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.800 were estimated to have sustained between a thousand and two thousand, 0:18:02.800 --> 0:18:06.040 five hundred killed in action, between three hundred and sixty 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:11.840 seven and five Syrians were captured. It's an incomparable, an 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:15.560 insurmountable loss, and I might go as far to say 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:19.520 it was a massacre because it was so unbalanced. Casualties 0:18:19.560 --> 0:18:21.879 were also suffered by the u n e F, the 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:25.600 United Nations Emergency Force that was stationed on the Egyptian 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:29.840 side of the border. In three different episodes, Israeli forces 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:33.040 attacked a U n e F convoy as well as 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.960 camps in which un e F personnel were concentrated, as 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:39.840 well as the un e F headquarters in Gaza, and 0:18:39.880 --> 0:18:44.200 this resulted in one Brazilian peacekeeper and fourteen Indian officials 0:18:44.320 --> 0:18:48.320 killed by Israeli forces, with an additional seventeen peacekeepers wounded 0:18:48.440 --> 0:18:52.919 in both groups. That's your history lesson for today, at 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.600 least for now. But as you can't imagine that this 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:59.200 was a huge loss for the Arab world. In addition 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:02.359 to stealing the Olon Heights, this war led Israel to 0:19:02.440 --> 0:19:08.480 seizing and occupying all remaining Palestinian territories, and as you 0:19:08.520 --> 0:19:12.080 know or should know by now, Israel has maintained its 0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:15.320 control of the land at the expense of the Palestinians, 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.800 with Arab leaders not able to do much in protest 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:22.960 over these years, especially after this nineteen sixty seven loss, 0:19:23.560 --> 0:19:28.080 a lot of Arab leaders almost seemed indifferent. When we 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:32.359 fast forward to something happened that seemed like a decisive 0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:37.119 death blow to the hopes of Palestinian solidarity in the 0:19:37.160 --> 0:19:40.639 Abraham Accords were signed, and these were a series of 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:45.200 joint normalization statements between Israel and Arab countries that would 0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:49.440 theoretically pave the way for increased business and diplomatic relations. 0:19:50.440 --> 0:19:53.720 The implication was that Israel could afford to maintain it's 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:57.040 apartheid rule and still enjoy warm relations with the Arab 0:19:57.040 --> 0:20:01.320 world because their politicians, too were be to willfully neglect 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:07.040 the Palestinians. Officials from Bhayan, the UAE, and Morocco all 0:20:07.160 --> 0:20:12.000 signed the supposed quote unquote peace treaty with Israel. However, 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:15.520 as we've seen from this year's World Cup, the Arab 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:20.040 people do not agree with their politicians or their decisions. Again, 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:24.320 most of these decision makers are not elected by their people. 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:27.320 There's a lot of corruption at play, and I think 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:30.600 it's very important to always separate a government from its people, 0:20:31.280 --> 0:20:34.520 as we're seeing, especially in Iran right now, which is 0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:38.679 something that makes me very emotional and deserves to be 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:41.000 talked about more. I can't do a justice in this 0:20:41.040 --> 0:20:43.520 one sentence, but I urge you all to keep spreading 0:20:43.520 --> 0:20:47.199 awareness about Iran. Please. What they're doing to protesters is 0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:52.800 inhumane and truly medieval. Recent polls indicate that the Arab 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:57.280 public widely disapproves of the Abraham Accords, strongly disagreeing with 0:20:57.320 --> 0:21:00.679 the prospect of normalizing ties with Israel as long as 0:21:00.720 --> 0:21:04.440 the Palestinians remain oppressed. But if there were still any 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:09.160 lingering doubts that these accords our bullshit had not wanted. 0:21:09.960 --> 0:21:13.639 The experience of Israeli journalists and Clethod can be seen 0:21:13.840 --> 0:21:18.480 as this decisive confirmation that the treatment of Palestinians will 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:24.680 actually be what dictate the trajectory of normalization. Israeli journalists 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:29.440 broadcasting live have been interrupted by rallies of people chanting 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:34.359 pro Palestinian slogans and waving Palestinian flags. An Egyptian man 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:37.440 went viral after he leaned into the camera and said, 0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:43.439 live on Israeli television, Viva Palestine. Fans refusing to speak 0:21:43.480 --> 0:21:47.679 to Israeli channels has also been a hilarious common occurrence. 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:52.080 One particular exchange included Moroccan fans posing for the camera 0:21:52.520 --> 0:21:55.840 before swiftly walking off upon realizing it was for an 0:21:55.920 --> 0:22:00.399 Israeli media outlet. The reporter's response was one of shock, 0:22:00.840 --> 0:22:04.400 repeatedly citing that a piece agreement had been signed by Morocco, 0:22:04.800 --> 0:22:08.639 thereby assuming that the Moroccan people themselves endorsed the notion 0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:14.480 that Israel's crimes could be whitewashed and forgotten, and again 0:22:15.280 --> 0:22:18.119 highly recommend you watch these videos. They have brought me 0:22:18.160 --> 0:22:22.600 a joy that I haven't felt in literal years, and 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:27.440 it's just beautiful and most importantly hilarious to see. Highly recommend. 0:22:27.960 --> 0:22:31.040 There are silver lining sometimes to life, and I feel 0:22:31.040 --> 0:22:33.560 like there are enough terrible things happening where a little 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:39.479 joy is fine. And seeing Israeli journalists being accumulated, thank you, 0:22:39.640 --> 0:22:43.679 thank you world. There's a thread on Twitter of World 0:22:43.720 --> 0:22:46.840 Cup football fans refusing to speak to Israeli channels. I'll 0:22:46.840 --> 0:22:49.679 try to put that in the note somewhere, but regardless, 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:55.479 highly recommend looking up these videos. Just again, beautiful, beautiful stuff. 0:22:56.320 --> 0:23:00.200 And as I mentioned, Israeli journalists often seem bewildered as 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:03.720 to why they are being boycotted. An Israeli reporter told 0:23:03.760 --> 0:23:06.800 The New York Times, I really changed my mind here. 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:10.119 We are not human beings for them. They want to 0:23:10.160 --> 0:23:14.200 wipe us out from the map, which is obviously not true. 0:23:14.800 --> 0:23:17.639 And language like this is one of many Zionist talking 0:23:17.680 --> 0:23:22.560 points that are all stupid. And while Israeli journalists speculated 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:25.760 about being wiped out. That is, in fact, the lived 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:30.800 reality for Palestinians under Israeli rule. Also, there is a 0:23:30.880 --> 0:23:32.840 video that was captured, and I'm sure there are many 0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:36.000 more instances like this where it was not captured on video, 0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:40.600 but the Israeli police were violently cracking down on Palestinians, 0:23:40.640 --> 0:23:45.439 including children, who were celebrating Morocco's previous winds and occupied 0:23:45.480 --> 0:23:49.680 East Jerusalem. They were celebrating Morocco becoming the first African 0:23:49.760 --> 0:23:53.720 or air country to reach the semifinals, and they were 0:23:53.800 --> 0:23:57.080 literally beaten up. There's no defense in this video. That's 0:23:57.080 --> 0:23:59.080 the thing that I can't get over is the I 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:01.360 d F facts in a way that is so indefensible 0:24:01.760 --> 0:24:04.600 and so obvious. And you can say that maybe the 0:24:04.640 --> 0:24:08.159 similar things about the police here. It's mind blowing that 0:24:08.200 --> 0:24:13.080 they've been able to terrorize Palestinians for basically a century now. 0:24:13.760 --> 0:24:17.560 I also want to play this video. Well, you're gonna 0:24:17.600 --> 0:24:21.679 hear the audio. There's a Palestinian activist online that I 0:24:21.760 --> 0:24:26.560 really admire. He's always posting really great things, and he 0:24:26.760 --> 0:24:29.639 sometimes post funny things which are very funny. But his 0:24:29.720 --> 0:24:35.160 name is Saha and his handle is sp ei h 0:24:35.200 --> 0:24:38.560 dot jpg and there is a video that he posted 0:24:38.600 --> 0:24:43.240 about basically what Israel has been doing just throughout even 0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:46.639 the past week when this World Cup is happening, and 0:24:46.680 --> 0:24:49.159 I feel like he'll say it better than me paraphrasing it, 0:24:49.280 --> 0:24:51.879 so here he is. Let's go through everything Israel has 0:24:51.920 --> 0:24:54.360 been doing to Palestinians in the past week or so, 0:24:54.720 --> 0:24:57.800 during all this hype of Morocco making it to the semifinals. 0:24:57.880 --> 0:25:00.400 And these are the reasons why so many people are 0:25:00.480 --> 0:25:03.200 carrying and waving the Palestinian flag at the World Cup 0:25:03.280 --> 0:25:06.160 right now, including the Moroccan team after their matches. First, 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:10.520 we have Palestinians who are celebrating Morocco's winds being attacked 0:25:10.560 --> 0:25:13.320 by Israeli occupation forces. They're out here waving the Morocco 0:25:13.400 --> 0:25:15.720 flag trying to celebrate with them, and of course it 0:25:15.760 --> 0:25:18.280 has to be cut short with Israeli soldiers coming and 0:25:18.600 --> 0:25:21.080 hitting everyone. Then we have a sixteen year old child 0:25:21.160 --> 0:25:23.400 named Jennez Kadine who was on the roof of her 0:25:23.400 --> 0:25:26.520 house when she was shot in the face by Israeli 0:25:26.560 --> 0:25:29.479 forces during another illegal raid of the city of Genine. 0:25:29.520 --> 0:25:32.000 We have another sixteen year old Palestinian child, a boy 0:25:32.080 --> 0:25:35.119 named Theei Maui, who was also killed by Israeli forces 0:25:35.160 --> 0:25:37.199 in west of Romola. On top of those two, we 0:25:37.280 --> 0:25:41.119 have four Palestinian men also killed by Israeli forces Jehad 0:25:41.160 --> 0:25:46.760 Hamid Ladak damage and set. Israeli forces demolished another Palestinian 0:25:46.880 --> 0:25:50.480 home in a town near Jericho, then another Palestine home 0:25:50.800 --> 0:25:54.600 in the town of Laban. Israeli occupation forces fired tear 0:25:54.680 --> 0:25:58.159 gas at journalists who were covering the Palestinian protests against 0:25:58.200 --> 0:26:01.159