Speaker 1: Who who, and welcome to it could happen here. My
Speaker 1: name is Sharene and today you are stuck with me. Yes,
Speaker 1: what a treat for all of you beautiful people out there.
Speaker 1: I've been wanting to do an episode about the World
Speaker 1: Cup for a while, but I felt like there was
Speaker 1: just so much to cover, and it was also happening
Speaker 1: in real time, so I wanted to wait a bit
Speaker 1: so I could have enough stuff to pull from. I
Speaker 1: will say I am recording this on Monday, December nineteenth.
Speaker 1: It is the day after the weekend where France lost
Speaker 1: to Argentina, and Argentina are now our World Cup champions.
Speaker 1: I'm happy about that. And then Morocco did lose last
Speaker 1: week to France, which was devastating to me and my
Speaker 1: family and the rest of the Arab world because we
Speaker 1: would have loved to see them beat their colonizers, but
Speaker 1: they got really far, and I want to talk about
Speaker 1: the impact that that's had. They did coming forth when
Speaker 1: they lost to Croatia this weekend as well, so just
Speaker 1: in case y'all needed to know that. But I will
Speaker 1: say I am really happy for Argentina, and maybe it
Speaker 1: was because Morocco lost to France, but I wasn't mad
Speaker 1: seeing France losing, and all the celebrations I've seen from
Speaker 1: people celebrating Argentina have been so heartwarming and yeah, but anyway,
Speaker 1: I wanted to focus on something that I think has
Speaker 1: been so unprecedented and beautiful and singular and I think
Speaker 1: deserves more coverage, and that is this show of Palestinian
Speaker 1: solidarity that has been happening during the World Cup. It
Speaker 1: is so cool, and I want to talk about why
Speaker 1: it's happening, the circumstances that could lead to this happening,
Speaker 1: and what it means, because I think it's very significant
Speaker 1: moving forward, what it comes to Palestinian rights since Palestinian support.
Speaker 1: So let's get into it. There's a great article by
Speaker 1: British Palestinian writer Hamzalisha titled Palestine is the biggest winner
Speaker 1: at this year's World Cup. And this article did such
Speaker 1: a good job compiling some key moments, so I'm going
Speaker 1: to be referencing from it a lot as we continue
Speaker 1: this episode. Okay, here we go. Despite the Western media
Speaker 1: doing its best to ignore it, the World Cup has
Speaker 1: seen a huge tidal wave of Palestinian solidarity and it's
Speaker 1: united the Arab world in a really special way, and
Speaker 1: also highlighted just how many people Arab and non Arab
Speaker 1: alike support the Palestinian cause and so, not to be
Speaker 1: too cheesy, the biggest winners of this World Cup, in
Speaker 1: my opinion, have even had a team at all competing,
Speaker 1: and that's the Palestinians. The World Cup has been characterized
Speaker 1: by unforeseeable developments and dramatic quote unquote up sets, which
Speaker 1: it's a word I don't even really like, even if
Speaker 1: it's grammatically correct when it's used in fucking sports jargon.
Speaker 1: But I don't like it because it kind of sounds
Speaker 1: like a bad thing because it's like upset who But really,
Speaker 1: I think surprises like this are a really good thing
Speaker 1: because what these upsets usually mean is simply that the
Speaker 1: underdog one, which is a narrative I will always support.
Speaker 1: So these surprises really started with Argentina's lost to Saudi Arabia,
Speaker 1: which shocked everyone. The faces in the stadium, draws on
Speaker 1: the floor, everyone was shocked. I watched it with my mom.
Speaker 1: It was it was incredible and it was truly a
Speaker 1: beautiful game. I highly recommend you at least watch some
Speaker 1: clips from it. It was fucking cool. And I don't know,
Speaker 1: it came out of nowhere, was really beautiful. And after
Speaker 1: this victory, Kingston, man of Saudi Arabia, ordered that day
Speaker 1: that they won a public holiday. To say the least,
Speaker 1: everyone was losing their minds and these surprises seemed to
Speaker 1: be endless in this World Cup, mostly because, as I said,
Speaker 1: the obvious teams were losing to the underdogs. And coming
Speaker 1: out of this one of the most consistent themes has
Speaker 1: been this overarching Palestinian solidarity that has unfolded, particularly among
Speaker 1: fans of Arab nations. World Cup was already significant on
Speaker 1: its own. It's held Inta, making it the first World
Speaker 1: Cup to be held in the Arab world in the
Speaker 1: Muslim world, and only the second held entirely in Asia
Speaker 1: after the two thousand two tournaments in South Korea and Japan.
Speaker 1: The Arab world is obsessed with soccer. An understatement to
Speaker 1: say obsessed, I should you not. It's a huge part
Speaker 1: of Arab culture, Middle Eastern culture, and so this was
Speaker 1: already a huge deal to start with. And I think
Speaker 1: these two things together, the fact that it's very cultural
Speaker 1: and the fact that this is the first time it's
Speaker 1: been on an Arab stage I think these two things
Speaker 1: together created seed for Arabs and Middle Easterners to really
Speaker 1: come together in a way we've never really seen. And
Speaker 1: this first World Cup in the Arab World has captured
Speaker 1: in this symbolic way, this reality where Western powers have
Speaker 1: receded in the face of their challengers Morocco. They reached
Speaker 1: the semifinals and they played France, their colonizers, which was
Speaker 1: so symbolic. Saudi Arabia humiliated one of the tournament favorites, Argentina,
Speaker 1: and then Tunisia did the same to its former colonizer
Speaker 1: France Japan. They beat Germany and Spain. This traditional power
Speaker 1: and balance in global soccer and what it means for geopolitics,
Speaker 1: I feel like it can no longer be taken for
Speaker 1: granted or ignored. As many as five million Moroccans live abroad,
Speaker 1: mostly in Europe, and they've celebrated the team's victories in
Speaker 1: huge street celebrations in France and Belgium and Spain and
Speaker 1: the Netherlands, and just internationally. For Moroccans living outside of
Speaker 1: Morocco and for so many other migrants from the Arab
Speaker 1: world or Africa, they've been driven by decades of desperation
Speaker 1: in their home countries to risk everything to reach Europe,
Speaker 1: only to suffer abuse and contempt. So this achievement after
Speaker 1: achievement was a huge pivotal milestone. And I think this
Speaker 1: drive has been coupled with the show of Palestinian pride
Speaker 1: in Clethod as well. There was no Palestinian team at
Speaker 1: the World Cup, and yet the Palestinian flag was everywhere,
Speaker 1: not only in the hands of celebrating Moroccan players and fans,
Speaker 1: but also at every game and on the streets of Dacha,
Speaker 1: and it was just overwhelming and so amazing to see.
Speaker 1: And these displays they shocked some Israeli journalists, who had
Speaker 1: been assured by their own government that the U S
Speaker 1: broker Abraham Accords that had happened between Israel and Morocco
Speaker 1: and other Arab states. They thought that this signaled that
Speaker 1: the Arab world had relinquished any pretense of advocacy for
Speaker 1: Palestinian rights. But as we see with a lot of sports,
Speaker 1: soccer creates its own form of civil society, and especially
Speaker 1: because it's a huge international game in a way that
Speaker 1: no other sport really is, and also being played in
Speaker 1: a region where civil society has largely been suppressed by authoritarians.
Speaker 1: It's made it clear in this World Cup that the
Speaker 1: Arab public is not willing to follow their unelected leaders
Speaker 1: and accepting the brutality against Palestinians and what human rights
Speaker 1: organizations have called Israel's apartheid system a k a. Israel's
Speaker 1: ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, violence, brutality, murder. The list can
Speaker 1: go on. I'm sure you've heard me on my soapbox before,
Speaker 1: but it always bears repeating. My point is that the
Speaker 1: Arab public and the people in these Arab nations do
Speaker 1: not represent and do not necessarily believe in these leaders
Speaker 1: that again they did not elect. It's all authoritarian dictatorships
Speaker 1: and just corrupt government that I mean, we can get
Speaker 1: into history another time, but the disablement of so many
Speaker 1: of these governments have been because of the Western world,
Speaker 1: say the least, I don't know, different episode. I'm getting distracted, sorry.
Speaker 1: Even countries that did not qualify for the World Cup
Speaker 1: are surging with this united pride and pro Palestinian sentiment.
Speaker 1: The Palestinian cause is obviously near and dear to the
Speaker 1: hearts of many Arabs across the world. And again, not
Speaker 1: only is this the first time the World Cup has
Speaker 1: been hosted in an Arab country. It's also probably the
Speaker 1: first time there has been such a large gathering and
Speaker 1: concentration of Arabs across nationalities gathered all in one place.
Speaker 1: And again at almost every single game, there have been
Speaker 1: fans holding the Palestinian flag or banners that say Free
Speaker 1: Palestine in the stadium. In their matches against Australia and
Speaker 1: Belgium respectively, Tunisia and Moroccan fans each unfurled a huge
Speaker 1: Free Palestine flag in the forty eight minute, which is
Speaker 1: very significant because this is in reference to the nineteen Necba,
Speaker 1: which translates to the catastrophe. The Neckba deserves millions of
Speaker 1: episodes on its own, but essentially it was the mass
Speaker 1: expulsion and ethnic cleansing of at least seven hundred and
Speaker 1: fifty thousand Palestinian refugees in ninety eight when the state
Speaker 1: of Israel was formed. A side note that I do
Speaker 1: want to mention here is that there's an incredible film
Speaker 1: on Netflix right now that you should all go watch.
Speaker 1: It's called Fara f A r h A. It's about
Speaker 1: the Neckba, and there's never been a film like this before.
Speaker 1: And the Israeli government has been doing this like smear
Speaker 1: campaigned against it and has been calling it all sorts
Speaker 1: of terrible things. But the other side, Palestinian supporters and Palestinians,
Speaker 1: they've made it so successful. They've outdone the haters I
Speaker 1: guess to say the least, and it's doing really well.
Speaker 1: And it's because of these supporters that is doing so well.
Speaker 1: So I mean, sorry to get a little bit tangential here,
Speaker 1: but I really encourage you to watch Fudha on Netflix
Speaker 1: right now. There's never been a film about this catastrophe
Speaker 1: the NBA, so I highly encourage everyone to watch or
Speaker 1: even just like put it on in the background while
Speaker 1: you're doing something else so it counts as views. Just
Speaker 1: keep supporting it. I I think this is a really
Speaker 1: important time and it feels really significant that this is
Speaker 1: all happening at the same time. So anyway, go watch
Speaker 1: that film. But Tunisia and Moroccan fans each at the
Speaker 1: forty minute, in reference to this catastrophe, they unfurled this
Speaker 1: huge free Palestine flag, and by waving that Palestinian flag,
Speaker 1: Moroccan ends and players expressed a very public descent from
Speaker 1: the choices of their government and of the Western Powers
Speaker 1: and as well as other Arab autocrats to abandon the
Speaker 1: Palestinians to their fate, and as they advanced, Morocco was
Speaker 1: able to sustain the attention on these issues, and their
Speaker 1: players proved time and time again that they are more
Speaker 1: than deserving to be playing on this world stage. Morocco
Speaker 1: was also the first African team to make the semifinals
Speaker 1: of the World Cup, which is also a significant achievement
Speaker 1: and a lovely slap in the face to anyone who
Speaker 1: doubted them. The Moroccan defense was incredible, maybe some of
Speaker 1: the best defense I've ever seen, but due to soccer's globalization,
Speaker 1: the top players in soccer have for decades all played
Speaker 1: in Europe's elite leagues, and this was the first World
Speaker 1: Cup in which all five African teams were coached by
Speaker 1: African coaches rather than by European ones, and Morocco's coach
Speaker 1: in particular appears to have made in a exceptionable difference.
Speaker 1: During Tunisia's game against France, a Genesian fan ran onto
Speaker 1: the pitch and he waved a Palestinian flag, cart wheeling
Speaker 1: in the process. The crowd erupted into chance of Palestine
Speaker 1: as he was dragged away by security and in a
Speaker 1: different match at the stadium, fans chanted with spirit and blood,
Speaker 1: we will redeem you Old Palestine. They chanted this in Arabic.
Speaker 1: And this occurred on the International Day of Solidarity with
Speaker 1: the Palestinian People November twenty nine, and it felt very poetic.
Speaker 1: And then when Morocco knocked the former champions Spain out
Speaker 1: of the tournament, the Moroccan team posed for the standard
Speaker 1: celebratory team photo and instead of holding the Moroccan flag,
Speaker 1: they all held a Palestinian one. A winning team holding
Speaker 1: up the flag of another country has literally never happened before,
Speaker 1: and the fact that it's a Palestinian flag, I don't know,
Speaker 1: man chills. I'm upset, obsessed, but okay, I feel like
Speaker 1: I'm going to get more rambily and distracted, So before
Speaker 1: I do that, let's take a break. I could not
Speaker 1: think of a witty segue to get there, but here
Speaker 1: are some ads. Okay, we're back. I also wanted to
Speaker 1: mention what, in my opinion, is the most iconic image
Speaker 1: of the World Cup, and that is when Baracco's Sophia
Speaker 1: and Buffal was dancing with his mom after his team's
Speaker 1: brilliant upset victory over Portugal in the quarterfinals. They were
Speaker 1: dancing and happy, and she's wearing a hijab, and it
Speaker 1: was just this pure display of joy and um. It
Speaker 1: just it felt really familiar to me, and it felt
Speaker 1: that way to a lot of Middle Easterners and Arabs
Speaker 1: and Moroccans. This moment, this dancing between him and his mom,
Speaker 1: it was a statement of pride and of priorities and
Speaker 1: a reminder that as the mother of another great football player,
Speaker 1: Zenna Dean's Don, she once said that quote, some things
Speaker 1: are bigger than football. Buffall and his mother, like the
Speaker 1: majority of Morocco's players and coaches, they live in European cities,
Speaker 1: and they're part of that continent's vast, marginalized and embattled
Speaker 1: migrant underclass. Again, she wore a hijab, something that she
Speaker 1: would be barred from doing if she was a teacher
Speaker 1: or a public servant in France. Against all of that,
Speaker 1: this moment on the field was captured in a moment
Speaker 1: of unbridled joy. It was so pure and so human
Speaker 1: and just reminded everyone, I hope reminded me and my
Speaker 1: family of who we are. And again, I think this
Speaker 1: is really significant when you think about the geopolitical implications
Speaker 1: that we've seen during these games, with countries like Morocco
Speaker 1: playing against the teams of the countries that colonize them
Speaker 1: AKA when they played with France, it really feels like
Speaker 1: this beautiful blossoming of culture against all odds of trying
Speaker 1: to suppress it. So outside the stadiums, this theme remained
Speaker 1: the same when it came to Palestinian solidarity. A Saudi
Speaker 1: Arabian vendor selling flags of different countries, he went viral
Speaker 1: after he was spotted giving customers an extra Palestinian flag
Speaker 1: as a free gift with any purchase. And so this
Speaker 1: uplifting message that has been repeated time and time again
Speaker 1: during this World Cup is that Palestine can never be
Speaker 1: removed from the hearts of the people. And there are
Speaker 1: so many heartwarming videos like the one I mentioned, and
Speaker 1: I urge everyone to follow Palestinian accounts to keep up
Speaker 1: if you're curious. I know the World Cup is technically
Speaker 1: over now, but these videos are so fun and joyful
Speaker 1: to watch. I really felt so much joy watching them.
Speaker 1: This outpouring of support for Palestine is reminiscent of an
Speaker 1: earlier time in history. When the Arab world was also
Speaker 1: united in its support for Palestine. The Palestinian cause was
Speaker 1: once a driving force in the policy direction of the
Speaker 1: Arab world, and it reached its zenith in the nineteen
Speaker 1: sixties when nations like Syria, Jordan in Egypt they went
Speaker 1: to war against Israel with the anti imperial objective of
Speaker 1: regional Arab unity in Palestinian liberation. However, those aspirations were
Speaker 1: stomped out in nineteen sixty seven when Israel quote unquote
Speaker 1: one the Six Day War or the June War, which
Speaker 1: is also known as the nineteen sixty seven Arab Israeli
Speaker 1: War or the Third Arab Israeli War. Just a very
Speaker 1: quick history lesson here. This war was fought between Israel
Speaker 1: and a coalition of Arab states, and it ended after
Speaker 1: Israeli tanks and infantry advanced on a heavily fortified region
Speaker 1: of Syria called the Golden Heights. They successfully captured the
Speaker 1: Goal and Heights. After this, the next day, on June
Speaker 1: tenth and nine, sixty seven, a U N brokered ceasefire
Speaker 1: took effect and the Sixth Day War came to an
Speaker 1: abrupt end. The casualties between the two opposing sides are
Speaker 1: basically incomparable. I'm gonna say some stats here, but despair
Speaker 1: with me. Between seven hundred and seventy six and nine
Speaker 1: hundred and eighty three Israelis were killed and four thousand
Speaker 1: and five hundred and seventeen were wounded. Fifteen Israeli soldiers
Speaker 1: were captured. Arab casualties were far greater. Between nine thousand
Speaker 1: and eight hundred and fifteen thousand Egyptian soldiers were listed
Speaker 1: as killed or missing in action. An additional four thousand,
Speaker 1: three hundred and thirty eight Egyptian soldiers were captured. Jordanian
Speaker 1: losses are estimated to be seven hundred killed in action
Speaker 1: with another two thousand and five hundred wounded. The Syrians
Speaker 1: were estimated to have sustained between a thousand and two thousand,
Speaker 1: five hundred killed in action, between three hundred and sixty
Speaker 1: seven and five Syrians were captured. It's an incomparable, an
Speaker 1: insurmountable loss, and I might go as far to say
Speaker 1: it was a massacre because it was so unbalanced. Casualties
Speaker 1: were also suffered by the u n e F, the
Speaker 1: United Nations Emergency Force that was stationed on the Egyptian
Speaker 1: side of the border. In three different episodes, Israeli forces
Speaker 1: attacked a U n e F convoy as well as
Speaker 1: camps in which un e F personnel were concentrated, as
Speaker 1: well as the un e F headquarters in Gaza, and
Speaker 1: this resulted in one Brazilian peacekeeper and fourteen Indian officials
Speaker 1: killed by Israeli forces, with an additional seventeen peacekeepers wounded
Speaker 1: in both groups. That's your history lesson for today, at
Speaker 1: least for now. But as you can't imagine that this
Speaker 1: was a huge loss for the Arab world. In addition
Speaker 1: to stealing the Olon Heights, this war led Israel to
Speaker 1: seizing and occupying all remaining Palestinian territories, and as you
Speaker 1: know or should know by now, Israel has maintained its
Speaker 1: control of the land at the expense of the Palestinians,
Speaker 1: with Arab leaders not able to do much in protest
Speaker 1: over these years, especially after this nineteen sixty seven loss,
Speaker 1: a lot of Arab leaders almost seemed indifferent. When we
Speaker 1: fast forward to something happened that seemed like a decisive
Speaker 1: death blow to the hopes of Palestinian solidarity in the
Speaker 1: Abraham Accords were signed, and these were a series of
Speaker 1: joint normalization statements between Israel and Arab countries that would
Speaker 1: theoretically pave the way for increased business and diplomatic relations.
Speaker 1: The implication was that Israel could afford to maintain it's
Speaker 1: apartheid rule and still enjoy warm relations with the Arab
Speaker 1: world because their politicians, too were be to willfully neglect
Speaker 1: the Palestinians. Officials from Bhayan, the UAE, and Morocco all
Speaker 1: signed the supposed quote unquote peace treaty with Israel. However,
Speaker 1: as we've seen from this year's World Cup, the Arab
Speaker 1: people do not agree with their politicians or their decisions. Again,
Speaker 1: most of these decision makers are not elected by their people.
Speaker 1: There's a lot of corruption at play, and I think
Speaker 1: it's very important to always separate a government from its people,
Speaker 1: as we're seeing, especially in Iran right now, which is
Speaker 1: something that makes me very emotional and deserves to be
Speaker 1: talked about more. I can't do a justice in this
Speaker 1: one sentence, but I urge you all to keep spreading
Speaker 1: awareness about Iran. Please. What they're doing to protesters is
Speaker 1: inhumane and truly medieval. Recent polls indicate that the Arab
Speaker 1: public widely disapproves of the Abraham Accords, strongly disagreeing with
Speaker 1: the prospect of normalizing ties with Israel as long as
Speaker 1: the Palestinians remain oppressed. But if there were still any
Speaker 1: lingering doubts that these accords our bullshit had not wanted.
Speaker 1: The experience of Israeli journalists and Clethod can be seen
Speaker 1: as this decisive confirmation that the treatment of Palestinians will
Speaker 1: actually be what dictate the trajectory of normalization. Israeli journalists
Speaker 1: broadcasting live have been interrupted by rallies of people chanting
Speaker 1: pro Palestinian slogans and waving Palestinian flags. An Egyptian man
Speaker 1: went viral after he leaned into the camera and said,
Speaker 1: live on Israeli television, Viva Palestine. Fans refusing to speak
Speaker 1: to Israeli channels has also been a hilarious common occurrence.
Speaker 1: One particular exchange included Moroccan fans posing for the camera
Speaker 1: before swiftly walking off upon realizing it was for an
Speaker 1: Israeli media outlet. The reporter's response was one of shock,
Speaker 1: repeatedly citing that a piece agreement had been signed by Morocco,
Speaker 1: thereby assuming that the Moroccan people themselves endorsed the notion
Speaker 1: that Israel's crimes could be whitewashed and forgotten, and again
Speaker 1: highly recommend you watch these videos. They have brought me
Speaker 1: a joy that I haven't felt in literal years, and
Speaker 1: it's just beautiful and most importantly hilarious to see. Highly recommend.
Speaker 1: There are silver lining sometimes to life, and I feel
Speaker 1: like there are enough terrible things happening where a little
Speaker 1: joy is fine. And seeing Israeli journalists being accumulated, thank you,
Speaker 1: thank you world. There's a thread on Twitter of World
Speaker 1: Cup football fans refusing to speak to Israeli channels. I'll
Speaker 1: try to put that in the note somewhere, but regardless,
Speaker 1: highly recommend looking up these videos. Just again, beautiful, beautiful stuff.
Speaker 1: And as I mentioned, Israeli journalists often seem bewildered as
Speaker 1: to why they are being boycotted. An Israeli reporter told
Speaker 1: The New York Times, I really changed my mind here.
Speaker 1: We are not human beings for them. They want to
Speaker 1: wipe us out from the map, which is obviously not true.
Speaker 1: And language like this is one of many Zionist talking
Speaker 1: points that are all stupid. And while Israeli journalists speculated
Speaker 1: about being wiped out. That is, in fact, the lived
Speaker 1: reality for Palestinians under Israeli rule. Also, there is a
Speaker 1: video that was captured, and I'm sure there are many
Speaker 1: more instances like this where it was not captured on video,
Speaker 1: but the Israeli police were violently cracking down on Palestinians,
Speaker 1: including children, who were celebrating Morocco's previous winds and occupied
Speaker 1: East Jerusalem. They were celebrating Morocco becoming the first African
Speaker 1: or air country to reach the semifinals, and they were
Speaker 1: literally beaten up. There's no defense in this video. That's
Speaker 1: the thing that I can't get over is the I
Speaker 1: d F facts in a way that is so indefensible
Speaker 1: and so obvious. And you can say that maybe the
Speaker 1: similar things about the police here. It's mind blowing that
Speaker 1: they've been able to terrorize Palestinians for basically a century now.
Speaker 1: I also want to play this video. Well, you're gonna
Speaker 1: hear the audio. There's a Palestinian activist online that I
Speaker 1: really admire. He's always posting really great things, and he
Speaker 1: sometimes post funny things which are very funny. But his
Speaker 1: name is Saha and his handle is sp ei h
Speaker 1: dot jpg and there is a video that he posted
Speaker 1: about basically what Israel has been doing just throughout even
Speaker 1: the past week when this World Cup is happening, and
Speaker 1: I feel like he'll say it better than me paraphrasing it,
Speaker 1: so here he is. Let's go through everything Israel has
Speaker 1: been doing to Palestinians in the past week or so,
Speaker 1: during all this hype of Morocco making it to the semifinals.
Speaker 1: And these are the reasons why so many people are
Speaker 1: carrying and waving the Palestinian flag at the World Cup
Speaker 1: right now, including the Moroccan team after their matches. First,
Speaker 1: we have Palestinians who are celebrating Morocco's winds being attacked
Speaker 1: by Israeli occupation forces. They're out here waving the Morocco
Speaker 1: flag trying to celebrate with them, and of course it
Speaker 1: has to be cut short with Israeli soldiers coming and
Speaker 1: hitting everyone. Then we have a sixteen year old child
Speaker 1: named Jennez Kadine who was on the roof of her
Speaker 1: house when she was shot in the face by Israeli
Speaker 1: forces during another illegal raid of the city of Genine.
Speaker 1: We have another sixteen year old Palestinian child, a boy
Speaker 1: named Theei Maui, who was also killed by Israeli forces
Speaker 1: in west of Romola. On top of those two, we
Speaker 1: have four Palestinian men also killed by Israeli forces Jehad
Speaker 1: Hamid Ladak damage and set. Israeli forces demolished another Palestinian
Speaker 1: home in a town near Jericho, then another Palestine home
Speaker 1: in the town of Laban. Israeli occupation forces fired tear
Speaker 1: gas at journalists who were covering the Palestinian protests against
Speaker 1: the illegal Israeli settlement X mansions in the town of
Speaker 1: Bid Desion. You'd think that we're done, but there's more.
Speaker 1: We have an Israeli soldier brutally beating a young Palestinian
Speaker 1: man in Nablis. The soldier sits on top of him
Speaker 1: and punches him in the head. And east of Hebron,
Speaker 1: Israeli forces cut down fifty olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers.
Speaker 1: And of course Israeli settlers continue to break into an
Speaker 1: ups some moss under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
Speaker 1: This is why everyone's living in the Palestinian flag at
Speaker 1: the World Cup. This is why that tun Asian man
Speaker 1: randomly ran through the match with the Palestinian flag, or
Speaker 1: why Israeli reporters are being ignored and shunned. These are
Speaker 1: the reasons. Why not because anti Semitism is because Israel
Speaker 1: is literally killing Palestinians. You'd rather just blame it all
Speaker 1: on anti Semitism instead of simply holding Israel accountable for
Speaker 1: their actions. Everything I just listed happened in the past
Speaker 1: like ten days, putting aside everything that Israel has been
Speaker 1: doing the Palestinians for the past almost a hundred years now,
Speaker 1: so don't be surprised when people stand with the people
Speaker 1: of Palestine. Last week marked six months since El Jazira
Speaker 1: journalist Sharine was assassinated by Israeli forces, and while her
Speaker 1: death did attract more coverage than as usual in part
Speaker 1: of her being an American citizen, it was unfortunately not
Speaker 1: an exception. Since the year two thousand fifty, Palestinian journalists
Speaker 1: have been murdered many many more civilians, including children, have
Speaker 1: been murdered. So if media representatives or journalists from an
Speaker 1: apartheid state can't seem to understand why the reception to
Speaker 1: their presence has been so cold, they just are better
Speaker 1: off examining why that is and why their government is
Speaker 1: actually the one attempting to wipe a people off the map.
Speaker 1: Even in the weeks during this World Cup, Israel has
Speaker 1: killed multiple Palestinians, has murdered multiple Palestinians. They killed a
Speaker 1: sixteen year old girl when she was on her roof
Speaker 1: searching for her cat. She was shot four times, twice
Speaker 1: in the head. How can you justify that they're claiming
Speaker 1: it was an accident. But it's similar to what police
Speaker 1: say here when they shoot someone multiple times in the
Speaker 1: back and then blame it on the person that they murdered,
Speaker 1: in the family, that they destroyed X Y Z, etcetera, etcetera.
Speaker 1: And just to put it in perspective, Israeli forces have
Speaker 1: killed over two hundred and fifteen Palestinians this year, making
Speaker 1: it the deadliest year and over a decade. Israel is
Speaker 1: the one who does not see Palestinians, as has proven
Speaker 1: time and time again by their actions as human beings.
Speaker 1: Something so significant is that the public support of Palestinian
Speaker 1: solidarity has not been confined to only fans of Arab nations.
Speaker 1: Brazilian fans also proudly raised the Palestinian flag, and Uruguay
Speaker 1: supporters have been spotted dotting the Kofeia, which is the
Speaker 1: symbolic black and white scarf that has become a symbol
Speaker 1: of Palestinian resistance. And they're also wearing pro Palestinian shirts
Speaker 1: with fans insisting the Palestinian people deserve freedom. One clip
Speaker 1: that also went viral and social media featured an English
Speaker 1: fan who, during an interview with an Arabic channel, confessed
Speaker 1: that as Arabic wasn't really that strong, and then he
Speaker 1: shouted free Palestine and great Arabic and then he broke
Speaker 1: into this free, free, free chant with everyone around him
Speaker 1: again joyful, beautiful stuff. That just proves that this kind
Speaker 1: of support works, and it grows and it spreads, and
Speaker 1: so all of this really goes to show is that
Speaker 1: while Arab governments have been normalizing relations with Israel, that
Speaker 1: sentiment is not reflected in the streets, and Arabs and
Speaker 1: non Arabs alike are more passionate than ever about the
Speaker 1: Palestinian cause. Some Palestinians living in Cuthold have referred to
Speaker 1: the World Cup as a quote golden opportunity to introduce
Speaker 1: our cause, and this intent has been received enthusiastically, to
Speaker 1: say the least. And yet in the face of such
Speaker 1: an unavoidable talking point, there's been a striking, if not unsurprising,
Speaker 1: radio silence from Western media. It's a huge reason why
Speaker 1: I wanted to talk about this in an episode. I
Speaker 1: found it so strange that my family and friends who
Speaker 1: were tuned into the World Cup, we're constantly talking about
Speaker 1: something that hasn't been covered at all by Western media,
Speaker 1: at least not in a real honest way. If anything,
Speaker 1: the World Cup has ignited a Islamophobic and orientalists tropes
Speaker 1: in some Western news coverage, which I think is so shameful.
Speaker 1: For example, I'm going to go through a little list
Speaker 1: that Al Jazeera shared. A Dutch newspaper blished a cartoon
Speaker 1: of Moroccan men stealing the World Cup trophy. And this image,
Speaker 1: they're on a bike and they're grabbing this trophy from
Speaker 1: a white man. They're depicted as not white, obviously, and
Speaker 1: it just reinforces these stereotypes of young Arab men in
Speaker 1: the Netherlands being seen as criminals. Another example is okay,
Speaker 1: so when Muslims put up an index finger, it's what
Speaker 1: we call dak weed, which is to signify the oneness
Speaker 1: of God, because Islam there's only one God. Just like
Speaker 1: all the Big Three as far as religions go. But
Speaker 1: when these Muslim teams are winning, the gestures from the players,
Speaker 1: like sometimes you'll see a player raising an index finger
Speaker 1: or raising two index fingers, and so this fucking German
Speaker 1: TV news anchor responded to Morocco success by suggesting that
Speaker 1: these players that are raising their index fingers are showing
Speaker 1: support for ISIS. And some fans have responded to this
Speaker 1: with humor, but at the same time it's like you're
Speaker 1: laughing only because it's sad and maddening. Another example is
Speaker 1: a cartoon in a French newspaper. It depicted Cathos national
Speaker 1: team as bearded caricatures that were playing soccer holding rifles
Speaker 1: and machetes. Is such an ugly cartoon and I have
Speaker 1: no idea why they insist on making these artistic depictions.
Speaker 1: I think they know because it's gone people riled up
Speaker 1: in the past. It's almost like they're like poking the bear.
Speaker 1: So it's kind of annoying. That's so childish in my opinion,
Speaker 1: but again, terrible depiction of Arabs. What's new. And then
Speaker 1: another example is a photo caption in a British newspaper
Speaker 1: stated that Cathodes are not used to seeing women in
Speaker 1: Western clothing, when in reality about eight seven percent of
Speaker 1: Cathos population is other countries, including Western ones, and this
Speaker 1: caption was later removed. Another example, yes there's still more,
Speaker 1: is that a French journalist joked about there being a
Speaker 1: lot of Mosques in clod as if that was something
Speaker 1: like notable to be aware of. Yeah, no ship, people
Speaker 1: are sucking Muslim And then a Danish TV channel literally
Speaker 1: compared Morocco's players who were celebrating by hugging their mothers
Speaker 1: on the field, they compared them with monkeys. On live
Speaker 1: television TV two news. They showed a segment in which
Speaker 1: the anchor Sore and Lippert he held up an image
Speaker 1: of monkeys embracing while talking about Morocco's national team players
Speaker 1: hugging their mothers. And while comparing black and brown people
Speaker 1: with monkeys is a common, unsurprising racist trope, it was
Speaker 1: still pretty upsetting to see what happened in this year
Speaker 1: of two whatever. I just the obvious orientalist nature of
Speaker 1: Western news really um came out in full force for
Speaker 1: some of this coverage. But yeah, I just think these
Speaker 1: kind of depictions and coverage it reinforces stereotypes that are
Speaker 1: harmful and shameful, and it further makes immigrants and people
Speaker 1: of color in countries that they immigranate to just get terrorized.
Speaker 1: And I just wanted to bring up some examples to
Speaker 1: remind you that news sucks most of the time. Okay,
Speaker 1: the World Cup and all the joy and pride that's
Speaker 1: come from it is all my family, and I'm sure
Speaker 1: most air families have talked about for the last month,
Speaker 1: and I feel like it barely registers here. You have
Speaker 1: no idea how happy I've seen my parents, and my
Speaker 1: mom in particular, just text me updates, are watching a
Speaker 1: game with me. We're all so united in a way
Speaker 1: that I haven't felt before, and it's just really beautiful.
Speaker 1: And I and do that borders are all made up
Speaker 1: and in the end, we're all the same people fighting
Speaker 1: for the same things. Notoriously, large sections of US and
Speaker 1: British media have engaged in the practice at deceptive framing
Speaker 1: and untrue coverage when it comes to covering Israel's treatment
Speaker 1: of Palestinians. We've seen this in inaccurate headlines, the twisting
Speaker 1: of words, and the general constant anti Palestinian and pro
Speaker 1: Israel bias that is almost always present when Western media
Speaker 1: talks about Palestine, and if Palestine rises in the political agenda,
Speaker 1: western media is quick to disparage it. In the UK,
Speaker 1: when a Labor Party candidate made reference to Palestine during
Speaker 1: a campaign in one the liberal leaning New Statesman magazine
Speaker 1: referred to it as quote unhinged and an obsession. British
Speaker 1: Palestinian writer again Hamas Alisha writes in his article do
Speaker 1: p will suffering from decades of cruelty deserve support? Apparently
Speaker 1: not if they're Palestinian. It's characteristic of this bias that
Speaker 1: while human rights have been a hot topic throughout the
Speaker 1: World Cup and fans across the world are being commanded
Speaker 1: to speak out against injustice, the outpouring of Palestinian solidarity
Speaker 1: has largely been ignored. And this, unfortunately isn't surprising, but
Speaker 1: doesn't make it any less disappointing, he continues, As it
Speaker 1: maintains its rule, Israel has spent years, with unconditional assistance
Speaker 1: from the Western world, cracking down and suppressing Palestinian solidarity.
Speaker 1: We are under no illusions that the outpouring of support
Speaker 1: at the World Cup will cause the occupation to grind
Speaker 1: to a halt or prevent Palestinians from being killed. As
Speaker 1: a British Palestinian, he says, I often see the misery
Speaker 1: of my family who are living under occupation gets swept
Speaker 1: under the carpet by the international community. As a result,
Speaker 1: it's hard not to exist in a perpetual state of despondency.
Speaker 1: But seeing the Palestinian flag hoisted so proudly during the
Speaker 1: World Cup has been heartening because it provides new grounds
Speaker 1: for hope and it shows that this is by no
Speaker 1: means a solo struggle, and that the commitment to Palestine
Speaker 1: liberation remains as unshakable as ever. That was the end
Speaker 1: of his article, and uh, that's a great place to
Speaker 1: end because that was fucking great and poetic, and I
Speaker 1: hope that you also go watch the movie on Netflix.
Speaker 1: It's really important and it all goes hand in hand
Speaker 1: with supporting the Palestinian people and continuing to raise awareness
Speaker 1: because that's a huge reason why we've gotten this far,
Speaker 1: and the culmination of all of that being broadcast from
Speaker 1: the World Cup internationally. It's just been really really incredible
Speaker 1: and beautiful to watch. And uh, yeah, that's the episode.
Speaker 1: Until next time. I don't know, go watch Huh. That's
Speaker 1: the only thing I can really say. And I hope
Speaker 1: you all have nice holidays whatever you do. Um yeah,
Speaker 1: have fun. Goodbye. It could Happen here as a production
Speaker 1: of cool Zone Media or more podcasts from cool Zone Media.
Speaker 1: Visit our website cool zone media dot com, or check
Speaker 1: us out on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources
Speaker 1: for It could Happen Here, updated monthly at cool zone
Speaker 1: media dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.