Today, two words that almost guarantee some strong reactions: Israel-Palestine. But before you jump to any conclusions or turn off this episode, hear me out: the violence of this conflict might feel far-off, never-ending, and shrouded in an almost impenetrable mix of political and religious debate. But the reality is, the relationship between Israel and Palestine is so incredibly complicated because it affects the lives and identities of millions so deeply, including people who live here, in our communities.
My guest this week is the inaugural chair of Brown University’s department of Palestinian Studies, Professor Beshara Doumani. He speaks about what it means to be Palestinian in a world that oftentimes denies your very existence. We talked the last week of May, days after tensions around housing and settlements escalated to near warfare. Thousands of people were injured, huge parts of cities and neighborhoods reduced to rubble, and hundreds of people were killed, mostly Palestinians.
