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Earlier this month, I brought you a podcast with Congressman Ro Khanna about US policy toward Israel-Palestine. Shortly after we spoke, Khanna went on a Palestinian-led tour of the West Bank, during which he was detained by armed settlers and Israeli soldiers. Nadav Weiman, the Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, was with Khanna when the Congressman was detained.
Nadav and I discussed:
The details of Khanna’s West Bank detention — including the identities of the armed settlers and the role played by IDF soldiers
Netanyahu’s spin on Khanna’s detention — and Nadav’s refutation of it. We also discussed efforts by Israeli Ambassador to the US Yehiel Leiter (himself a hardline settler who favors official West Bank annexation) and others to deflect attention from Khanna’s detention and his spotlighting of the plight of Palestinians under occupation and state-backed settler violence
“VIP Version” of the Occupation — How Khanna’s experience pales in comparison to what Palestinians in the West Bank experience on a daily basis, as Israel’s Haaretz newspaper noted in this July 12 editorial and Khanna himself has emphasized.
What people outside Israel can do: Nadav emphasized the importance of educating about the Occupation, speaking with elected representatives about it, and amplifying Palestinian voices from the West Bank and Gaza. I noted the massive shift within the Democratic party, thanks to grassroots pressure; this led yesterday to nearly half of House Democrats (including Rep. Khanna) voting to strip $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel from an annual appropriations bill
Seeing the Occupation for yourself: As Congressman Khanna and I have done, there is no substitute for witnessing the Occupation yourself and hearing from Palestinians who suffer unbearable hardships under it. If you are in or going to visit Israel-Palestine, sign up for a Breaking the Silence tour to Hebron or the South Hebron Hills. Encourage friends and family to do the same! While you’re on the Breaking the Silence website, check out their resources, including testimonies by former Israeli soldiers
Video posted by Ro Khanna of his trip to the West Bank:
As always, I look forward to your thoughts and reactions. Let me know what you think in the comments! And please share so that more folks will get to hear from Nadav.
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July is shaping up to be an epic month on The Debrief.
Abdul El-Sayed. Ro Khanna. Wajahat Ali. Ami Fields-Meyer. Andrew Miller. Josh Leifer. Rabbis Amelia Wolf & Andy Kahn. Nadav Weiman. And there’s more to come.
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The Next Generation of American Rabbis
TL;DR: Video is coming soon!
We had a second wonderful podcast today, featuring Rabbis Amelia Wolf and Andy Kahn, on the changing demographics of the American rabbinate, their implications for the future of Judaism in the US, and where the next generation of American rabbis stands on Israel-Palestine. I had an incredible time speaking with these two young, brilliant, compassionate Jewish leaders. I’ll send out the podcast video over the weekend — along with a schedule for podcasts next week. Sorry to keep you in suspense, but it’s coming. Stay tuned!
That’s all for now, folks!
Tomorrow, I’ll head on a little journey to pick up my precious boy from sleep away camp. Can’t wait to see that kiddo again, hear about his adventures, and feed him his favorite foods when we get home. Yep, I’m a Jewish mother... shuddering to think how much weight my son has lost while he’s been away from my kitchen.
Warm regards,
Debra
