Shows
The Beinart NotebookMuhammad Shehada on the Gaza ProtestsThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.comOur guest is the Gaza-born political analyst Muhammad Shehada, who I’ve long admired for his ability to criticize Israel without exonerating Hamas and to criticize Hamas without exonerating Israel. We talk about the recent protests in Gaza against Hamas, and for an end to Israel’s slaughter.2025-04-0612 min
The Beinart NotebookJenner Stands FirmI’ll be on book tour for Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza for the next few months. You’ll find a list of book-related events below.I’m happy people are reading my book. But I know that many talented Palestinian authors don’t get the same attention. So, I hope people who buy my book also buy one by a Palestinian author. For instance, the latest work by the brilliant essayist, Raja Shehada, What Does Israel Fear from Palestine?I hope readers also donate to people in Gaza. For instance, Hossam and Mariam A...2025-03-3105 min
The Beinart NotebookMuhammad ShehadaThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit peterbeinart.substack.comI spoke with my friend, the brilliant, Gaza-born, political analyst Muhammad Shehada, about the ceasefire agreement, the horrific conditions in Gaza, and what might come next. 2025-01-2114 min
The Beinart NotebookFor a Moment, JoyRomi, Emily, and Doron Are HomeOur Zoom call this week, for paid subscribers, will be on Friday, January 24, at 1 PM Eastern, our regular time.Our guest will be Jamaal Bowman, who lost his seat in Congress last year after his support for Palestinian rights prompted a ferocious attack by AIPAC and other pro-Israel organizations.I’ve met many politicians. Very few risk their careers on questions of moral principle. I want to ask Jamaal why he did, and what it would take to convince other Democrats to do the same.I’...2025-01-2007 min
The Beinart NotebookAntony Blinken’s Mental PrisonThe Outgoing Secretary of State’s Astonishing Interview with the New York TimesOur Zoom call this week, for paid subscribers, will be on Friday, January 10, at 1 PM Eastern, our regular time.Our guest will be the Israeli-born British journalist Rachel Shabi, author of the new book, Off-White: The Truth about Antisemitism. Last week, she published a column on the subject in The Guardian. She’s particularly knowledge about antisemitism, and its weaponization, in Britain, a subject of ferocious contention since Jeremy Corbyn’s time as Labour leader. We’ll discuss all that on Friday.I’v...2025-01-0611 min
The Beinart NotebookMuhammad Shehada on Gaza’s Unending AgonyOur guest is Gaza-born journalist, Muhammad Shehada, whose writing has been indispensable over the last year. While we usually reserve audio of our Friday zoom calls for paid subscribers, Muhammad’s description of life in Gaza, and life outside of Gaza when your family is there, was so eloquent and haunting that I felt it needed as wide a distribution as possible. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peterbeinart.substack.com/subscribe2024-10-2954 min
The Beinart NotebookTwo Final Thoughts about Ta-Nehisi Coates’ BookOur call this week, for paid subscribers, will be at a special time: Wednesday at 11 AM Eastern.Our guest will be the Gaza-born journalist Muhammad Shehada, whose writing has been indispensable over the last year. I cited him in a recent essay in The Guardian, which noted that some of the most prescient predictions about what would happen if Israel invaded Gaza came from Palestinian commentators whose views were almost totally ignored in the US media. Here’s a fascinating piece Muhammad wrote recently about the way people in Gaza think about October 7. And his thoughts on the...2024-10-1408 min
The Beinart NotebookWhy the Biden Administration Didn’t Foresee the Progressive Outrage at its Gaza PolicyFor the foreseeable future, our Zoom calls will be held at a new time: Friday at 11 AM Eastern.Our guest this week will be Jamil Dakwar, a human rights lawyer, adjunct professor at New York University, and former senior attorney with Adalah, which advocates for the rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel. He’ll be speaking in his personal capacity. We’ll talk about the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the case against Israeli and Hamas leaders at the International Criminal Court.Paid subscribers will get the link this Tuesday and...2024-05-2707 min
On the NoseHamas: Past, Present, and FutureIn this episode, Jewish Currents editor-at-large Peter Beinart speaks with two political analysts from Gaza living abroad, Khalil Sayegh and Muhammad Shehada. Sayegh and Shehada discuss what it was like growing up under Hamas rule, how Hamas governs, the motivations behind the October 7th attack, and what’s next for Hamas in Palestinian politics.Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” Links and Further Reading:Khalil Sayegh and Muhammad Shehada on XThe Palestinian Center for Pol...2023-12-2133 min