Podcast Ep 30: Israel's war on Labour and the Democrats

In our pilot video episode of The Electronic Intifada Podcast, Ali Abunimah joins Asa and Nora for an in-depth look at the new US president.

What does the Joe Biden administration and the return of the pro-war, Israel-allied Democrats to the White House mean for Palestine and Palestinians?

Ali explains that the grassroots of the Democratic Party has become much less pro-Israel in recent years, while party leaders have resisted the push to stand with Palestinians.

“It’s been a slow war of attrition between the party elites and the party base over the question of Palestine,” he says.

We discuss the top officials tapped by the White House to strengthen the shared imperialist values of the US and Israel – such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US ambassador to the United Nations nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and Anne Neuberger, the national security adviser who has donated half a million dollars to the major Israel lobby group AIPAC.

We talk about how the Biden administration and friendly corporate media teamed up to discredit and suppress the story about Neuberger’s donations to AIPAC.

We also discuss the mainstream media blackout of our story about Assaf Kaplan, the former Israeli spy hired to work in the office of UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer.

Ali says that the collapse of support for Israel among left and center-left voters means that “Israel and its lobbies had to wage a war, basically against the Labour Party, against Jeremy Corbyn to bring it to heel.”

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Articles we discussed

“Biden officials pledge to fight BDS,” Josh Ruebner
“Is Biden’s pick for major budget post Islamophobic?,” Michael Brown
“Tony Blinken fails up,” Michael Brown
“A Top Biden Cybersecurity Aide Donated Over $500,000 to AIPAC as an NSA Official,” David Corn, Mother Jones
“Foundation linked to Biden pick for cybersecurity gave $500,000 to pro-Israel lobby AIPAC,” NBC
“Biden and Netanyahu’s decades-long friendship faces new test after Israel’s prime minister went all in for Trump,” CNN

Video production by Tamara Nassar

Theme music by Sharif Zakout

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