Kalam

The attack in the Turkish capital, Ankarra, considered by Turkish authorities to be a terrorist attack, seems to have been carried out by Kurdish militants affiliated with PKK. This has led to Turkey striking Kurdish positions in Syria and Iraq. At the same time, Israel is attempting to redraw the map of the Middle East - something Turkey wants to benefit from, many analysts believe. The war in Le...

There are 18 recognised religious "sects" in Lebanon, including various Christian denominations, Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Druze and Jews. Sects in this context does not refer to a kind of cult but rather different religious groupings. How did the Lebanese republic organise itself and how did the sectarian system contribute to the bloody civil wars fought in the mid to late 20th century? Find ou...

This week we saw harrowing images of Gazans literally burning alive when Israel struck a makeshift hospital in Northern Gaza. One person was in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV when the flames engulfed and ultimately killed him. Why are we seeing this brutal escalation, and how is this affecting the front in Lebanon? Israel demanded that the UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon be removed "from harm...

The United Nations estimates that 800,000 of bombed-out debris in Gaza may be contaminated with the toxic mineral asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral that poses little threat to humans when undisturbed, but is highly carcinogenic - that is, it leads to severe forms of cancer, mainly in the lungs - when it is released into the atmosphere and inhaled by humans. In today's programme Edgar speaks with Nor...

It's been a year since Hamas launched its attack on October 7, 2023 prompting Israel to commence what a growing number of legal scholars consider to be a genocide. In today's episode, Edgar and Sam discuss the failure of Israel's war on Gaza since Hamas managed to launch rockets at Tel Aviv on the literal one year anniversary. We also discuss the latest developments in the Lebanese front and the i...

There are 18 recognised religious "sects" in Lebanon, including various Christian denominations, Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Druze and Jews. Sects in this context does not refer to a kind of cult but rather different religious groupings. How is it that such a diverse religious and ethnic mix of people came to live in so close proximity to each other in and around Mount Lebanon? And why did the Fre...

"There are decades when you fuck around, there are weeks when you find out." This is our third Munadama session when Edgar, Sam and Arthur - the creators of Kalam Podcast - sit down for a relaxed discussion of the last few weeks' events. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/kalampodcast For continuous updates, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Earlier this week, Iran retaliated against Israel for the killing of the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, Ismael Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah respectively, by launching the largest ballistic missile barrage in history. It is still unclear what was hit and how much damage was inflicted, due to heavy Israeli military censorship. We do know that the Iron Dome did not intercept all of the missiles, and...

Last week the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. This marks the most high profile political assassination Israel has ever carried out. What does this mean for Lebanon and the broader region? In more news, Israel has launched its ground invasion of Southern Lebanon following airstrikes and heavy artillery bombardment of alleged Hezbollah positions....

The Swedish-Palestinian author Amer Sarsour published his much praised debut novel Medan vi brinner earlier this year. At the Gothenburg Book Fair, Edgar had a chance to interview Amer for a live show (in Swedish) about the book and about being Palestinian in Sweden. This episode is in Swedish as the book hasn't yet been translated, apologies to everyone who doesn't speak the language! We plan on...

It is no longer viable to advocate for Palestinian liberation with Western politicians and diplomats. Palestinian advocacy networks like the Palestinian Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD) is now looking to affect change with cultural figures, Generation Z and the Global South in order to pressure the Global North to change its position on Israel and Palestine. In this conversation, Inès Abdel R...

The deadliest day since the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon - over 500 people have been killed in 24 hours of Israeli bombardment. We dedicate the majority of today's news summary to the ongoing war in Lebanon. What does Israel wish to achieve? What is life like for Lebanese civilians? If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to suppor the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by signing up to our...

This is a special edition of Kalam Podcast due to the dramatic events in Lebanon, effectively escalating the already intense regional tensions in the Middle East. In this conversation, Lebanese journalist Ralph Baydoun joins Edgar for a frank conversation about the precarious state of Lebanon. A country that went from being a top exporter of arts and culture to a place mired in devastating conflic...

Terror struck large swathes of Lebanon yesterday as hundreds of explosions went off all over the country. Hezbollah members' pagers (the communication device of choice since Israel easily hacks into smartphones) suddenly exploded in their pockets. This left nearly 3,000 people injured - 200 in critical condition - and killed at least 11 people, including an 8-year-old girl, according to the Lebane...

This is a teaser for the final episode of our three-part series on Hamas for Kalam Shorts. Hamas wrote what they refer to as a "covenant" in 1988 with some.. let's say problematic content. In 2017 they released a policy document with wildly different values and ideas. So what do they actually believe in? Listen to the full episode on patreon.com/kalampodcast For continuous updates follow us on Ins...

Abed Alrahman Shabaneh is a Palestinian writer and curator. In addition to writing novels and essays, Abed also worked on urban planning in Jerusalem. From this experience he gained invaluable insights into how colonialism and occupation is constructed. In his conversation with Edgar, Abed speaks about his ideas about where the technological future will take us, expressed through his slightly dyst...

In this week's news summary, Edgar and Sam discuss the latest deadly airstrikes on Gaza, follow up on the Polio vaccine and the conditions for back to school season in Gaza. In other news, a Jordanian truck driver gunned down three Israeli border police and the culture wars in Israel deepen while the economy is in free fall. These are some of the headlines spoken about in today's episode. If you e...

After a screening of the documentary Where the Olive Trees Wheep Edgar sits with the Swedish writer Bernt Hermele and the Palestinian-French curator of books, Sarah Dahman Hallgren for a conversation about trauma and resistance. Thank you to everyone who came to see us live! If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and want to suppor the show, there is an excellent way to do so - by signing up to our Patreon. F...

Today's guest, Amer Shomali, was appointed as the General Director of the Palestinian Museum on October 5, 2023. Two days later, we all know what happened. Amer Shomali is a visual artist who directed one of the most innovative documentaries we have seen as of late. The Wanted 18 follows a number of "Israeli" cows gifted to the Palestinian town of Bayt Sahur. Over the course of our conversation, w...

We are delighted to announce the first episode in our 13 part series from Ramallah on the occupied West Bank. Today's guest is an icon of Palestinian journalism and advocacy, Mariam Barghouti. In this episode, Mariam speaks about the hypocrisy of Western media, the pain she feels in reporting on resistance fighters and about being targeted herself by the Israeli military. This episode is video rec...

On today's weekly news summary, Edgar and Sam discuss Israel's incursion into the West Bank, as well as the latest on the distribution of the Polio vaccine in Gaza, the Houthi's latest operations and the UK cutting 10% of its arms sales to Israel. Our main story concerns the general strike that began today in Israel - paralysing large parts of the country including the airports. The Israeli Labour...

This is a teaser, to hear the full episode head over to patreon.com/kalampodcast and sign up for just $3/month and gain access to lots of great bonus content. It's closing in on half a year of Kalam Podcast! Edgar, Sam and Arthur sit down for a reflection session on a balcony in Stockholm. We want to begin by thanking everyone who has listened to the podcast and shared our content and especially t...

On today's episode of Kalam Podcast Edgar speaks with the founder of Uncivilized Media , Salem Barahmeh. Uncivilized is a channel that tells stories about people and places that are unrepresented, silenced or erased. Very similar to what we do here at Kalam Podcast. Edgar first met Salem on a cold, rainy day in Stockholm several years ago. At the time, he was working with PIPD, the Palestinian Ins...

In this week's news summary, Sam and Edgar discuss the failing ceasefire negotiations and the recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. In addition, we look at the Israeli Minister for National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and his violent settler supporters who recently stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, harassing Palestinian worshippers and proclaiming the building of the third temple. In h...

What does Hamas do when it takes over Gaza? It implements an Islamist agenda and mobilises the population for resistance against Israel. In Part 2 of our series on Hamas for Kalam Shorts, Edgar and Sam discuss how Hamas act once they gain formal political power. They also discuss Hamas' international appeal with parts of the Western Left. This is a teaser, to hear the full episode head over to pat...