Kalam

Almost 10 months have passed since the unexpected collapse of the Assad regime last December. Since then Syria has passed through several sectarian flareups, relentless terrorising from Israel, as well as attempted to take its place in a “New Middle East”, under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa.  A couple of months ago, Edgar spoke to Leila al-Shami, activist and author of “Burning Country:...

Trump calls it a peace plan. For Palestinians in Gaza, it's a fatal farce. More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the last two days as Israel conducted air strikes, ostensibly as a retaliation against Hamas' alleged violations of the ceasefire. But the reality is different. Muhammad Shehada is a Palestinian analyst, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and a dear...

There is an alleged ceasefire in Gaza, despite the fact that Israel has continued to bomb the strip. Sam and Edgar analyse the Israeli, US and Palestinian positions in this situation. Image: Palestinians using bulldozers to dig out the bodies of Israeli captives presumed killed in air strikes. To support us, go to patreon.com/kalampodcast Follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast Hosted on Acast. See a...

This episode is in Swedish, featuring the journalist and writer Göran Rosenberg. I dagens avsnitt, som spelades in den 25 september 2025 inför en publik på Bokmässan, berättar författaren och journalisten Göran Rosenberg om sin syn på dagens utvecklingen i Israel och Palestina. Hans bok Det förlorade landet utkommer på engelska – "Israel, a Personal History" den 7 oktober 2025. Rosenberg är inte o...

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has taken effect. Israeli forces have withdrawn to an agreed upon borderline and a hostage/prisoner exchange will commence within 72 hours. While we are overjoyed at the prospect of some respite for the suffering population of Gaza, we dedicate this episode to answering the prescient question of, What now? Sam and Edgar analyse the ceasefire agreement...

From Nepal to Peru to Morocco, Gen Z'ers are rising up – and yes, they are connected. In September 2025, 8 women died in childbirth in an badly funded hospital in the southern coastal city of Agadir. This sparked outrage, especially since Morocco is currently investing millions if not billions in building stadiums and arenas for the upcoming football World Cup. The climate crisis and the genocide...

The leaders of Israel and the US have concocted a 20 point peace deal for Gaza. The US president Donald Trump has said that Hamas has 72 hours to accept the proposal or he will let his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, do whatever he wants – a terrifying prospect. In today's episode, Sam and Edgar examine the deal and analyse its impact. *We are aware of the fact that “Bibi Vader” makes no...

Several European countries have threatened to boycott Eurovision if Israel is permitted to participate, the Israeli economy is suffering from the genocidal war, Israeli military personnel estimates that 10% of Gaza's population are casualties of the war and the ground invasion of Gaza has officially begun. Sam and Edgar discuss these developments and their political implications. To support us, go...

Israel targeted the Hamas leadership residing in US ally of Qatar in an airstrike which killed several low level members of Hamas but largely failed in its mission. What does this mean for the larger regional conflict and how will the US react? Sam and Edgar discuss these issues, as well as a piece of very funny Swedish news. To support us, go to patreon.com/kalampodcast Follow us on Instagram @ka...

What is the role of Palestinian artists during the genocide in Gaza? For Palestinian curator Ahmed al-Alaqra it is not about glorifying cultural symbolism like the watermelon. In fact, artistic institutions should shut their doors. "Burn the thawbs, destroy the watermelon." This episode was recorded in the summer of 2024 in Sirdab studios in Ramallah, on the occupied West Bank. If you enjoy Kalam...

Theater has been central to the formation of Palestinian national consciousness for almost a century. One of the foremost Theater troupes active today is Betlehem’s al-Harah. Before summer of this year, the visited Sweden’s Tribunalen theater, touring their play Meramieh (Sage), a powerful staging of a number of personal testimonies of al-Nakba.  Earlier this year Samuel Carlshamre had the ho...

Kalam Podcast is back in business, today with a news update on the genocide in Gaza and all those who continue to deny its existence. Sam and Edgar also speak about Israel's intensification of its ground invasion of Gaza as well as increasingly bold military raids on West Bank cities like Ramallah. Sam tells us about Israeli politics and the so-called opposition to Netanyahu. If you'd like to supp...

On the 26th of July, 2025 the great Ziad Rahbani left us. Survived by his mother, the Lebanese icon Fairuz, Ziad Rahbani was an icon in his own right. A legendary figure of the modern Arabic music as well as cynical, satirical leftist thought. Kalam Podcast dissects his music and politics and pays tribute to his unmatched legacy. Rest in peace and power Ziad! We love you. A special thank you to Ma...

Sam and Edgar give you the latest, horrific news on Israels genocidal war on Gaza now in it's 94th week. Also: last week's sectarian fighting in southern Syria and the US seemingly throwing the Kurds under the bus. To support Kalam Podcast, head to patreon.com/kalampodcast and subscribe for all episodes ad-free and loads of bonus materials. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

In the aftermath of the war between Iran and Israel/USA the fight continues over what actually took place. As the actions of the IDF in Gaza grows more horrific by the day, Western media are outraged by the statements of a punk band a music festival. In today's episode Sam and Edgar discuss the irreality of the Middle East, and what might come next. To support Kalam Podcast, head to patreon.com/ka...

Israel has hit several targets in Iran and Iran has retaliated with waves of ballistic missile barrages on Israeli targets. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, the overwhelming majority of them Iranian. In today's episode Sam and Edgar discuss the consequences of this dangerous escalation. To support Kalam Podcast, head to patreon.com/kalampodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Global public opinion has shifted dramatically in favour of the Palestinian cause in the last few weeks. The likes of Piers Morgan and Ehud Olmert would have called themselves anti-Semites just a few weeks ago. Edgar and Sam discuss these developments as well as the political ongoings in Syria. To support the show, go to patreon/kalampodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

On this week's news summary, Samuel and Edgar discuss the world historic decision made at last weeks PKK congress, and what it will mean for the Middle East. Also: The relentless killing and starving of Gaza shows no sign of letting up, but the souring relationship between Netanyahu and Trump does not bode well for Israels hopes for regional domination. How will Israel survive a multi-polar w...

This episode is in Swedish, apologies to all our non-Swedish speakers. Det här är avsnitt två i serien Kalam Suedi, Kalam Podcast på svenska, i samarbete med tidningen Flamman. Hela avsnittet går att höra på https://www.flamman.se/podd/kalam-suedi/ Det här avsnittet handlar om Syrien – där en diktatur på över 50 år har fallit. Efter att den islamistiska milisen HTS störtat diktatorn Bashar al-Assa...

The human rights veteran Issa Amro recently featured in Louis Theroux's documentary "The Settlers", where he showed the absurdity of Israeli apartheid in his hometown of Hebron, Khalil in Arabic. Palestinians are forbidden to walk down high street in the old city of Hebron to provide security for Israeli settlers who are living in the city illegally. This episode was recorded in December 2024, whe...

On this week's news summary, Sam and Edgar discuss the unrest in both Syria and Lebanon, caused by Israeli interference as well as sectarian tensions. If you enjoy Kalam Podcast and would like to make a donation, you can do so. Head to patreon.com/kalampodcas t and sign up for just 3 USD/month. For continuous updates, follow us on Instagram @kalampodcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...

This episode is in Swedish, apologies to our international listeners and features the Swedish journalist and pro Palestine activist Shora Esmailian Shora Esmailian har bevakat och varit involverad i Palestinarörelsen i 20 år. Förra året skrev hon boken Gaza: Att spränga ett getto, om den palestinska historian och Israels ockupation. Sedan den 7 oktober har delar av kultursverige tolkat Shoras utta...

Arab Socialism is deeply intertwined with Arab Nationalism, to the extent that they are sometimes used interchangeably.  On this second episode in our series on Arab Socialism Samuel and Edgar discuss the man who more than any other has come to define the term Arab Socialism, as well as this particular combination of social revolution and national liberation: Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Na...

The genocide in Gaza is still ongoing, but there are slivers of hope – the US and Israel could become increasingly isolated as European powers move to recognise the Palestinian state. In other news the crackdown on dissent in Turkey leaves critics of Erdogan disillusioned, while our colleague Joakim Medin languishes in a Turkish jail cell – Free Joakim now! Journalism is not a crime. Also on the s...

This episode is in Arabic. Head over to the Kalam Podcast YouTube page to watch the full conversation with English subtitles. In the wake of the killing of 23-year-old Gazan journalist Hossam Shabat in an Israeli airstrike, we want to publish our conversation with the Palestinian journalist Lama Ghosheh. Lama Ghosheh has been in and out of the Israeli prison and correctional system after Israeli a...