Speaking of Palestine is a monthly radio show hosted by members of California’s North Coast Coalition for Palestine, a partner of NorCal Sabeel. The show is broadcast on the nation’s first bilingual public radio station, KBBF, 89.1 FM. It airs from 4 to 5 p.m. on the first Monday of each month.
On Dec. 6, 2021, there was an extensive interview with members of the Center for Jewish nonviolence, as well as a Palestine Update.
On Nov. 1, 2021, the show provided an update on Palestine and explored: a) the U.S. Israel lobby, and b) Refuseniks (Israelis who refuse to serve in the Israeli military).
On Oct 18, 2021, speakers explored the current situation in Palestine; Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions (BDS) successes; progressives except Palestine (PEPs), including Rep. Barbara Lee; and responding to Zionist propaganda in the local paper.
On Sept 6, 2021, the show focused on: a) Representative Barbara Lee and why her inclusion on the Sebastopol Peace Wall is controversial, b) an article by Israeli journalist, Gideon Levy, “The Media Yawns at Death Squads in Israel,” and c) the 2021 Human Rights Watch report, A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution.
On Aug 16, 2021, there was an update on Palestine; an interview with Mousa, a Palestinian living in Sonoma County; a discussion about the current Palestinian Authority; music; and poetry.
July 6, 2021: Dr. Gabor Maté is a Hungarian Jew whose grandparents were killed in Auschwitz. He emigrated to Canada and became a psychotherapist specializing in trauma. In this show, he talks about the situation in Palestine/Israel in a clear, compelling, and refreshing way.
June 7, 2021: Speakers discussed Israel's most recent attacks on Palestine, U.S. complicity in these attacks, and some basic myths about Palestine.
May 3, 2021: In this show, Palestinian and Jewish justice activists who work together in the South Hebron Hills in the West Bank are interviewed.
March 2, 2021—Presenters discussed four myths that renowned Israeli historian, Ilan Pappé, has examined (e.g., Palestine was a land without people); current reports from Palestine/Israel, with a focus on refuseniks; the fiscal impact of the occupation; and Palestinian poet, Mourid Barghouti, who died on Feb. 14, 2021.
February 1, 2021—Speakers discussed the B'Tselem report about Israel being an apartheid state, current Israeli expansions into the West Bank, Zionism, and opportunities for activism.
January 4, 2021—This show focused on Christian Zionism, COVID-19 in Palestine, and anti-Semitism.
October 5, 2020—A reading of children's stories with Palestine themes; a short, satiric segment on BDS; and two pieces of wonderful music.
September 7, 2020—A look at the Democratic party's platform, BDS, Gaza, and prospects for the youth of Palestine.
August 3, 2020—This program focuses on the rise in youth suicides in Gaza, Israeli journalist, Gideo Levy, envisioning a democratic one-state, and the infrastructure of occupation.
July 6, 2020—Rebel Fagin, Cynthia Poten, and Lois Pearlman speak about U.S. aid to Israel, weapons of mass repression, and the proposed annexation of Palestinian land in the West Bank.
June 1, 2020—Lois Pearlman speaks about annexation. Mazin Qumsiyeh, Palestinian author, scientist, and activist who lives in Bethlehem, speaks about current life in Palestine.
May 4, 2020—An interview with Cynthia Poten and Lois Pearlman, who speak about COVID-19 in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
April 6, 2020—An interview with Priscilla Wathington from Defense of Children International Palestine. This interview was conducted in 2019; it was repeated because of the logistics of sheltering in place.
March 2, 2020—An interview with Luna Gomez, a bilingual law student who recently returned from Palestine, She draws interesting parallels between the Mexico-U.S. situation and what’s occurring in Palestine and Israel. There is also a personal look at Jerusalem from NorCal Sabeel member Therese Mughannam.
February 3, 2020—An Interview with Ann Wright, retired colonel in the U.S. Army and U.S. diplomat. She speaks about the Freedom Flotillas and breaking the siege of Gaza.
January 6, 2020—An interview with Episcopal priest Rev. Ann Coburn who speaks about her recent visit to Palestine and her commitment to justice in Palestine.