Rania Khalek Dispatches

Is the Democratic Party actually changing to embrace Palestine and left-wing causes, or is it doing what it always does: absorbing the movement that threatens it?
Rania Khalek is joined by journalist and writer Sana Saeed to talk about Zohran Mamdani, Abdul El-Sayed, and how the anti-genocide movement has been used to give a face lift to the Democratic Party. But does it signal a more profound change of policy? They get into:
00:00 - Introduction: Movement Energy & Party Revival
00:31 - Dispatches Intro & Guest Introduction (Sana Saeed)
04:12 - How the Democratic Party Absorbs Insurgent Movements
10:00 - Zohran Mamdani's Platform  Background, and Political Shift
17:48 - The Obama Legacy: Charisma, Drone Warfare, and Executive Power
32:23 - Holding Progressive Politicians Accountable to Movements
43:44 - Criticism Over Retaining NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch
55:34 - Abdul El-Sayed: Campaign Strategy and Messaging
57:51 - El-Sayed's Response to the "Uncommitted" Movement
01:06:08 - Capitalist Framing vs. "Corporate Socialism"
01:13:40 - Conclusion: Palestine, Electoral Politics, and Movement Energy
🔒 Members get the full conversation, including Sana and Rania on Zionism, who defines Jewish identity, and why Palestine-friendly politicians keep centering antisemitism. Join at breakthroughnews.org/subscribe
Read Sana’s essays:
The Charisma of Empire: https://sanasaeed.substack.com/p/the-charisma-of-empire-obama-mamdani
It’s Time to Bury Palestine: https://substack.com/home/post/p-209968068
Follow Sana: X @SanaSaeed | Instagram @sanaface

Journalist Jasper Nathaniel just spent a month in the occupied West Bank, and he came back with a warning: while the world watches Gaza, Israel is finishing a decades-long project to dominate the West Bank and drive Palestinians off their land for good.
Rania Khalek talks with him about what settler expansion actually looks like on the ground: armed settlers storming villages on so-called “hikes,” stealing homes and launching attacks from the houses they’ve stolen, cutting off a village’s spring water and building a settlers-only swimming pool in the middle of a Palestinian town. They get into the Israeli state’s role, the wall being built to annex the fertile Jordan Valley, and the looting of ancient ruins in Sebastia.
They also dig into Congressman Ro Khanna’s trip to the West Bank, his detention by settlers and soldiers, and the incoherence of coming home to tell Palestinians they must resist nonviolently. They also discuss incoming Congressman Brad Lander, the collapse of “liberal Zionism” and Jasper’s own story as the grandson of Iraqi Jews who never needed Israel.
This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available to Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at https://breakthroughnews.org/subscribe/ 
Jasper’s Substack piece: https://open.substack.com/pub/infinitejaz/p/a-hellish-month-in-the-occupied-west?r=eexe&utm_medium=ios
Jasper’s The Drift piece on Sebastia: https://thedriftmag.com/in-ruins/

The media wants you to think “Greater Israel” is a fringe fantasy belonging to Ben Gvir and the settler far right. It's not. It's a project for dominating the entire Middle East, and it goes far beyond land grabs.

Daniel Levy, former Israeli peace negotiator and president of the US/Middle East Project, joins Rania Khalek to explain what “Greater Israel” actually is: annexation in Palestine, military occupation zones in Lebanon and Syria, and beyond that, a region where every state is subservient, dependent, or collapsed. Levy breaks down why Israel has no recognized borders by design, how the Lebanon "framework agreement" serves the Israelis and was signed by a Lebanese government that got nothing in return, why Israeli leaders now openly declare that Turkey is next, and the contradiction at the heart of it all: Netanyahu calls Israel a superpower while insisting it was on the brink of annihilation. Is this project achievable or is it imperial overreach?

Plus, Levy reflects on his own evolution from an Orthodox Zionist upbringing in London, with a seat at the negotiating table, to becoming a sharp critic of Israel and Zionism.

Follow Daniel Levy's analysis on Substack: https://daniellevy2.substack.com

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It's been over a thousand days since Israel began its livestreamed genocide in Gaza, and global politics is still shifting as a result. Candidates who refuse AIPAC money are toppling Democratic incumbents across the US, support for Israel has become a political liability and the establishment's answer has been a full-blown red scare.
Rania Khalek speaks with Palestinian novelist, poet, and activist Susan Abulhawa, author of “Mornings in Jenin,” to discuss how Palestine has become the litmus test of American politics, how AIPAC was dragged out of the shadows, and why she believes the cultural boycott and solidarity movement must stop centering Israeli feelings. She addresses Netanyahu's cynical claims about protecting Christians in Lebanon, Iran's demonstration that the empire can be defeated, and how accusations of antisemitism are weaponized to shield a state committing genocide.
This is only part of the episode. The full interview is available to Breakthrough News members only. Become a member at breakthroughnews.org/subscribe.

Ali Abunimah joins Rania Khalek on Dispatches to discuss the dramatic collapse of global support for Israel, the growing backlash against Western support for genocide in Gaza, and why governments are increasingly resorting to repression as public opinion shifts in favor of Palestine.
In this episode they discuss:
New polling showing Israel’s popularity collapsing across the world
Why propaganda and celebrity endorsements aren’t working anymore
The crackdown on Palestine solidarity activists in the U.S. and Europe
The October 7 rape narrative versus documented Israeli sexual violence against Palestinians
Lebanon, Iran, and why submission to Israel doesn’t bring peace
Whether Israel controls the U.S. or serves U.S. imperial interests
The rise of anti-Israel voices on the American right
Why Ali believes Israel is facing a long-term legitimacy crisis
The Gwyneth Paltrow debacle
This is just part of this episode. The full interview is available to Breakthrough News Members only. Become a member at breakthroughnews.org/subscribe