Happy Monday! Sam and Emma speak with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, to discuss the ongoing situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip. First Sam and Emma run through updates on stalled aid to Gaza, Israel’s ongoing assault, the West’s unconditional support for Israel, the GOP’s ongoing Speakership fight, fascist ongoings in the US, and surprising election results in Louisiana and Poland, before David Dayen helps them parse through the unsurprising absurdity of the House GOP’s speakership fight coming down to ultimatums from Fox News hosts. Omar Shakir then joins as he jumps right into the history of the Gaza Strip, from the beginning of its occupation by Israel in 1967, through the establishment of their full blockade on people, goods, and aid in the wake of their military withdrawal in 2005, which launched the current era of strict apartheid and de facto Hamas rule. After briefly touching on the international politics around the 2007 blockade and election of Hamas in Gaza, Shakir explores how the Israeli government has supported and maintained Hamas’ rule as a part of their “policy of separation” between Gaza and the West Bank, and a central tool against the establishment of a Palestinian state. Wrapping up, Omar explores the obvious parallels between the current assault on Palestinians in Gaza and the 1948 Nakba that began the occupation, the recent discovery of Israel’s use of white phosphorus, and what a push for a ceasefire and an end to apartheid could look like.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma continue to chat with David as they watch Marc Lamont Hill refuse to let Israel’s euphemisms for war crimes slide, Lindsay Graham’s attempt to use Israel to elect Jim Jordan, and Fox News’ attempt to argue that the true war crimes were making it look like Israel was committing war crimes in the first place. The GOP continues to struggle over the speakership as Jim Jordan rises to the top of the cr*ap heap, Washington Brain continues to infect DC as right-wing alienation eviscerates the suburbs, and a commenter has an interesting theory on aid to Israel, plus, your IMs!

Get more details on the American Prospect LIVE event tonight!: https://prospect.org/events/prospect-live-brooklyn/?occ_dtstart=2023-10-16t19%3A00

Follow Omar on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/OmarSShakir

Check out Benny Brunner’s “The Great Book Robbery” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtCrCsKlw0&ab_channel=BennyBrunner

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