Occupied Thoughts

Reeling Israel In: A Conversation with Seth Ackerman

In this conversation, FMEP non-resident Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Seth Ackerman (Jacobin Magazine) about the latter's recent article on a speech by Rahm Emanuel (former White House Chief of Staff to President Obama), and what it might say about current political thinking in the the Democratic Party. They also discuss what opportunities exist in the U.S. to exert pressure on Israel and pursue accountable. For resources and biographies, please visit: https://fmep.org/resource/reeling-israel-in-a-conversation-with-seth-ackerman/ Original music by Jalal Yacoub

On Building Power in the Palestine Movement

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Abed Abou Shhadeh, a community organizer based in Jaffa who served as a City Council representative of the Palestinian community in Jaffa-Tel Aviv from 2018 to 2024. The discussion centered on an essay Abed published June 18, 2026 at +972 Magazine: The Palestine movement must seek power over purity - https://www.972mag.com/palestine-bds-power-purity/

The betrayal of Gaza’s journalists

In this episode of FMEP’s Occupied Thoughts podcast, FMEP President Lara Friedman speaks with Anan Quzmar, a Palestinian researcher focused on the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists and the broader destruction of Gaza's documentation ecosystem; and  Zo Brown (an alias), the founder of Databases for Palestine about Israel's assault on Palestinian journalism – starting even before 10/7/23 – and the failures of international organizations ostensibly devoted to defend journalists, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). You can follow the work of Databases for Palestine on X at @databases4pal, and Anan at @QuzmarAnan. See the show notes on FMEP's website for resources related to this podcast -- https://fmep.org/resource/the-betrayal-of-gazas-journalists/.

The Biden administration and genocide: An interview with investigative journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor does a deep-dive with award-winning foreign affairs journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed into the backstory of and some key themes in his new (and eagerly awaited) book: Crossing the Red Line (release date: 9/22/26; available now for pre-order - https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324118190).

TrackAIPAC: A conversation with co-founders Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy

In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Ahmed Moor speaks with Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, the co-founders of TrackAIPAC, a campaign to that, in its own words, seeks to "reveal and counter the influence of AIPAC and the Israel lobby by systematically documenting their financial contributions to our federal officials." They discuss how the campaign came about, how it has developed, and the criticisms they've received for its work. They also discuss the role of dark money in politics more generally. Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy are the co-founders of TrackAIPAC.  Ahmed Moor is a Palestinian-American writer born in Gaza and a Fellow at FMEP.  You can follow Ahmed on Substack at: https://ahmedmoor.substack.com and on X at @AhmedMoor. Original music by Jalal Yaquoub.