Editor's note: For additional context Hamas emerged in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, as an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestinian branch. The group is committed to armed resistance against Israel and the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel's place. For more: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2284721219710#:~:text=A%20spotlight%20was%20cast%20on,Ashley%20Fraser%20explores%20its%20origins.

In Canada, the political discourse on the news coming out of Israel and Palestine has given Backbench host, some “serious whiplash.” Discussions happening online seem extremely polarized, making it difficult to have productive and nuanced conversations. In this episode, Mattea sits down with Muhannad Ayyash, a Palestinian Professor of Sociology, and Jeremy Appel, a journalist and author, to get to the root of this contention.

Host: Mattea Roach

Credits: Aviva Lessard (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor)

Guests: Muhannad Ayyash, Jeremy Appel

Background reading:

• Lobby group pushes Canada to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism – The Breach
• Weaponisation of anti-Semitism is bad for Palestinians – and Jews – Al Jazeera
• Walk-outs, sit-ins, pickets in Montreal in support of Palestinians in Gaza – CBC News
• Mosque attack victims shaken after hate-motivated assaults lead to Toronto man's arrest – CBC News
• These troubling times have revealed my Jewish parents were right about hate – Toronto Star

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