Palestine This Week: Israel, Elon Musk & the German Christmas market attack

Palestine This Week

Friday's terror attack on a Christmas market in Germany raises fresh concerns about the rise of Islamophobia and far-right extremism in Europe. How does this and Israel's war on Gaza highlight the media's biased coverage?

This week’s Palestine This Week opens with a detailed look at the situation in Gaza, focusing on several important reports including Human Rights Watch's 184-page study 'Extermination and Acts of Genocide' and the World Peace Foundation's findings about deaths from starvation. The discussion includes disturbing testimony published in Haaretz about Israeli occupation soldiers' conduct and arbitrary 'kill zones' in Gaza.
Host Nasim Ahmed and political analyst Mouin Rabbani explore key regional developments, including diplomatic moves in Syria with US officials meeting Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham representatives, and growing tensions as Houthi forces in Yemen launched attacks on Tel Aviv. Their analysis examines the Palestinian Authority’s recent security deployment in the West Bank and its implications for Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The show explores media coverage of the conflict, highlighting the BBC's structural bias in reporting and Facebook's restriction of Palestinian news outlets, which has led to a 77 per cent decline in traffic since 7 October 2023. Analysis includes recent statements by Israeli ministers gleefully announcing their intention to ethnically cleanse Palestinians.

The show concludes with discussion of Friday’s terror attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, which left five dead, including a nine-year-old child, and over 200 injured. The suspect, identified as a far-right extremist and vocal supporter of Israel, had repeatedly expressed anti-Muslim views on social media, echoing rhetoric similar to that of Norwegian neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik. The attack raises fresh concerns about the rise of Islamophobia and far-right extremism in Europe.