In English.
Bringing listeners the untold side of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Presented by Nasser Mashni.
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Nasser provides commentary on key current events, including the rise in anti-Semitism, the recent attack on a Melbourne Jewish synagogue, ongoing censorship in institutions, and Australia's support for the UN resolution recognizing Palestine's permanent sovereignty.
Nasser then speaks with Mohamad Duar, Occupied Palestine Territories Spokesperson for Amnesty International, to discuss Amnesty's report titled "You Feel Like You Are Subhuman": Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza - a report that provides evidence to conclude that Israel has committed and continues to commit genocide against Palestinians in the Occupied Gaza Strip.
Image credit: 'You feel like you are subhuman', Amnesty International (2024)
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It has always been Palestinians who have told the world about their struggles and the reality of life under occupation. Their voices emerge against the backdrop of abject silence from Western mainstream media broadcasting, overcoming the Zionist regime that works to actively repress the truth about their genocidal occupation of Palestinian people and land.
Palestinians continue to resist and different forms of media have been crucial tools in transcending militarised colonial borders. Palestinian resistance is transformative and adaptive yet steadfast, working to unveil their stories to the world.
For 20 years, Palestine Remembered has been breaking down the walls of silence of mainstream broadcasters, sharing not just the truth of the struggle, but also the music, poetry and culture of Palestine to its listeners. This has not come without its challenges, as broadcaster Nasser Mashni explains, ‘Sometimes [working on our program can be] a bit tougher than others, but we have to keep fighting’.
3CR has amplified Palestinian voices since 1976 with programs such as Palestine Speaks, Palestine Voice and Arab Liberation News, amongst others. This has subjected the station to scrutiny, intimidation and hostility, including an attempt to strip the station of its licence. Unshakeable due to the ṣumūd (steadfastness) of Palestinian broadcasters and 3CR alike, these attempts failed.
In 2004, Yousef Alreemawi hit the airwaves with From the River to the Sea. As he explains, ‘The program had a big responsibility, due to the misrepresentation of Palestinian issues in the English language. Most people were indifferent to Palestine, and those who had a view didn’t know where to go for information about Palestine.’
As a translator, Yousef was able to broadcast information and news directly from Arabic sources to English speaking listeners. Back then, From the River to the Sea was an abstract name for the show, as Palestine was less present in the local, collective psyche. ‘Palestine had to be in the name’, says Yousef. Within a few months, the program became Palestine Remembered.
In 2004 when the program first aired, it was the peak of the Second Intifada, post-9/11. The Western-led incursions into Afghanistan and Iraq were underway and the Middle East was the centre of international news. Yousef reflects that he had thought that Australia would have had some sort of discussion about Palestine, but instead found a total void of representation. He had to fill that void.
Today, Nasser Mashni presents Palestine Remembered and points out that in 2024, 183 days into Israel’s latest genocidal assault in Gaza, the program still fills this ‘massive void’ that remains in the mainstream media.
‘3CR enables Palestinians to speak truth to power, unfiltered and unadulterated, but also provides the opportunity to bring so many different voices together, Palestinian diaspora voices but also Palestinians from Palestine.’
Over two decades, the program has grown from its beginnings with Yousef in 2004 to Nasser at the dials today. Palestine Remembered is an archive of Palestinian life, self-determination and resistance to learn from. It is a direct challenge to Zionist regimes that attempt to silence and dehumanise. It tells the stories of the occupation and the attacks as they unfold, bringing truth to the strength and determination of Palestinian people.
From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free.
By Mercedes Zanker
See the full CRAM Guide 2024 here.