The Palestinian journalist Israel watches for the truth: Suleiman Maswadeh on inequality, opportunity, and what October 7th did to Arabs in Israel

About this episode

Suleiman Maswadeh discusses his experiences as a Palestinian journalist in Israel, exploring themes of language, media, and the impact of societal divisions.

Donate: https://jonathansacerdoti.com/donate Suleiman Maswadeh is Israel’s most visible Palestinian Arab television correspondent, a regular presence on the national news, speaking fluent Hebrew to a country that rarely hears an Arab accent in that role. His career sits inside one of Israel’s deepest contradictions, two communities living side by side, sharing streets and history, yet separated by language, schooling, and fear, with the public story of the conflict often shaped by the absence of ordinary contact. Jonathan Sacerdoti meets Suleiman Maswadeh in person to trace how a Palestinian Arab man raised in an observant Muslim family taught himself Hebrew as an adult and entered Israel’s mainstream media. He describes the practical mechanics of East Jerusalem’s isolation, the misinformation that flourishes when people cannot speak, and the personal cost of crossing over, including ostracism, threats, and the dislocation of being trusted by Hebrew speaking viewers while remaining contested at home. 👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand how language, media, and intimidation shape the conflict more quietly than slogans ever will. 💬 We Discuss: 🧭 What it means to grow up minutes…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Sacerdoti

Guest: Suleiman Maswadeh

Topics covered

• media representation
• Palestinian identity
• Hebrew language
• inequality
• October 7th impact
• civic investment

Keywords

• Palestinian journalist
• Hebrew
• media
• inequality
• October 7th
• East Jerusalem
• civic rights

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Israel, East Jerusalem, Jewish neighbourhoods

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