Real Talk

Fadi Kattan is a renowned Palestinian chef from Bethlehem and the co-founder of Akub, one of London's most celebrated Palestinian restaurants.In this conversation on Real Talk, Fadi invites Mohamed Hashem into his restaurant to talk about Palestinian food,Israel's appropriation of Palestinian cuisine, and why food is one of the most powerful tools of cultural survival.All while Mohamed attempts to cook musakhan for the first time, under Fadi's supervision.

"You got me to talk about things I don't talk about normally."Daniel Levy is a former Israeli negotiator who served under two prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak. Today, the British-born analyst and president of the US Middle East Project is one of the most prominent voices heavily critical of Israel's actions against Palestinians.But in this conversation on Real Talk, Daniel Levy speaks to Mohamed Hashem about his own journey. From an Orthodox Zionist upbringing in North London, to sitting at the negotiating table with Palestinians, to where he stands today.

“What I experienced is a glimpse of what Palestinians have to go through.”Prominent labour activist Chris Smalls speaks out after returning to his home in the United States following his detention in an Israeli prison. Weeks ago, Smalls decided to join the Handala flotilla, which sailed towards Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s siege. Now, after Israeli forces intercepted the ship in international waters, Smalls says he was singled out, violently assaulted and racially abused by Israeli forces. Following his return home, Smalls joined us on Real Talk to open up about what really happened. Real Talk is hosted by Mohamed Hashem.

‘These journalistic institutions have done far more to support the genocide than… Starbucks or McDonald’s’Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mona Chalabi joins Real Talk to unpack how mainstream media coverage has enabled Israel’s war on Gaza, and why she’s calling to boycott outlets aiding that effort. She also reflects on how many of these same patterns were present in the run-up to the Iraq War and its aftermath.Mona shares personal experiences from inside different newsrooms, including moments of racism and Islamophobia, and reflects on what it meant to be asked about her "relation" to Ahmed Chalabi, a controversial Iraqi politician who championed the US invasion of Iraq. We also talk about the political backlash to Zohran Mamdani’s primary win in New York, and Mona’s work as creative director of #1 Happy Family USA, an animated series exploring the Muslim American experience through humour.Real Talk is hosted by Mohamed Hashem

“I have no business with genocidaires.”That’s how artist, poet and activist Saul Williams describes his refusal to stay silent on Israel’s war on Gaza. In this Real Talk interview, Williams opens up about witnessing apartheid in Israel-Palestine, losing friends and work for speaking out, and the responsibility artists have in the face of propaganda and empire.We also explore his critique of US politics as a ‘duopoly’ invested in war, his challenge to mainstream liberalism, and how hip hop has moved from resistance to commercialisation.Williams also reflects on his powerful role in ‘Sinners’, the blockbuster film directed by Ryan Coogler.Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem. Catch all our Real Talk episodes on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1yRh7NMaNqOTpWkGSJPC8kIm