Introduction

Today I’m joined by Dr Marwan Darweish, an AssociateProfessor in Peace Studies at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University.

Dr Darweish has spent more than three decades working onissues of nonviolent resistance, conflict transformation, and peacebuilding, particularly in the Israeli–Palestinian context. Before entering academia, he worked extensively with civil society organisations in Jerusalem and across the Middle East, supporting dialogue, reconciliation, andgrassroots activism.

His research explores how communities living under conflictuse nonviolence, cultural heritage, and everyday forms of resistance to sustain identity and pursue justice. He is the co-author of Popular Protest in Palestine: The History and Uncertain Future of Unarmed Resistance, andco-editor of Peacebuilding and Reconciliation: Contemporary Themes and Challenges.

Beyond academia, Dr Darweish continues to collaborate withlocal and international peace organisations, helping to bridge the gap between research and real-world peace practice.

In today’s episode……

In this conversation, we’ll be talking about what culturalresistance really means — how it differs from armed or political struggle, the many ways it’s expressed through art, storytelling, and tradition, and how it helps preserve identity and resilience in the face of adversity.We’ll also explore the challenges communities face, and what lessons can be drawn from other global movements — from South Africa to Ireland and Indigenous struggles. And finally, we’ll look at how cultural resistance is evolving in the digital age, and what gives Dr Darweish hope for the future.

In our next interview……

Dr Darweish, thank you for joining me and for sharing yourperspective on cultural resistance and its role in sustaining identity and resilience in times of conflict. Your insights offer an important reminder of how culture and creativity can serve as powerful tools for understanding and transformation.

To our listeners, thank you for being with us. If you’ve enjoyed this conversation, please follow the podcast and share it with others who might find it of interest.

In our next episode, I’ll be speaking with Yossi Klein HaLevi, author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, as we explore the possibilities of dialogue, empathy, and coexistence from an Israeli perspective.

Until next time, thanks for listening to Israel & Palestine Unpacked.

Amazon Links to Prof. Darweish's books:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Popular-Protest-Palestine-Uncertain-Resistance-ebook/dp/B077L44J79/ref=sr_1_2?crid=22WUOEHPYP1XM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G6WkZzRiiCbs3_Spq_PcTPeAqDnYDMmz5Y59Km1ZuwBwItbsR44lFRXFwQsIlkp5.Zl5GwRKe6DSsfranihH-9W0WRP2kymWdmwzNS2yMGXU&dib_tag=se&keywords=Marwan+Darweish&qid=1759841366&sprefix=marwan+darweish%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peacebuilding-Reconciliation-Contemporary-Themes-Challenges/dp/0745332889/ref=sr_1_3?crid=22WUOEHPYP1XM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G6WkZzRiiCbs3_Spq_PcTPeAqDnYDMmz5Y59Km1ZuwBwItbsR44lFRXFwQsIlkp5.Zl5GwRKe6DSsfranihH-9W0WRP2kymWdmwzNS2yMGXU&dib_tag=se&keywords=Marwan+Darweish&qid=1759841366&sprefix=marwan+darweish%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-3

Interviewee Intro

In this episode we speak with Omri, a 35-year-old Israeli whorecently returned to live in Israel after several years in Europe. It’s worth noting that this conversation was recorded while he was still living in the Netherlands. He frequently takes part in protests against his own government, yet he also believes that Israel’s military actions – in Gaza, Lebanon, and beyond – are justified. It’s a tension that many Israelis grapple with:opposing their government’s policies while still supporting what they see as the country’s right to defend itself.

Interview Buildup

In this episode, we explore that tension. We talk about whatit was like growing up in Ramat Gan in the 1990s — a childhood shaped by the aftermath of the Oslo Accords, the hope they inspired, and the disillusionment that followed. We reflect on what outsiders often misunderstand about Israelis, and how fear, trauma, and politics have shaped a country still wrestling with its identity, its security, and its future.

We also talk about what it means to be Jewish in Europe today — and how living abroad has given Omri new perspectives on his own country, as well as the broader global conversation surrounding the conflict.

This is a personal, thoughtful, and sometimes difficultconversation — one that doesn’t seek to provide easy answers, but instead offers insight into the lived reality of an Israeli who, like many others, is caught between protest and patriotism, grief and resolve, hope and heartbreak.

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Coming Up Today & Biography
In today’s episode, we are joined by Dr John McMullen, an educational and child psychologist based in Northern Ireland. Dr McMullen has worked extensively with war-affected children in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and currently supports refugee pupils in Northern Irish schools. He also lectures on trauma, conflict, and the refugee experience.

Episode Buildup

Our conversation begins with how prolonged exposure to violence shapes a child’s emotional and cognitive development and how trauma manifests differently across age groups. Drawing on his experiences in East Africa andBelfast, Dr McMullen offers a grounded psychological lens on how early trauma becomes embedded in the developing brain—shaping how children view themselves, others and the world.

While his research is rooted in specific regions, such as Uganda and the DRC, his insights reveal something universal: trauma transcends borders. Whether it’s a child in Gulu, Gaza, or East Belfast, the psychological effects of violence are strikingly similar. This generalisability opens up space to explore shared risks and opportunities—especially in long-standing conflict zones like Israel-Palestine, where children live in segregated societies often shaped by inherited fear and mistrust.

We also discuss resilience—what it looks like in children exposed to war, and whether it can be cultivated through education. From integrated schools in Northern Ireland to classroom interventions in Uganda, Dr McMullen shares lessons with relevance far beyond any one context.

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Email: israelpalestineunpacked@gmail.com