In this charged episode of Mid-Atlantic, host Roifield Brown is joined by Palestinian analyst Mouin Rabbani, along with regular contributors Cory Bernard in Manchester and Mike Donahue in Los Angeles, to lay bare the harrowing conditions in Gaza and the political cowardice of the West. With over 60,000 Palestinians killed and famine declared by the IPC, the panel asks a blunt question: why does the so-called democratic world continue to stall, excuse, and equivocate?

Rabbani underscores the systematic assault not just on Gaza, but on the Palestinian people as a whole — from military aggression and forced displacement to attempts at erasing Palestinian refugees from political consideration. The conversation pivots to the deafening silence from Washington, London, and Brussels, and the wider consequences for international law, human rights, and geopolitical credibility. Meanwhile, domestic shifts are underway: US support for Israel is fracturing along generational lines, while in the UK, groups like Palestine Action face state repression under terrorism legislation — raising questions about civil liberties and the hypocrisy of Western democratic claims.

Finally, the guests wrestle with the viability of a two-state solution. Mouin Rabbani insists that any hope for Palestinian sovereignty must come with political renewal and an end to the current PA-Hamas schism. But even that hinges on one thing Western governments refuse to offer: meaningful pressure on Israel. For now, the focus must be immediate — stop the famine, stop the bombs, and stop the enabling.

1. "The PA has essentially assumed the role of a powerless spectator." — Mouin Rabbani
2. "It's Marjorie Taylor Greene saying, 'Why are we supporting genocide?' That's how much the conversation has shifted." — Roifield Brown
3. "You should not be able to break into an RAF base. That says more about our military than it does about Palestine Action." — Cory Bernard
4. "The West has made Israel a special case because of the Holocaust. That indulgence is eroding — and fast." — Mouin Rabbani
5. "We can talk about statehood tomorrow. But tonight, people are starving. Get them food." — Roifield Brown

• Famine Review Committee / IPC: https://www.ipcinfo.org
• Haaretz Podcast & Coverage: https://www.haaretz.com
• International Court of Justice – South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Case): https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192
• Palestine Action: https://palestineaction.org
• UN Headquarters Agreement: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/host-country

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Guests: Dave Smith (North London), Michael Donahue (Los Angeles), Tonye “T” Trade (East London), Safana “Saf” Monajed (East London) Host: Roifield Brown

Roifield opens with a stark personal statement: Gaza is a genocide, and Britain’s leadership—particularly the Labour government—has failed morally and politically. The panel examines the collapse of a “rules-based order,” Western complicity, media cowardice, the role of the IDF, Netanyahu’s politics, and why Arab and Western governments have not stopped the slaughter. The conversation closes with appeals to justice, courage, and hope.

• Roifield Brown (Host): “There comes a point when you have to stand up and call out mass murder and crimes against humanity when you see them on your smartphone, your TV, in your newspaper.”
• Dave Smith: “Yes, it is genocide—ethnic cleansing—and a holocaust in our own time; the rules-based order has given way to might-is-right.”
• Michael Donahue: “Netanyahu isn’t leading so much as riding a wave of anti-Palestinian sentiment—everything about this is just crushingly depressing.”
• Tonye Altraide “This is the naked expression of extreme Zionism; our media’s silence is enforced by influence, cowardice, and self-preservation.”
• Safana “Saf” Monajed: “What you see on the micro you see on the macro—states and people alike choose self-preservation over justice.”

• The collapse of Western moral authority and selective application of “rules-based order.”
• Genocidal rhetoric, systematic targeting of civilians, and destruction of civilian infrastructure.
• Media gatekeeping and the costs of speaking plainly about Gaza.
• U.S./UK complicity through arms and political cover; cautious divergence only very recently.
• Arab regimes’ calculus of self-preservation.
• Holding onto a “moral imperative of hope” and a future Palestinian state.

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This week’s Mid-Atlantic served up a blistering transatlantic roundup, with host Roifield Brown and a sharp panel of commentators dissecting political dysfunction from the White House to Westminster. First, Elon Musk’s abrupt departure from the Trump administration drew collective side-eye. Denise Hamilton called it a “planned grift,” while Michael Donahue reminded us Musk’s firms are still swimming in government contracts. As for public perception? Let’s just say Tesla’s aura now smells a lot like diesel.

Next, Trump’s vendetta against Harvard and foreign students provoked righteous fury. Michael labelled it “vindictive chaos,” while Denise broke down how this could gut America’s soft power for decades. Meanwhile, Cory Bernard coolly suggested British universities may opportunistically benefit from Trump’s xenophobic overreach. A win for Oxford, a loss for everyone else.

On the UK side, Labour’s Brexit “reset” is, according to Cory, “technocratic fudge.” While the EU quietly standardises global regulation, Britain remains a rule-taker masquerading as a rule-maker. The panel skewered Starmer’s “quiet alignment” approach, calling it necessary but cowardly. Gaza and the UK’s too-little-too-late condemnation of Israeli settlements brought a sombre close, with Denise lamenting performative outrage after the damage is done. Oh, and Trump’s tariffs? Illegal, inflationary, and economically suicidal—now rubber-stamped as such by the courts.

Selected Quotes from the Episode

1. “This is just a three-card monte. You’re looking over here, meanwhile, you’re being robbed mercilessly.” – Denise Hamilton
2. “You can’t run a country like a business because government’s job isn’t to make money—it’s to deliver the mail and send checks to old people.” – Michael Donahue
3. “The UK’s condemnation is just performative. Now that Gaza’s flattened, suddenly everyone finds their moral compass.” – Cory Bernard
4. “We are experiencing a level of grift we can’t even process.” – Denise Hamilton
5. “The EU is stealthily rewriting global corporate governance—and Britain is just cosplaying sovereignty.” – Roifield Brown

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