What’s Happened to the Israeli Left

Summary

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It Could Happen Here

Episode: What’s Happened to the Israeli Left
Air Date: March 2, 2026
Host: Dana Al Kurd
Guest: Danielle Kantor – Founder of Culture of Solidarity

Episode Overview

This episode explores the evolution, struggles, and current state of leftist activism in Israel in the aftermath of major recent events, particularly since October 7th. Host Dana Al Kurd interviews Danielle Kantor, a key figure in Israeli mutual aid and leftist organizing, about the trajectory and challenges of building solidarity across Israeli and Palestinian communities. Through a wide-ranging, candid conversation, they examine the role of grassroots mutual aid, the journey of political unlearning for Israeli leftists, and the emotional and societal toll of activism within a “genocidal society.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Culture of Solidarity & Mutual Aid Work

[02:18] – [07:30]

• Danielle Kantor introduces Culture of Solidarity, a grassroots mutual aid collective focused on food security, especially in Area C of the West Bank (Masafar Yatta).
• Originated during the COVID-19 pandemic amid mass food waste and a realization of systemic failure to support vulnerable communities.
• Kantor emphasizes the political awakening that comes with aid work:

  “It was kind of the beginning of our deep, deep political awakening... Not understanding how politically charged it is to serve your community when they're actively being oppressed by the systems that are supposed to care for them.” (Danielle, [04:35])

• The group remains wholly community-funded and resists institutionalization to avoid perpetuating systemic need and to focus on genuine solidarity.

2. Journey of Political Unlearning and Engagement with the Occupation

[08:10] – [13:34]

• Kantor discusses how volunteering catalyzes self-questioning among Israelis regarding systems of oppression and occupation.
• The events of October 7th marked a “huge divide” and intensified the need to confront ethnic cleansing and genocide in the West Bank and Gaza:

  “Post-October 7th, you just see everything... Like, everything has become so much more pornographic... the genocide, the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.” (Danielle, [08:34])

• Acknowledges the difficult balance of empathy between personal Israeli pain (relating to attacks) and Palestinian suffering, and the cognitive dissonance within liberal Zionism:

  “Liberal Zionists would be like, ‘Yeah, it's terrible what's happening in the West Bank, the settlers, blah blah,’ but they'll still send their boys to be pilots in the army and bomb children... You can't be against that and then be for the previous part.” (Danielle, [12:12])

3. Collaborations and Solidarity Across Borders

[17:03] – [20:31]

• Culture of Solidarity works closely with both Israeli and Palestinian organizations:
  • Gisha (focus on access in Gaza), Breaking the Silence, Zechot, and Physicians for Human Rights
  • Annual Ramadan campaigns in partnership with groups including Rabbis for Human Rights and previously Dignity for Palestine in Gaza.
• The approach is to avoid “reinventing the wheel” and instead uplift and collaborate with other left/radical organizations.

  “Uplifting each other and collaborating with each other is so important to not feel alone as Israelis against the occupation.” (Danielle, [19:17])

4. Role of Israelis in Palestinian Liberation & Responsibilities of the Left

[20:31] – [27:20]

• Kantor asserts the necessity for accountability and reparations for Palestinians and equal rights under a government that serves all.
• Protective Presence: Israelis acting as an international protective presence for Palestinians threatened by settler and army violence:

  “Protective presence is one of the most important things Israeli leftists can do, because... it's just getting worse and worse.” (Danielle, [21:05])

• Stresses the unique responsibility of Israeli leftists, given their privilege and proximity to state power, and the need for continuous educational work inside Israeli society.
• The journey of unlearning for left activists is daunting and personally isolating:

  “I know what it's like to have to leave everything you've been raised on. I know what it's like to have family not want to talk to you...friends not want to be friends with you anymore...but you know that this is the right thing to do.” (Danielle, [24:50])

5. Structural and Societal Challenges: Fascism, Apathy, and the Shrinking Left

[32:06] – [37:24]

• Kantor identifies the fascist government and “fascist society” as the immediate obstacle, but argues that apathy is a greater long-term threat.

  “Our biggest threat is apathy...people not caring, not getting up and leaving their houses and doing things and organizing and mobilizing.” (Danielle, [32:20])

• Draws parallels between the current indifference of Israeli society and historical atrocities, referencing “Zone of Interest”:

  “Life just existed in Israel...You saw warplanes flying above you and you know what's going to happen...We're living in zone of interest.” (Danielle, [35:00])

• On emotional toll: Acknowledges the tension between bitterness and compassion, and the temptation to emigrate, but frames the choice to stay and resist as a “moral responsibility.”

6. The Splintering and Tightening of the Israeli Left Post-October 7

[37:20] – [40:27]

• Post-October 7th, the radical left in Israel has become tighter and more insular. The broader “liberal Zionist” left is seen as unwilling to address the root issue of occupation:

  “You can’t fight for democracy in an apartheid state...Every injustice happening on this land...the root of it is the occupation. We’ve planted roots on rotten soil.” (Danielle, [38:56])

• Danielle makes a point about the illusion of “democracy” in Israel: movements for democracy or liberal values are meaningless without confronting and ending occupation and systemic ethnic cleansing.

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “It was kind of the beginning of our deep, deep political awakening... Not understanding how politically charged it is to serve your community when they're actively being oppressed by the systems that are supposed to care for them.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [04:35]

• “Post-October 7th, you just see everything... Like, everything has become so much more pornographic... the genocide, the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [08:34]

• “Liberal Zionists would be like, ‘Yeah, it's terrible what's happening in the West Bank, the settlers, blah blah,’ but they'll still send their boys to be pilots in the army and bomb children... You can't be against that and then be for the previous part.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [12:12]

• “Uplifting each other and collaborating with each other is so important to not feel alone as Israelis against the occupation.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [19:17]

• “Protective presence is one of the most important things Israeli leftists can do, because... it's just getting worse and worse.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [21:05]

• “I know what it's like to have to leave everything you've been raised on. I know what it's like to have family not want to talk to you...friends not want to be friends with you anymore...but you know that this is the right thing to do.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [24:50]

• “Our biggest threat is apathy...people not caring, not getting up and leaving their houses and doing things and organizing and mobilizing.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [32:20]

• “We're living in zone of interest.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [35:00]

• “You can’t fight for democracy in an apartheid state...Every injustice happening on this land...the root of it is the occupation. We’ve planted roots on rotten soil.”
  — Danielle Kantor, [38:56]

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• 02:18 – 07:30: Danielle’s introduction and background on Culture of Solidarity, defining “mutual aid” in the Israeli/Palestinian context.
• 08:10 – 13:34: On political unlearning; dealing with the fallout of October 7th; the divide in Israeli identity; how to talk to fellow Israelis about ethnic cleansing.
• 17:03 – 20:31: Collaboration and learning with other NGOs and Palestinian groups; types of joint activities.
• 20:31 – 27:20: Protective presence, education, and the emotional/structural hurdles for the Israeli left.
• 32:06 – 36:26: Apathy versus activism; life under fascist rule; the emotional choice to stay and resist.
• 37:20 – 40:27: Post-October 7th; the left’s isolation, the limitations of liberal Zionism, and the need for reckoning with the foundational violence of the Israeli state.

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Conclusion

Danielle Kantor offers a deeply personal yet sharply analytical look at the state of Israel’s left, the obstacles of societal apathy and state repression, and the profound responsibilities Israelis bear in solidarity work. Despite isolation and burnout, she underlines the necessity of sustained resistance, mutual learning, and an unwavering focus on ending the root system of occupation if any future justice or democracy is possible in the region.

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For more on the organizations mentioned and recommended readings, see the episode show notes.

Transcript

[Danielle Kantor]

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[Danielle Kantor]

Then she says, have you seen a

[Dana Al Kurd]

photo of my son?

[Danielle Kantor]

And I'm like, who is this person?

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[Danielle Kantor]

It was nature and trees and praying and drugs. So, no, I am not your guru.

[Ryder Strong]

And back then, I lied to everybody.

[Danielle Kantor]

They have had this case for 30 years.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm going back to my hometown to uncover the truth. Listen to the Red Weather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Kantor]

Call Zone Media. Hello, everyone.

[Dana Al Kurd]

My name is Dana Al Kurd, and this is it could happen here. I'm an associate professor of political science and a researcher of Arab and Palestinian politics. Today on the podcast we have Danielle Kantor, and she'll be talking to us about mutual aid work in Israel, leftist politics in Israel, and her personal journey. Thank you so much for being on the show.

[Danielle Kantor]

Hi.

[Dana Al Kurd]

So, yeah, if you'd like to introduce us to yourself and your organization, Culture of Solidarity, that would be fantastic.

[Danielle Kantor]

Sure, yeah. Hi, I'm Danielle. I run with a beautiful community in mutual aid called Culture of Solidarity. I don't know if people here are familiar with mutual aid work or if I should give a little explanation about that.

[Dana Al Kurd]

I mean, you can give a spiel.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah, a little spiel. Yeah. Just basically kind of caring for your community through different, like, aid programs while resisting the systems that kind of preserve their poverty and their oppression. That's how I view what mutual aid work is. And, yeah, so we run a mutual aid. It runs in many forms, but mostly it's. We have a food security program that supports kind of the people that fall in between the cracks of the systems within Israel and Palestine. Well, obviously, the systems within Israel and in Palestine, we work mainly in area C in the west bank, in Mesafariyata. Yeah. So we do food security, like food packs that are culturally appropriate for each community, receiving them based off of what they are asking, whether it's diapers, baby formula, you know, fit to each holiday. Now we just finished, or we're still in the midst of a Ramadan annual campaign where they're all going to be boxes fit for the holiday. And we host. Well, we had a community center for the past five years. We've been a collective, I guess, since March 2020, when Covid hit. So basically, when that started, it was kind of like, we saw that there was going to be a lot of food waste, like an obscene amount of food waste, because all the restaurants, offices, hotels, la la, la, would be closing. And we thought we'd kind of rescue that food and redistribute it to communities that were in need until the government kind of got on their feet and understood what their virus was. That was kind of the beginning of our deep, deep political awakening of this place, thinking that there would be a system that would come and serve the vulnerable communities around us. So that's when it started, and I think only like a few months into that, when we thought we were kind of just like, yeah, good citizens doing the work and not understanding how politically charged it is to serve your community when they're actively being oppressed by the systems that are supposed to care for them. And I think in that moment, we understood that we want to not only serve our neighbors, our community, we also need to learn about these root causes of oppression and what brought them to this position in the first place. You know, people often say, like, oh, you know, someone's poor, they don't have food in their fridge. Like, try. Like in their ways of trying to raise funds or whatever. And it's an atrocity almost to kind of depict it that way, because all of these communities are actively being abandoned. Yeah. Being abandoned in a nice way. You know, they didn't wake up one morning and didn't have food in their fridge.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Right.

[Danielle Kantor]

They don't have food in their fridge because of a policy that preserves that status. And so that is the mutual aid that we run. We had a community center for Five years where we hosted weekly events or daily events every evening. All the events would be under that umbrella of learning as a community about these injustices. And they could also be, you know, shows, and they could be debates, and they could be lectures or workshops. And all of the proceeds would go to our food security program. And in that way, we are 100% community funded. No one has salaries. We made a conscious decision back in the beginning, when we realized all the injustices around us, that we didn't want to institutionalize and become part of a system that is responsible for that. And that is not to say that NGOs aren't amazing. That is not to say that, you know, there aren't NGOs doing God's work

[Dana Al Kurd]

here, but they're constrained. Yeah, There's. There's different constraints.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah. And this was our personal decision to act as a community. There's another reason we didn't want to institutionalize, and it's because we don't want to make a business out of something that shouldn't be needed. You know what I mean? When you get salaries intact and you

[Dana Al Kurd]

like, it perpetuates the need to continue in a way.

[Danielle Kantor]

And, like, there's always going to be need. Right? Like, it's not like we're going to, you know. Oh, and then they're not going to need anymore. But, you know, I saw on Hinge, it's like a dating app.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah, yeah.

[Danielle Kantor]

It said an app meant to be deleted. And I just thought about that. Like, oh, my God. That is the essence of it all. Like, we're not supposed to be doing this. This isn't meant, like, I mean, we should be caring for our community and our neighbors. That should go without saying. But also our taxes should be directed to serving our neighbors that are in vulnerable states.

[Dana Al Kurd]

So I will definitely link in the show notes to, like, the Instagram and things like that. And for people who are. I mean, I'm sure for some people who have seen the documentary no Other Land, this is the same community that you all work with in Masafiratl. But. Yeah. So I'm interested in a couple different kind of directions, but would you say that a lot of the people who come to culture of solidarity and like, volunteer and start to participate in your activities, do you think that that opens up the space to not only question injustices within the Israeli system, but how that's tied up with the occupation? Like, is that kind of the path forward for people?

[Danielle Kantor]

I think that is the path forward that we want for people. I think we are very forgiving, in a sense, in the way that. Not forgiving, but just understanding. Know the journey that it took us to unlearn what we know. Like, that's a hard one. And I'm gonna go pre October 7th. You know, you're doing work to unlearn what you've been taught isn't your entire identity. And, you know, post October 7th, you just see everything. Like, everything has become so much more pornographic. Like, you know, it's the amount of that murder, the genocide, the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. You know, just this week, six communities have been pushed out of their. Their homes by the army, by settlers, terrorists. And it's become much more immediate. Whereas, I think before October 7th, I mean, there didn't go a week in which we didn't have an event talking about the occupation and learning. But I think after October 7th, it became this, like, huge divide of, like, this kind of, like, protection over one's identity. So we did a lot of work to kind of dismantle that notion that to empathize with another people comes on the expense of your own pain and trying to, you know, mirror the power dynamic to people. Like, yes, we all had family and friends and people that we knew that were murdered, that were taken, that were, like, abducted. And with that being said, Israel has been committing a genocide in Gaza for the past still. It's ongoing two and something years. The other day got a message on our Instagram, basically being like, I love the work you do. You do really important things. And, you know, there is racism and there is poverty, but from there, to say that there's ethnic cleansing, Come on. Like, I don't know if I can support your work anymore. And basically also meet that with love as well. To be like, I hear you. This is the policies that people in our government are. Are. Are advancing. This is who our army is protecting. This is what ethnic cleansing means. And in that situation, I can also turn to my community and my friends. Like, I have a friend that what he does for work is kind of gathering all this information of articles and everything that's coming out to educate. So. All right, cool. I can use those articles to help teach this person that yes, there is, in fact, ethnic cleansing happening in the West Bank. Like, and, you know, it's not even like this, like. Oh, how do I say? It's like. No, actually, our. Like, our government officials are saying this, like, smoothly said it the other day. Right. So. Yeah.

[Dana Al Kurd]

But yeah, it is this kind of like, open door.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah.

[Dana Al Kurd]

For Israelis that maybe not they're not there yet also.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah, I think that it's like, it's, it's hard. It's like really hard because you're at this point where it's like very far from where those people are that are like beginning. And also you have sometimes resentment towards your society and mother sometimes. A lot of the time you have. I mean, I'm always as nothing with like in general, when someone wants to is asking a question, I think that is just like amazing and important and cool. Let's have a conversation about this.

[Dana Al Kurd]

At least they're asking.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah. And they're wanting to learn. They're questioning something that's, that's the way forward. And with that being said, you know, the past two and a half years have also been excruciating. Living in this society like you're living in a genocidal society and you're around people that could justify certain, you know, acts, certain war crimes. Yeah. You kind of find yourself not wanting to engage, not wanting to love, not wanting to teach, not wanting, not that I'm the one teaching, like we're all learning together about this and hosting, but obviously not wanting to have conversations sometimes because you're just like, well, you seen what's been happening online over the past two years and you still can't comprehend what is going on, then, God, I don't know what I can do to help that. But then I have to remind myself that if I am here, if I am living here, I have a responsibility and that is to, yeah, facilitate more meetings, conversations in which people will be exposed to the injustices being committed in our name. And that's a problem with liberal Zionism as well. Because liberal Zionists would be like, oh my God, yeah, it's terrible what's happening in the west bank. The settlers, blah, blah, but like, they'll still send their, you know, their boys to go be pilots in the army and, you know, bomb children. And it's kind of like finding the way to kind of be like, no, no, you can't, like you can't be against that. And then before that.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Right. Kind of demonstrate the cognitive dissonance to them. Like there's kind of a contradiction here.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Sorry, Think of just.

[Dana Al Kurd]

No, no, not at all. This is extremely rich in thought provoking content.

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[Danielle Kantor]

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[Danielle Kantor]

Okay, I don't think that's true.

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This is Ryder Strong with a podcast called the red weather. In 1995, my neighbor Anna Trainor disappeared from a commune. It was nature and trees and praying and drugs.

[Danielle Kantor]

So, no, I am not your guru.

[Ryder Strong]

Back then, I lied to everybody.

[Danielle Kantor]

They have had this case for 30 years.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm going back to my hometown to uncover the truth. You can now binge all episodes of the Red Weather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Danielle Kantor]

You have to work on it every day.

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[Dana Al Kurd]

I want to ask what kind of organizations does Culture of Solidarity engage with? Whether in Israel and in Palestine and kind of related to that, what role do you see an organization such as this, a mutual aid organization? What role do you envision for yourselves in Palestinian liberation? Like what role are you.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Intending to play? You kind of touched on it already in terms of like teaching and learning within your own society.

[Danielle Kantor]

But yeah, we work with a lot of different organizations because it is very important for us to, you know, not reinvent the wheel and, and kind of learn with our other organizations. Whether it's Gisha who talk about the actual word of Gisha is access and they talk about access in Gaza, the access to water, to electricity, the infrastructure in Gaza. And then we could host tours. Every time it's a different organization. This guy Mani in our group, he runs these tours and he will do with Breaking the Silence in Masafiryata. He'll do one with Zechot, which I'm sure. Yeah, you can probably link all of these in the.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Definitely will.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah, it was in Mshiya, which is the Charles Klore Mnshea, which is literally down the street from where I'm at right now, and it's the beach of Yaffa in the village that once existed there. Or even with a woman named Hilaharel to go through a tour within the half abandoned Israeli bus new bus station. And they're all tied to injustices. They're all tied to something that was or yeah. Was there and isn't anymore. Or atrocities currently happening, obviously also in the Negev to learn about the different Bedouin communities and the injustices that they're experiencing. And then so that's. Yeah, it's called touring and Solidarity. And then we'll have, I mean, honestly, probably any left, radical left, or an organization that you could probably think of, we collaborate with them in some way or another. It's a Pretty tight knit community. And this has been a beautiful thing of like trying to, you know, always there's always a knitting grits of blah, blah, blah. But I mean, uplifting each other and collaborating with each other is so important to not feel alone as Israelis. Against the occupation.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah.

[Danielle Kantor]

And for an actual true democracy in the land or liberation. Yeah.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Do you work with Palestinian groups within Israel and in the occupied territories?

[Danielle Kantor]

Yes, we do. We worked with an organization in Gaza called Dignity for Palestine and we did a big flower fundraiser last year and we've worked with organizations that are like, you know, Physicians for Human Rights that are both, you know, Israeli and Palestinian led. And then we have our annual Ramadan campaign that I was telling you about now, and that's with Rabbis for Human Rights who are not Palestinian. But we do work with different groups within Palestine. One of the people that was, you know, the main receiver and distributor of these boxes was Oda Delin, who was murdered in July by settler, you know, Levy. So yeah, it's working directly with communities. Second question was what role do leftists, Israelis have right now? Was that the question?

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah, like what role do you envision either for yourself as you personally or for the Israeli left in Palestinian liberation? I know it's a big question.

[Danielle Kantor]

That is a big question. It's an important question. And I think as long as we are living on this land, it's our response. I think it's everyone's responsibility to free Palestine and for the Palestinian people to have equal rights, to have access to whatever they wish for under. Yeah. A government that sees both counterparts equally and the obviously accountability and reparations that would need to happen in order to get there. I think that our responsibility as Israeli leftist to keep fighting for that is to keep fighting for that within Israel and within Palestine. So whether it's protective presence in the west bank, protective presence is a kind of program where you sleep at different Palestinian homes every night just in case settlers come in the middle of the night to attack or the army comes in the middle of the night to attack and you're there serving as protective presence. You obviously have a privilege, you have an Israeli passport, you're Jewish. That is a privilege on this land. And to be there, obviously you don't decide what goes down. You ask each family how they want to deal with this and you serve that. So I think protective presence is one of the most important things Israelis, Israeli leftists can do because yeah, like I said earlier, it's just getting worse and worse and it's at a high. It's always been bad, but the past, honestly I think since no other land came out it, I think it's like

[Dana Al Kurd]

gotten a lot of attention on them essentially.

[Danielle Kantor]

Well, there's always been attacks by settlers of course. Yeah, but I think that, yeah, in the past year it's gotten to an all time high.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Well, there's also kind of like the general impunity that the Israeli government and the settler movement. Like.

[Danielle Kantor]

Exactly.

[Dana Al Kurd]

It's not yet, especially after Biden left, like not that he was holding them accountable, but certainly gloves were off after that for sure.

[Danielle Kantor]

No, no, exactly, that is very true. But basically in the last year, two years, it's gotten much, much worse. So I think Israeli leftists have a responsibility to be serve as protective presence for one, number one, I think number two, they have a responsibility to educate their society and to not only educate, but to constantly learn. I feel like so many people in Israel are in just like this constant victimhood of like the whole world is against us, like everyone's anti Semitic, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And like from that to what? Actually, I mean obviously there's anti Semitism, obviously there are people not saying that there isn't, of course, but without any accountability for what we have turned our backs to over the past two and a half years, like there's so much work to be done. And I think, you know, the easy way, whether it's a Westerner abroad telling you like, well why do you live in Palestine? You should leave, blah, blah, blah, or whether it's a Palestinian in the west bank being like, you can't leave like you have, we, we need you here. Obviously it's an unnatural ecosystem to have, you know, leftist activists running through villages in the West. I mean, but, but that's the reality of things. So as long as I am here living on this land and where I'm from, I'm going to do everything in my power to resist what is happening and to learn together with other people. It's hard because we're not a, we're a really tiny community. Like you know, there's people that again are against, you know, oh, the war, blah, blah, blah. Like, but, yeah, but not seeing how that is like interconnected with the entire premise of the state. There's a lot of work to be done and it's hard because you're also bitter. Like, you know, and you want to have compassion, but then you're bitter and

[Dana Al Kurd]

I'm like, ah, you're like, you've made so much work for us.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah, I mean also I Get it. I've been there. I wasn't raised in a left home. I know what it is to be raised up conservative, right wing, you know, Zionist, and I'm obviously very far from that. But I know what it's like to have to leave everything you've been raised on. I know what it's like to have family not want to talk to you. I know what it's like to have friends not want to be friends with you anymore, to have so many people around you telling you that you're wrong, but you know that this is the right thing to do, and I get that and I have compassion for that. But then there's also just like, sometimes

[Dana Al Kurd]

you're just like, yeah, no, I can't. I can't imagine. I mean, it's a. It's a very difficult journey to travel through. I understand the sentiment that you've expressed that like, the last two years should have been enough.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah.

[Dana Al Kurd]

But also it's like this whole identity is fragile and people are human beings and like, it's difficult for them to, like. Yeah, I'm not saying anything new, just reiterating what you said about, like, unlearning. Like, it's. It's an extremely difficult thing to go through, I think.

[Danielle Kantor]

No, but do you understand, like, you know, you're Palestinian and like me complaining about this thing that we're doing, like, it just feels like people know what's been going on, let alone obviously Palestinians that have family, friends that are subjected to this violence and that are themselves subjected to that violence abroad because of being Palestinian. And then what is happening here, it's like two different worlds. And it's funny for me to even, like, be like, oh, yeah, like to even try to explain that, because I'm sure people will be listening to this and be like, oh, like, you know, why are they complaining? Like. But then, you know your society and you know what they have or haven't been exposed to, and you know what they've chosen not to look to, not, not necessarily at this point, what they have or haven't been exposed. Because I think that's also a bit of a kind of forgiving card. Because I think at this point, if you still call it AI, if you still call it, like, there's some deep reckoning to do there.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah.

[Danielle Kantor]

But anyways, I just feel like it's such two different worlds. And I think that. I think as is, as Israeli leftists that live here, you know, pay taxes in this land, we have a huge responsibility, if not the number one Responsibility to Palestinian liberation. And. Yeah, I think that's the very long answer to your question. No, no.

[Dana Al Kurd]

I mean, I think it's. Yeah, it's a fair answer. I. I just, you know, think to myself that, like, it's not coincidence, and it's not to take away from the agency of, like, individuals. Obviously, everybody has choices to make. Like, Israelis have choices to make. Like, they can choose to believe or not believe, or they can choose to turn their back. But at the same time, it's like systems have led them to a point where they dehumanize to this extent that they can see the videos and either make excuses or pretend they're not real. You know, and so it's like the work is to. To disrupt the systems. You know, I think in that way, I think about, like, structural constraints. That is more worthwhile in my effort. If I was an Israeli leftist. I'm not, but if I was in your shoes, like, that's more worthwhile in my effort than to be, like, kind of demoralized by individuals, if you know, if you understand what I mean.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Host]

You know Roald Dahl, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the bfg. But did you know he was also a spy?

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Co-host]

Was this before he wrote his stories?

[Dana Al Kurd]

It must have been.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Host]

Our new podcast series, the Secret World of Roald Dahl is a wild journey through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary, controversial life. His job was literally to seduce the wives of powerful Americans.

[Danielle Kantor]

What?

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Host]

And he was really good at it. You probably won't believe it either.

[Danielle Kantor]

Okay, I don't think that's true.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Host]

I'm telling you, the guy was a spy. Did you know Dahl got cozy with the Roosevelts, played poker with Harry Truman, and had a long affair with a congresswoman. And then he took his talents to Hollywood, where he worked alongside Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock before writing a hit James Bond film. How did this secret agent wind up as the most successful children's author ever? And what darkness from his covert past seeped into the stories we wrote, read as kids? The true story is stranger than anything he ever wrote. Listen to the Secret World of Roald Dahl on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ryder Strong]

This is Ryder Strong with a podcast called the red weather. In 1995, my neighbor Anna Trainor disappeared from a commune. It was nature and trees and praying and drugs.

[Danielle Kantor]

So, no, I am not your guru.

[Ryder Strong]

Back then, I lied to everybody.

[Danielle Kantor]

They have had this case for 30 years.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm going back to my hometown to uncover the truth. You can now binge all episodes of the Red weather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[We'll Kill You Podcast Host]

A ambitious, well intentioned, ferocious and wealthy

[Danielle Kantor]

mother looks like in the Black community

[Keep It Positive Sweetie Host]

this Women's History Month. The podcast Keep It Positive Sweetie celebrates the power of women choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination.

[Danielle Kantor]

You have to work on it every day.

[Keep It Positive Sweetie Host]

Keep It Positive Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit, led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud.

[Danielle Kantor]

I have several conversations with God and I know why it took 20 years

[Keep It Positive Sweetie Host]

to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive Sweetie on the I iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[We'll Kill You Podcast Host]

Usually on this podcast We'll Kill youl, we talk about the diseases, infections and biological threats that can make us really sick.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Co-host]

But right now we're doing something a little different.

[We'll Kill You Podcast Host]

We're stepping back and looking at what the human body needs to keep going.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Co-host]

When you consider what we know about sleep in humans, there's one rule that comes out we are predictably unpredictable sleepers.

[We'll Kill You Podcast Host]

We're talking about why sleep works the way it does, why our bodies don't follow neat rules, and why modern life makes rest so hard to come by.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Co-host]

The second half of our series takes us to the digestive system with a multi part series on what happens after we eat. Okay, I just have to say that all of my favorite words apparently are digestive words.

[We'll Kill You Podcast Host]

Sphincter, peristalsis, duodenum. It's fascinating, it's funny, and it matters so much more than you think.

[Secret World of Roald Dahl Co-host]

Episode episodes of our new series run from January 20 through February 17, with new episodes every Tuesday on the Exactly Right Network.

[We'll Kill You Podcast Host]

Listen to this podcast will kill you as part of the Exactly Right Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dana Al Kurd]

I guess that kind of leads me to my next question. I mean, I know that October 7th was such kind of like a breaking point, but obviously the Israeli left like was in the minority before as well. But what would you say, kind of like in the last two years and kind of to think about moving forward, what are the biggest challenges that the Israeli left faces to continue in its effort, whether it's to educate or to be a type of protective presence, whether physically in the west bank or in their presence in Israel?

[Danielle Kantor]

Well, obviously it's our, you know, fascist government and fascist society. You know, anyone that is, like, actively oppressing every minority on this land, and especially Palestinians. So I think our biggest threat is our government at the moment. But I think that our biggest. My biggest threat, if I could think of, like, what is the biggest threat, is apathy. I think, like, people not caring people not getting up and leaving their houses and doing things and organizing and mobilizing, just letting this happen. And I think on paper, the biggest obstacle would probably be our government that are, you know, acting in such a fascist, fanatic Nazi manner. And I think, yeah, as an individual, being a part of grassroots communities and seeing, you know, at the end of the day, there are people that are going out there and actively, like, murdering Palestinians that are, you know, pushing for policies to deport children, Filipino children or children of migrant workers. There are so many injustices towards different people. And there are people that are, like, actively going out and. And, like, fighting for these, like, terrible, terrible fanatic ideologies. And I think whenever we. People don't. I said this in a podcast recently, and someone told me, like, wait, you have to take out that part because it sounds like you're, like, voting, like you're, like, rooting for the fascist to active. I'm like, no, no. The fact is that there are people that are doing these really, really bad things, and when we're not countering them, when we are just letting them happen and be like, oh, yeah, that sucks. But not doing anything about it, not using our privilege or our voice or a microphone to resist that, then we're conforming with it. And I know that's not fun to think. That's not fun. It's not fun to, like, go or organize protests. It's not fun to do a lot. Even though actually there's a lot of things that are really beautiful as well. Being in the west bank, being with people, playing with children, like, these are beautiful, beautiful things. It's not like we're doing them. But I think when it's within Israeli society, when it's organizing protests, when it's joining a protest as a number, when it's, you know, learning and doing, unlearning, it's not always easy, and it's not always someone's first. Yeah. Decision to. To make. But I think that when you don't do that, I think that is the biggest threat. You know, in the Holocaust, in many different atrocities over the years, the thing that, like, stood out most was people that were silent and people that, yeah. Didn't resist in one way or another.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Like that movie Zone of Interest, like

[Danielle Kantor]

oh, my God, that movie. That movie just shaped these past two and a half years. Like, I saw it a few months after October 7th, and I just. Every moment that life just existed in Israel and you saw warplanes flying above you and you know what's going to happen. You hear too. Like, you hear bombs falling. You hear. And everyone's just like, gotten used to it. And you're just like, we're living in zone of interest.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah. That's wild.

[Danielle Kantor]

Yeah. I think it's like a constant question of, do I want to be a part of the society? Do I want to fight? Life would be much easier if I moved away and I was just like, fuck this place. Which is not a bad thing to do. I have many friends that have done this and I understand it. It's really hard, you know, life would be easier if I just left. It's not the, I don't want to say it's not the sexy narrative to be like, like, look, we can both, you know, look, you know, let's learn. It's not fun to be talking and trying to reason with fascists, like, or people that are in deep denial of, of, Of a reality you're really well intertwined with. But I think it's my moral responsibility as an Israeli to be here and as long as I can and help create platforms for our society to learn and resist.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah, no, I think like you said, there are different pathways, but I can definitely understand, like, the feeling you have that it's like an abdication of responsibility, having been a part of the society to some degree, to. Yeah, throw your hands, essentially. One last question. I was watching the documentary Coexistence My Ass, which is an incredible documentary. I really encourage people to watch it if they can. And it's filmed and it incorporates that moment of October 7th and shows. I mean, I think implies. Though of course, I, I don't know how widely this applies, but it shows and implies how parts of the left fell off, you know, after October 7th. Do you feel like now we're 2026. We're recording February 22nd, 2026. Do you feel like people are starting to, like, come back?

[Danielle Kantor]

I don't know.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Or did just. The left gets smaller.

[Danielle Kantor]

I think the radical left has become just much more tight knit. And yeah, whoever's a part of it is kind of a part of it. People are always welcome to join and be a part, but it's kind of, you know, you kind of have your usual suspects at this point. And I think the broader, like, I don't know, liberal Zionists that will call themselves left in Israel just, like, isn't really left because they're talking about a democracy within an apartheid state. They are, like I said earlier, sending their sons to war. I'm not saying that's an easy thing, but at the same time, opposing the war and not acknowledging Palestinian suffering. And I think there's become many people, and this is from my personal experience that just are, like I said, apathetic, looking forward with their hands on the sides of each of their eyes, trying not to see what's happening. There are people, thousands, tens of thousands in the streets protesting. You know, they'll be waving Israeli flags. That's hard for me. I don't. I don't feel like I'm in the group that would ever wave a flag. And I think they see themselves as left. Yeah. Again, like I said, like, you can't be fighting for human rights. Liberal ideologies within an apartheid state. You can't fight for democracy in an apartheid state. Like, we have to touch the root of this. All. Every injustice happening on this land or in Israel in 48. Like, in my opinion, the root of it is the occupation. We've planted roots on rotten soil. We've pushed people out of their homes and took them as our own. And we're not really willing to reconcile what we've become, what we've done. And I think only when that starts to happen, there could be some sort of future here on this land for both people. But as long as we're not acknowledging the atrocities we are committing and the atrocities our silence is allowing to perpetuate, then the left here is very, very tiny. And I say that not to toot our own horn. You know, it's not in a way of, like, it's not. We're not on a moral high ground. Like, maybe there was a moment where I did feel that way in a sense of, like, I know and you don't know, or like. But then you know very quickly, in order to turn your activism into something sustainable, you have to remind yourself, this is what I believe in. This is love. And it's not from bitterness and it's not from being on a moral high ground. Like, I'm doing this because I believe in it as me as Didi, and I really hope other people join and other people also open their hearts to these injustices and realize that in order for everyone to have a just reality, a just future, then you have to fight for everyone to have those rights as well.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Yeah. Thank you so much for that. I always say, like, I mean, I think this is applicable lots of places. I say it here in the United States, like when there was a crackdown on pro Palestine protesters and just the complete reversal of freedom of speech and everything like that because they happen to be pro Palestine. I said, you know, this is eroding the tenuous democracy you have. It's democracy for all of us or none of us. And in Israel it's like you can be liberal and or you can call yourself the left and advocate in this way. But unless, like you said, you realize what the construction of the state and its continuation kind of like this endless ethnic cleansing project that's happening in the territories. It's like unless you address that, it will bleed into you. So it's, you know, for a variety of reasons, moral reasons, of course, but also self interest. Dalia Schindler has an interesting article about this and an interesting argument about this that I'll link in the show notes. And I would say she's a believer in maybe a confederation or something like that, but her analysis is the occupation ruin the potential of Israeli democracy. Like I said, she comes at it from a very kind of different angle, I think, than you do, but still is a reasonable argument at the end of it. But yeah, thank you so much, Danielle. This has been a really rich conversation and I think that the listeners will benefit a lot from having this, this laid out. And of course, I'll include everything in the show notes about the groups that we mentioned.

[Danielle Kantor]

Thank you so much for inviting me. And yeah, I hope I didn't talk your head off.

[Dana Al Kurd]

No, not at all. This was great. Thank you so much. It Could Happen Here is a production of Cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from Cool Zone Media, Visit our website coolzonemedia.com or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts you can now find sources for It Could Happen here listed directly in episode descriptions. Thanks for listening.

[Danielle Kantor]

I actually drop better when I'm high. It heightens my senses, calms me down. If anything, I'm more careful. Honestly, it just helps me focus.

[NHTSA/AD Council PSA Announcer]

That's probably what the driver who killed a four year old told himself and now he's in prison. You see, no matter what you tell yourself, if you feel different, you drive different. So if you're high, just don't drive. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council.

[Danielle Kantor]

Then she says, have you seen a

[Dana Al Kurd]

photo of my son?

[Danielle Kantor]

And I'm like, who is this person?

[Boys and Girls Podcast Host]

Welcome to the Boys and Girls podcast. Arranged marriage is basically a reality show and you're auditioning for your soulmate. And who's judging? Only your entire family. I sacrificed myself to this ancient tradition, hoping to to find love the right way. And instead I found chaos, comedy, and a lot of cringe. Listen to boys and Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[iHeart Country Festival Announcer]

Saturday, May 2, country's biggest stars will be in Austin, Texas at our 2026 iHeart Country Festival presented by Capital One. See Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozy, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase, Matthew, Lauren, Elena. Tickets are on sale now. Get yours before they sell [e-mail] hey,

[Dana Al Kurd]

everyone, it's Emily Simpson and Shane Simpson from the Legally Brunette podcast.

[iHeart Country Festival Announcer]

Each week we're bringing you true crime through a legal lens.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Whether you want all the facts on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie or you still need to wrap your head around the Diddy verdict, we're breaking it all down step by step.

[Danielle Kantor]

And we're not just lawyers. We're also husband and wife. It makes for some pretty entertaining episodes.

[Dana Al Kurd]

Listen to Legally brunette on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Kantor]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.