3616 - Trump Revels in War Crimes; Israel Ethnically Cleanses Lebanon in Darkness w/ Zahra Hankir

Summary

Podcast Summary

The Majority Report with Sam Seder
Episode 3616 – April 6, 2026
Main Theme:
War Crimes, U.S. and Israeli Aggression in Iran and Lebanon, Ethnic Cleansing, Media Silence, and Journalism in Crisis
Guest: Zahra Hankir, Lebanese author and journalist

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Overview

This episode dives deep into the ongoing U.S./Israeli military actions against Iran and Lebanon, the normalization and celebration of war crimes in public discourse, and the devastating impact on civilian populations. The guest segment with Zahra Hankir focuses on Lebanon’s humanitarian catastrophe and the near-disappearance of international media coverage, with an analysis of the historical, political, and journalistic context shaping these events.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Open Threats of War Crimes in Iran ([00:17–14:16])

• Summary:
  Discussion centers on Donald Trump’s holiday weekend Truth Social posts and public remarks, in which he threatened major attacks on Iranian infrastructure ("power plant day and bridge day"), boasted about arming Iranian protesters/Kurds, and openly suggested stealing oil. These statements come as US and Israeli strikes devastate civilian targets, universities, and energy facilities in Iran.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Emma Vigeland: “He relished in threats of war crimes against the people of Iran...sending Iran back to the Stone Age...” ([04:11])
  • Matt: “This is less of a war and more of a terrorism spree by our government and Israel.” ([11:06])

• Timestamps:

  • [04:11] — Trump’s “Stone Age” threat traced to Gen. Curtis LeMay’s Vietnam-era rhetoric.
  • [10:06–11:01] — Fox’s Trey Yingst recounts Trump’s boast: “If they don’t make a deal, and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil...You’re going to see bridges and power plants dropping all over their country.”
  • [13:21] — Trump: “They’ll have no bridges, they’ll have no power plants, they’ll have no anything. ...If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil.”

• Commentary:
  Hosts critique the casualness and impunity with which war crimes enter mainstream dialogue, the market incentives (weapons manufacturers) driving policy, and Trump’s use of vulgar, bullying language rooted in dehumanization and Islamophobia.

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2. Escalation and Media Double-Standards ([01:51, 11:45, 12:40])

• Summary:
  The show contrasts the outrage over betting markets for the fate of US airmen (Polymarket controversy) with widespread indifference to markets on the Palestinian genocide and attacks on Iran and Lebanon.

• Notable Quote:

  • Emma: “...you can bet on the length of the Palestinian genocide...But when there’s a US Air person involved, everyone’s very outraged.” ([01:53])

• Timestamps:

  • [11:45] — “Because of the French fries and the freedom…” (sarcastic commentary on American exceptionalism)
  • [12:40] — On Israeli ceasefires: “...they’re annexing the territory and bombing the hell out of the whole country...Why would anybody trust a U.S. or Israeli ceasefire?”

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3. U.S. Politics: Senate Races and Attitudes Toward Israel ([15:43–20:59])

• Summary:
  Discussion of Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and Graham Platner’s popular, consistent anti-genocide stance, contrasted with establishment Democrats. The hosts analyze how progressive candidates like Platner address Israel policy post-Gaza and set a ‘litmus test’ for the left.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Graham Platner: “Not a single taxpayer dollar should be spent on arming and defending a country that commits a genocide...What I am witnessing now is the height of horror.” ([17:40])
  • Emma: “I still want a more comprehensive answer...about what it means for Israel to be an exclusionary ethnostate. Do Palestinians have the right to return...reparations...sharing of the land?” ([20:59])

• Timestamps:

  • [17:40–18:47] — Platner’s town hall statement on aid to Israel and genocide.
  • [20:59] — AOC’s stance as the new litmus test for progressive politicians.

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4. Israel’s War in Lebanon: Ethnic Cleansing in Darkness ([29:06–52:08])

Interview with Zahra Hankir

State of Journalism and Coverage of Lebanon ([29:26–37:53])

• Summary:
  Zahra Hankir explains that while some local journalists risk their lives to report from Lebanon, the retreat of foreign correspondents (especially from western outlets) has left the story underreported and distorted. Lebanon has seen at least 11 journalists killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, with little international outcry.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Zahra Hankir: “They are operating under great danger...As we know, journalists are also being targeted by Israel. There have been at least 11 journalists killed in Lebanon since October 2023...Israel admitted to targeting that vehicle, which was clearly marked as press.” ([30:04])
  • “Journalists are civilians, does not matter who they work for, and we should all stand together in condemning this kind of a targeting.” ([39:40])

• Timestamps:

  • [31:44] — Israel’s use of white phosphorus, ongoing war crimes largely ignored by Western media.
  • [35:99] — Beirut’s lost status as a press hub; hollowing out of local newsrooms.
  • [39:40] — The killing of Fatima Ftouni and colleagues; Israeli allegations and falsified evidence.

Ethnic Cleansing and Sectarian Targeting of Lebanese Shia ([33:05–35:11])

• Summary:
  Hankir details how Israel’s campaign, though framed as “anti-Hezbollah,” in reality indiscriminately targets and displaces Shia communities—often conflated with Hezbollah—fueling sectarian tensions and a humanitarian crisis.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “It’s that idea of trying to...frame them as being somehow deserving of this displacement because of their background...But really...these communities are...facing great, great humanitarian crisis in the current moment.” ([33:40])

• Timestamps:

  • [33:40] — Displacement of Shia Lebanese and framing as “deserving” due to Hezbollah sympathies.
  • [37:53] — Decline in foreign bureaus, shift from Beirut to Tel Aviv due to Israeli press controls.

Sectarian Manipulation and Failed State Narrative ([42:25–48:32])

• Summary:
  Western coverage reduces Lebanon’s complex society to “Hezbollah = terrorism,” ignoring the nuanced political, social, and historical factors (including Hezbollah’s provision of vital services where the Lebanese state has failed). Israel leverages and exploits sectarian divisions (Christian and Druze communities) to further ethnic cleansing.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “There are communities in Lebanon that are hesitant to host the displaced because of the fanning of sectarian tensions, in part also by Israel.” ([45:00])
  • “This is obviously a targeted ethnic cleansing campaign...” ([46:48] – Emma)

• Timestamps:

  • [45:00] — Israel’s exploitation of sectarian divides; historical context and current policy.
  • [48:32] — “...over a million” Lebanese displaced (20% of the population); destruction of infrastructure and the deepening humanitarian crisis.

Humanitarian Catastrophe and Regional Context ([48:59–52:08])

• Summary:
  Lebanon faces devastation on multiple fronts—over 1 million displaced, destroyed infrastructure, widespread use of banned weaponry (white phosphorus), ongoing government dysfunction, and collapsing social trust. The crisis connects to broader U.S./Israeli regional strategies of destabilization and regime change.

• Notable Quote:

  • Emma: “...as the democracy preaches the ethic. This is quite literally an assault on the ability for kind of democratic self-actualization of many of these states, Lebanon included.” ([51:17])

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Notable/Memorable Moments

• Dark Humor & Irony Throughout

  • Sarcastic riffs on Trump’s “contemplation” of Easter (“deeply held Christian values”) while publicly threatening war crimes ([04:11]).
  • Consistent references to how “American exceptionalism” enables global atrocities ([11:45]).

• Direct Moral Indictments

  • Repeated labeling of Trump’s rhetoric as “rapist” or “psycho” in tone and substance (e.g., [13:21], [13:43]).
  • Candid acknowledgment of arms industries as primary beneficiaries of perpetual war ([11:06]).

• Journalism in Peril

  • Zahra Hankir’s direct testimonies about media workers killed and local reporters’ lack of backing—a crisis both humanitarian and for global accountability ([30:04], [39:40]).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:17] — Show introduction and rundown of current events.
• [04:11–14:16] — Trump’s threats, MIT Sharif bombing, war crimes normalization.
• [10:06–11:01] — Trey Yingst relays Trump’s intentions to “blow everything up.”
• [11:06–11:42] — War crimes as industrial policy and moral decay.
• [17:40–18:47] — Graham Platner’s principled stance on Israel aid.
• [20:59] — AOC’s new litmus test, questions of ethnic statehood in Israel.
• [29:06–52:08] — Zahra Hankir’s guest interview: Lebanon’s hidden war, ethnic cleansing, journalism crisis.

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Tone & Language

• The mood is irreverent, bracingly honest, often sarcastic, and unflinching in its critique of US and Israeli government actions.
• Emma Vigeland, Matt, and guest Zahra Hankir speak plainly and directly about war crimes, media complicity, and the collapse of humanitarian norms.
• Guest segments are empathetic, detailed, and grounded in both journalistic rigor and lived experience.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a hard-hitting analysis of the normalization of war crimes in US political rhetoric, the strategic devastation of Iranian and Lebanese civilian infrastructure, and the collapse of press coverage when it’s most needed. Zahra Hankir’s interview is especially informative for understanding Lebanon’s current crisis—both in media representation and on the ground—with historical and sociopolitical nuances usually ignored by Western outlets.

Listeners walk away with a stark view of escalating Middle Eastern conflicts, the complicity of Western institutions, and the critical importance—and peril—of journalism during wartime.

Transcript

[Emma Vigeland]

You are listening to a free version of the Majority Report. Support this [e-mail] and get an extra hour of content daily.

[Sam Cedar]

The Majority Report with Sam Cedar.

[Emma Vigeland]

It is Monday, April 6, 2026. My name is Emma Vigeland in for Sam Cedar and this is the five time award winning Majority Report. We are broadcasting live steps from the industrially ravaged Gowanus Canal in the heartland of America, downtown Brooklyn, usa. On the program today, Zahra Hankir, Lebanese author and journalist, will be with us to talk about her recent piece in the Columbia Journalism Review entitled who Is Left to Cover Lebanon? Also on the program, over Easter weekend, Trump threatened to commit more war crimes in Iran via Truth Social as Iran rejects calls for a temporary ceasefire and wants a more permanent one. US Israeli strikes pummeled civilian infrastructure and universities, including one in Tehran over the weekend. Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Iran, if not more. Trump also claimed he armed protesters and Kurds in Iran, which you are not supposed to say out loud. The second U.S. airman shot down has reportedly been rescued. And Polymarket apologizes for letting users bet on whether or not those airmen will live.

[Matt]

Yeah, they're so sorry.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yes, you can bet on the length of the Palestinian genocide though, right? Wasn't that or there was the ceasefire stuff. But when there's a US Air person involved, everyone's very outraged.

[Matt]

I mean, they're so sorry and they want, you know, you can sign up.

[Emma Vigeland]

Today the White House is censoring satellite imagery from the Iran war. According to the firm Planet Labs. A federal judge in Boston puts a halt to Trump's lawsuit against blue state universities, trying to access their data to prove prove they're not considering race in admissions. The NYPD announces New York City has had the fewest murders and shooting incidents in the first quarter of a year ever. Turns out socialists keep you safe too. Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed dozens over the weekend and at least four in Gaza City. The family of a three year old separated from their child by ICE allege that the girl had suffered sexual abuse at the foster home where she was placed. And lastly, thinking of our California friends, the first major wildfires raged this year as signs of one of the strongest El Ninos in the decades in decades emerge. All this and more on today's Majority Report. Welcome to the show everybody. It is Monday. I will be with you all week. Sam is off for spring break. Hello, Matt. Hello, Brian. We've got a bunch of great shows for you this week. Hope everybody had a nice Easter. Nicer than Donald Trump? Well, I shouldn't say that because we don't know. Trump could have been spending the Easter weekend contemplating his deeply held Christian values. The Christian themes of Easter, the resurrection of Christ. That's me.

[Matt]

I like how I was president three times.

[Emma Vigeland]

The what this weekend is supposed to represent in terms of salvation and humanity and kindness to others. Just kidding. He relished in threats of war crimes against the people of Iran. Last week he had said that we were going to send Iran back to the Stone Age. And I saw John Ganz point out on Twitter that bombing them into the Stone Age was a phrase that you can trace back to Curtis lemahy when he was referring to North Vietnam.

[Matt]

Lemay.

[Emma Vigeland]

Sorry. Lemay. Sorry, lemay. Who's lemay? He.

[Matt]

I've never heard of lemay.

[Emma Vigeland]

Is that a. It's a Yankee. Goddammit.

[Brian]

Yeah,

[Matt]

Baseball season.

[Emma Vigeland]

There we go. Curtis LeMay had said, referring to North Vietnam, bomb them into the Stone Age. This was the guy.

[Matt]

How'd that work?

[Emma Vigeland]

Was. Yeah, exactly. That was really, really pro using nukes on Japan and then to run with George Wallace as a segregationist. So if we want to talk about this administration as a bunch of Klansmen, once again, we're not far off here. We're not far off. So Trump threatened to target their civilian infrastructure, water plants, power plants. He's threatening to steal their oil. All of this, of course, is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, the UN Charter, what have you here is his insane truth. Social decree from Easter Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day all wrapped up in one in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the fucking straight, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell. Just watch. Praise be to Allah. President Donald J. Trump. There was some chuckling on the Internet about how Zoran Mamdani had a Easter message that invoked Christ in this kind of humane way right after Passover where he'd done the same speaking about Judaism. And you have Trump on the other side of things basically doing a tongue in cheek Islamophobia to justify war crimes against an entire people. Today was supposed to be the end of the 10 day deadline that Trump gave for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. And he doesn't seem to understand that even though we are losing right now, that using kind of rapist bully language in this way is not going to give Iran what it needs to stop kind of decimating the Western economy and hurting Trump politically on this because they're going to want to have some sort of dignified response. And Trump is using a bunch of vulgar language and mocking their religion in the process. So that's why we were always concerned about the escalation here. Iran needs to establish deterrence, and that means inflicting real pain on this belligerent actor. The belligerent actor needs to look like the winner with the offensive war that he started. And so both sides are incentivized to escalate because of Trump's particular political proclivities. But Iran literally needs to do this because of their own sovereignty and survival. And Robert Pape has a piece in the New York Times, who we've had on the show before, and I know he's been making the rounds on some of these other progressive shows, talking about how Iran has been strengthening its position geopolitically and can be a real power now due to what Trump has done, especially because it seems almost inevitable that they're going to charge tolls through the Strait of Hormuz at this point.

[Matt]

Yeah. In that piece, he says that controlling

[Zahra Hankir]

the strait is more powerful than any

[Matt]

nuke that Israel, the US could have decimated.

[Emma Vigeland]

And, I mean, that's a big part of what the United States has provided to the world has been like, we will be the weaponry that secures the global supply lines. And this has done the exact opposite. This has done the exact opposite and has just made it more obvious that Iran can do so if they please. As I mentioned, the US has already been committing war crimes. And overnight, the US And Israel hit what I saw was described as the equivalent of Iran's MIT Sharif University in Tehran. Israel's President Katz also confirmed that Israel bombed one of Iran's largest petrochemical plants, which is an attack on their energy infrastructure. But I believe Qatar also relies on it fairly heavily. But here is Trey Yingst of Fox News speaking about his conversation with Trump. In this interview, Yinx reveals that Trump had admitted that they armed the Kurds and protesters in Iran. It's unclear what the timeline is. I don't want to play that clip. This is just. That's a separate part of this. But this is what is so, like, psychotic about all of this, is that Trump, we just read that Truth Social. He is, you know, coming up with some sort of, I don't know, timeline for war crimes, where he says, what we're going to do on Tuesday, we'll do power plant day and bridge day all wrapped in one. So he's already said what his intentions are, but he's once again terrified about the markets. So what does he do? Oh, let's pretend that negotiations are happening and they're happening very strongly.

[Trey Yingst]

Good morning. I just spoke with President Trump for 15 minutes. He gave me some new details on the negotiations behind the scenes with the Iranians and what's going to happen if Iran does not make a good faith deal. The President tells me, if they don't make a deal, and fast, I'm considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil. The President went on to say, you're going to see bridges and power plants dropping all over their country. Now, I asked him about the possibility of an agreement with the Iranians. He says, those who are negotiating on behalf of Iran have been granted amnesty at this time so they can continue the talks. And the President tells me he thinks he'll be able to get a deal by tomorrow. He says, I think there's a good chance tomorrow they're negotiating. Now. All of this following the President's post on Truth Social where he talked about these negotiations with the Iranians. We'll pull this up. He says, quote, Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day all wrapped up in one in Iran.

[Emma Vigeland]

There will be nothing like, yeah, so there you go. That's all that is.

[Matt]

This is less of a war and more of a terrorism spree by our government in Israel. And like the idea that, like, faze we immediately like not even boots on the ground, of course, because there's no appetite to fight a war and send our best, our youngest, our young people to die for, like, Israeli belligerence. So we've just moved right to war crimes. We're just going to do war crimes from afar. And guess who's going to benefit is our missile companies, who also get to pay for our campaigns, for our congresspeople. What a great country we have.

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah.

[Matt]

Why do people hate America so much?

[Emma Vigeland]

Because of the French fries and the freedom and all of that. Let's play six here. Trump this morning at the Easter egg hunt, once again contemplating the spiritual nature of this holiday, saying here that he really just wants the oil, if it was up to him. And doesn't, in my view, sound like an agreement on a ceasefire is imminent. Because, as I mentioned, Iran has basically rejected calls for any temporary ceasefire, which I completely understand from their position. They say only a permanent one will be what they agree to. And they also have the understanding that these negotiations are not in good faith, and they have not been.

[Matt]

It's like Israelis calling for a temporary ceasefire because the IDF wanted to do raves for a couple months before they go Back to slaughtering people.

[Emma Vigeland]

What's happening with that ceasefire in Lebanon? Huh? Oh, they're complete. They're annexing the territory and bombing the hell out of the whole country, killing hundreds and hundreds, including bombing Beirut and they're continued to bomb Gaza almost every day since the so called ceasefire was in place. Why would anybody trust a US or Israeli ceasefire? But here's Trump just this morning.

[Graham Platner]

Guess what?

[Sam Cedar]

We killed Soleimani. Without Soleimani. If they had Soleimani, it would be a whole different thing. Maybe we'd still be winning, but it would have been harder because we are obliterating the country. And I hate to do it, but we're obliterating. And they just don't want to stay. Uncle. They don't want to cry, as the expression goes. Uncle. But they will.

[Matt]

Such a rapist.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yep.

[Sam Cedar]

They'll have no bridges, they'll have no power plants, they'll have no anything. I want to. I won't go further because there are other things that are worse than those two.

[Matt]

What about schools?

[Sam Cedar]

Well, the thing. If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil. Because it's there for the taking. There's not a thing they can do about it.

[Emma Vigeland]

Rapist again.

[Sam Cedar]

Surely the American people would like to see us come home. If we're up to me, I'd take the oil, I'd keep the oil and would make plenty of money. And I'd also take care of the people of Iran much better than they.

[Matt]

Oh, for sure, man.

[Sam Cedar]

They've killed 45,000 people as of a month and a half ago. 45,000 protesters.

[Emma Vigeland]

That is.

[Sam Cedar]

We don't do that.

[Emma Vigeland]

So 45,000 protesters. Where is that data coming from? So we're going to kill more people just to add to the total. It's totally psycho.

[Matt]

And then also suggest that we've armed the protesters, thereby giving that state more of a justification for mowing them down if they want to.

[Emma Vigeland]

Exactly. We have a little time. Let's do this. Let's do 10 here just to give people a bit of some more positivity. So news broke yesterday that Graham Platner's opponent in the primary, the governor Janet Mills, has dropped out of the April 11 debate that she is supposed to be having with Graham Platner and then the other kind of much smaller candidates in the Democratic primary, which is really fascinating because we've seen that Platner has been trouncing her in polls. He does better against Susan Collins in the hypothetical matchup than Janet Mills does. Mills has Kind of reluctantly jumped into the race because Chuck Schumer was like, can we just. We need a body like we've been doing the past many cycles against Susan Collins. Just anybody that D.C. can throw in there and end up losing to this incredibly weak candidate. But she's 78 years old. She's saying that she would only serve one term. Just trust me. Where have we heard that before? Genocide, Joe.

[Matt]

But even doing that. So you don't get to accrue any seniority as being an assignment, which is like kind of the point of being a senator. So actually that's not good. Like, it's one thing to say I'll run for one term and step aside for democracy because you're not trying to get on committees as the President of the United States.

[Emma Vigeland]

It's a great point. It would be much better for the people of Maine to have somebody who could be more longer tenured and move up in committee terms. Exactly. I mean, look at how it's benefited the people of Vermont with Bernie Sanders, who normally would have been, oh, seen as this crazy lefty who should not be a part of senatorial committees. He's moved up in a variety of different committees, including Veterans affairs and others, and so. And Health and Human Services, I believe. Maybe that's the administrative. Maybe that's the name for it in the Cabinet. But regardless, it would be much better for the people of Maine for Platner to be there longer, to accrue actual power. And that, I think is part of what is so threatening about his candidacy, in addition to just his ideology. And you can see why Platner is doing so well. He's doing town halls across the state. He's showing up. And then you have answers like this. I'm not sure if I've seen a better answer on the future of America's relationship with Israel and the aid to Israel from anybody who could serve in federal office besides perhaps Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar or something. Then this statement here by Graham Platner, because he looks beyond just the immediate cutting off of aid. But what does our relationship with Israel look like in the future? Here is Platner's answer at this town hall from over the weekend.

[Graham Platner]

Not a single taxpayer dollar should be spent on arming and defending a country that commits a genocide. I would absolutely support Senator Sanders bill to restrict military aid, but I'll be entirely honest. Looking down the road, this is a nation that right now is exterminating people. It is going to be very difficult for me to ever Be able to look at them again and see someone that we should be working with closely. An immense amount of work is going to have to be done, in my opinion, to fix that relationship. Because what I am witnessing now is the height of horror. And the fact that it is being done by bombs that are built in this country and paid for with our tax dollars is utterly unconscionable. And it needs to end.

[Emma Vigeland]

It's a vision for the day after. We've been speaking about that a lot. It's a little bit will play probably in the fun half. Cory Booker's interview on Pod Save America, where his way to get out of his steadfast support for the genocidal government of Israel is to just call Netanyahu a bad guy. He won't even call him a war criminal.

[Sam Cedar]

He's more of a let me pick

[Matt]

up this cross and drag it down the street.

[Sam Cedar]

That's his way of getting out of Israel.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, because, I mean, that's how he's gonna end all human suffering on the planet. Earth is like a Christ like figure, right? That's what we need more of. We need more people who feel like it's their sole mission to save humanity and don't have any connection to some sort of broader political movement. Where has that steered us wrong before? But this is just like why Platner's the real deal, why that Oppo didn't stick to him, why he's still one of the best Senate candidates in terms of like political ideology from a left wing perspective that we've seen in my lifetime.

[Matt]

I mean, this Iron Dome thing, and I'm very happy that AOC chose to lead on that last week and this statement. But the idea that this is controversial because let's see what this isn't like. Even saying Israel can't buy the weapons from American missile makers themselves. This is about should we fund them to do so? We absolutely should not fund them to do so. And now once we get that further rolling and that litmus test, which is one that we should apply to a country due to genocide, the question should be, should we allow them to even buy any sort of weapons from our bomb makers themselves? And I would say not until you stop invading your neighbors and restricting aid. We have an incredible amount of leverage, even after this shift away from funding Iron Dome, which again is disgusting, that we would be giving taxpayer money to this country to buy our own missiles so that it can continue being belligerent towards its neighbors. We shouldn't be allowing this country to have any Weapons at all.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah, I saw that. Hasan made this point that AOC's statement is now going to be the new kind of litmus test for this issue and to pay attention to who has shifted in the wake of her statement, because there are a lot of politicians who look to see what she's going to do before they decide to have the kind of moral courage on this front. Graham Platner is not one of those people. Platner has been consistent on this issue from the beginning, and he's very consistent in this answer. What does this relationship look like in the future? I still want a more comprehensive answer from some other federal elected officials about what it means for Israel to be an exclusionary ethnostate. Do Palestinians have the right to return? How do we create a situation where the walls of apartheid are removed, where there is racial and ethnic integration into Israel, and where the descendants of The Nakba of 1948, those who were ethnically cleansed from that land, are able to return, are able to get some sort of form of reparations and are able to live on the land that is rightfully theirs. I'm not somebody that believes that we're going to be able to kick out Israelis from Israel. Of course not. There has to be some sort of outside pressure that comes in and ensures that there can be racial and ethnic integration and a sharing of the land. Because right now in Gaza, Israel's already taken 53% of the land, and they shoot anybody that comes on the side of the Strip that they've already annex functionally. And in the north, they are creating yet another, what do you know, buffer zone, which is just terminology that means they're going to seize land. And they're just talking about Turkey, right? I mean, it's like something like, what, 10% of Lebanon's land they've already stolen in the past few months? You think they're going to stop? They're bombing Beirut at this moment. And we're going to be talking to our next guest about that very topic, because Lebanon is. There's not enough media coverage about what's happening there. But first, a word from our sponsors here. What does it feel like to be cared for in the quiet moments? No one sees this Mother's Day cozy earth creates comfort designed for the rhythm women live every day. From the softness that greets her in the morning to the comfort that helps her unwind at night. Thoughtful by nature and gentle in every detail. It's a small way to give back to the person who gives so much. This week Cozy Earth is offering a Bogo deal that's Buy one Get one. There we go. 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[Matt]

Shack.

[Emma Vigeland]

And we are joined now by Zara Hankir, Lebanese author and journalist, here to discuss her recent piece in Columbia Journalism Review entitled what is left to cover Lebanon? Sorry, who is left to cover Lebanon? Apologies. Zahra, thanks so much for coming on the show today.

[Zahra Hankir]

Thanks so much for having me, Emma.

[Emma Vigeland]

Of course. So over the weekend, Israel continued to bomb Lebanon all over, particularly in the south, but also including Beirut. In the south, they are demolishing villages, residential homes, seizing territory. And yet there has been basically little to no media coverage of these crimes. If you could just reflect on the past many weeks of ethnic cleansing, really in Lebanon that's been under kind of the shroud of secrecy, darkness, lack of coverage, etc.

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah, absolutely first, I really want to acknowledge that there is coverage happening. There are people on the ground doing the work. I think the question is, who is doing the work and what sort of resources and backing do they have? And also the framing of the reporting that is coming out of the country. So there has been a retreat in foreign correspondence across the region, not limited to Lebanon. But my belief is, and based off of the interviews I've done with journalists on the ground in Lebanon, that has had an immediate impact on the discourse and on the coverage, often because the people who are there on the ground are facing tremendous pressures and they are operating under great danger, and they are trying to keep Lebanon in the news. And often they are of Lebanese or regional background. They don't have the same support as others. They're often treated with almost skepticism because of their background, and yet they are doing that work. As we know, journalists are also being targeted by Israel. There have been at least 11 journalists killed in Lebanon since October 2023. Three journalists were killed on March 28. They were targeted. And Israel admitted to targeting that vehicle, which was clearly marked as press. So what we're seeing is coverage of that, but in my opinion, not with the importance and prominence that that story warrants. And I could say the same about other stories that are happening in Lebanon right now. I do feel like there should be more coverage of those stories, more attention to the stories and treating Lebanon as a sort of a war, devastating war and a form of ethnic cleansing, as you say, in its own right.

[Emma Vigeland]

Israel's using things like white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, southern Lebanon, that's a war crime. It's also amazing to see how in the west, at the very least, the press is covering this as if this isn't a continuous violation of the ceasefire that was supposed to be agreed upon. This is the same thing that's been happening in Gaza, but with Lebanon. It's almost treated as a kind of foregone conclusion. Of course they're going to violate some sort of ceasefire agreement.

[Zahra Hankir]

Sure. And I think what's really important here is the early days of the war, right. March 2, when there was a firing from Hezbollah into Israel. It was kind of framed as this is the sole reason. But obviously there is a whole background there. You know, the ceasefire had been violated over 10,000 times. There were stories, in fact, one from CNN saying that Israel had already been preparing for an invasion of some kind as early as January. And then also that this is a form of retaliation, of course, to the assassination of Khomeini. But it is Not a simple tit for tat is what I'm trying to say. Right. And that contextualizing is very important. And also the dynamics in Lebanon, the politics, the sort of the sectarian nature of the divisions, all of this is important because Israel is fanning the flames of some of those sectarian divisions. And I think that's also a really important point.

[Emma Vigeland]

Could you expand on that point? Because my understanding is that Shia Muslims in Lebanon have been targeted in particular, and right now that many, many Shia civilians are the ones that are most susceptible right now to displacement. And of course, this connects to Hezbollah and to Iran. But what is the history of Shia Muslims in Lebanon and why have they been the focus of Israel's bloody campaign?

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah, I mean, these targeted areas in the south and also in the Dahi in Beirut are viewed as predominantly Shia, and they are predominantly Shia areas. Right. So the issue here is framing of being synonymous, the Shia population being synonymous with Hezbollah. Right. The. The displaced population of Lebanon is predominantly Shia. They have had to move to other areas in Lebanon. It is also impacting the war, is also impacting other communities. But this community itself is often portrayed as having an immediate sympathy to Hezbollah. Oftentimes there is. But it's that idea of trying to kind of, you know, frame them as being somehow deserving of this displacement because of their background and because they, you know, may support Hezbollah. So I think that that's really important. It's also important to say that Hezbollah is far more than just a political party. It offers social services to this community. It operates medical services. It operates health services. It really does provide to this community in a way that perhaps that community had been ignored by the Lebanese government historically for many decades. I think that that's also important. But really what we want to keep in mind is that these communities are. It's not synonymous with Hezbollah, though it's often viewed as such. This is a community that is facing great, great humanitarian crisis in the current moment.

[Emma Vigeland]

Then, I guess, let's get into the history a little bit. Your piece talks about how Beirut used to be this kind of vibrant center for journalism in the Middle east, even going back to say, like the 1940s, you can hear it in movies or, you know, like the Beirut office. And now it's being pummeled by Israel. And it's in conjunction with the hollowing out of newsrooms in the west where they used to have kind of some of these foreign correspondence bureaus that. That might be stationed in Beirut, for example. Now, if they have stations in the Middle East. So it's. It's in Tel Aviv, most likely, and they have to deal with Israeli military sensors, for example.

[Zahra Hankir]

So this is very true. Especially during the Lebanese civil war, which was from 1975 to 1990, Beirut was really a hub for war reporting. There were many foreign correspondents on the ground. There were many freelancers on the ground. A lot of them operated from this hotel that I mentioned called the Commodore Hotel, was a hotbed for reporters. And what I try to argue in the piece is that Lebanon, in a way, taught the industry how to do war reporting well, right? How to have stringers, fixers, translators, how to help with logistics, how to navigate military checkpoints, how to move around cities with strategic reporting. So this is something that I know because I feel like that moment in time, even though it had its own problems, of course, there has been this diminishing in investment and resources when it comes to the story of Lebanon, right? And it's gone from being this great story where everybody would convene and they would have that on the ground correspondence that lasted for years on end, rather than a parachuting in of a journalist who may not have the same familiarity with the story. And I do, again, want to acknowledge that that system had its own problems, and it was often quite extractive of local talent and local expertise and local journalists. However, you also had journalists like Anthony Shadid, who worked, operated within that model, but did so with great care for the story and sensitivity for the story, because he really learned the region. He learned the language, he learned how to navigate and to. How to. How to have these sources with sensitivity, how to develop sources with sensitivity. So that is something that I'm pointing to as there has been a shift and a retreat in investment. And perhaps we need to reconsider that because of how it has impacted the story and because of the strain placed on Lebanese journalists who are trying to fill in the gap.

[Emma Vigeland]

And where do you see this kind of shift away from this reporting, Beirut being so central to Middle Eastern reporting happening? What historical events can you draw to show how this decline began?

[Zahra Hankir]

It's quite important, I think, to know that Lebanon has its own economic crises, right? And there was a convergence or a confluence of factors in 2019 and 2020 that led to a deepening of the retreat of foreign correspondence that was not fully a function of the broader retreat that had been happening across the region from the 2000s and 2010s, and that was because of this economic crisis. It was essentially an economic free fall. There was an attempt by the Lebanese to have an uprising against the government, against government corruption. And then the Beirut port explosion, which was hugely devastating to both the Lebanese as a population and the economy. So this actually deepened the retreat. And you found that many foreign correspondents or bureaus were either shifting to other locations or diminishing their presence

[Emma Vigeland]

and the status of some of these Lebanese journalists. You open your piece with a story about Fatima, if you don't mind saying her last name. Thank you. Who was killed by precision guided missiles along with her colleagues just a few weeks ago. Israel then, of course, claimed that she worked for Hezbollah, as did her. They say her colleagues tell that story.

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah, absolutely. So it was three journalists, fatimaftouni and her brother, and then Ali Shaib, who was a reporter for Al Manar. Fatima and her brother worked for Al Mayadeen, which is editorially aligned with Hezbollah. And Al Manar, as we know, is also affiliated with Hezbollah. Now, what Israel said was that Ali Shaib worked for Hezbollah, did not mention Fatima and her brother. However, it did so without evidence. And this is part of a broader pattern of the targeting of journalists in Gaza, where they would say that these journalists were affiliated with Hamas or worked for Hamas, but didn't have evidence. And this is backed by the Committee to Protect Journalists who have said that this is a pattern of targeting without producing evidence. And this is something that the entire industry should be condemning loud and clear without any hesitations to do so. And this is, I think, an extension, as I said, of what has started in Gaza. And essentially, Israel has been using the same playbook that they use in Gaza in Lebanon, and they are saying this outright. So this is not something that we have to infer. They are saying this outright in their own statements. So, you know, journalists are civilians, does not matter who they work for, and we should all stand together in condemning this kind of a targeting.

[Emma Vigeland]

And there was a story from a few weeks ago, about a week or two ago, where it appeared like the Israeli government photoshopped a journalist that they had killed in Lebanon in Hezbollah fatigues. That was a totally different story for them to justify their killing of this journalist. Right.

[Zahra Hankir]

Again, that is a fabrication evidence that, yeah, that clearly goes to show that they are trying to justify these killings with falsities. And again, I think it's important to remind your listeners that this is the deadliest period on record for journalists because of Israel's targeted killing of journalists in Gaza and Lebanon. And this is according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

[Emma Vigeland]

I wanted to zoom out for a little bit to just speak about the differences in kind of Western coverage of the Middle east, what you're observing as somebody who is Lebanese, who covers this and what we see coming out of other outlets that are in the region. What have been some of the more striking discrepancies in the understanding that's pushed in the west versus what the reporting is uncovering in the region itself.

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah. And I think some of this has to do with, again, the depletion of resources. Right. And I think that a lot of the coverage, especially in the early days of the war, when Lebanon was pulled in, essentially was framed as a form of spillover. It was again framed as like, Hezbollah being synonymous with Lebanon. And some of this sort of the Lebanon being in the shadow of the Iran war, I think, is part and parcel of that depletion of resources, because you see that it's impacted really the understanding. And we're kind of looking at it from, like, Washington rather than looking at it from on the ground in Lebanon, where we have a deep understanding of the humanitarian situation there, the politics there, the intricacies of Lebanon. Lebanon is a highly complex country to cover. I do want to say that it's filled with nuance and people do try to do a good job with the resources at the. They have. But the idea is that because of that depletion, oftentimes the narrative was kind of reduced to, you know, foreign policy talking points. You know, in the early days especially, it was very much about sort of Trump's ambitions, Netanyahu's ambitions, energy, oil and so on. And then you had this situation brewing on the ground where you had this displacement of hundreds of thousands and eventually over a million Lebanese. Right. And instead of having that immediate focus on the humanitarian situation and the plight of Lebanese people on the ground, you're getting that sort of shadowing of the Iran war. Right. So this to me is. It should be almost in inverse, like the immediate story should be the focus on the humanitarian situation whilst providing that context, additional context. And again, I do recognize the complexity of the story, for sure, and that many people are doing. Are trying to make sense of it with the resources they have.

[Emma Vigeland]

Is that because it's a more useful. Well, at least from the. In the way that things are framed in the west, denying really Lebanese sovereignty and speaking about Hezbollah purely as this terrorist group without the context of that, it kind of fills the gaps of the failure of the Lebanese state to provide social services and does have connections to Iran, but is a more complex kind of part of the social fabric of the society. There is that because it benefits the notion that Lebanese territory is really up for grabs. There's no state here, and everything that comes out of Lebanon in terms of resistance is really just another Iranian proxy.

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah, I mean, I do really want to acknowledge a few things here. So some of that historical background on the failure of the Lebanese. Lebanese state is entirely true. I think what happened over the years was that Hezbollah gained more and more traction and became, you know, far more powerful within Lebanon than was comfortable for or acceptable to the Lebanese state, especially in the current moment. There had been an effort by the Lebanese government, by Nawaf Salam, to disarm Hezbollah so that Lebanon Lebanese army could stand up and say, this is a sovereign nation. Right. And that the army should be the only group to have a. So that effort is there, and that is part of the deepening of the schism within Lebanese society. I think it does play into this idea of Lebanon being kind of a failed state. Right. There's a lot of chaos there. It's hard to make sense of it. So perhaps reducing it to this kind of a simplified discourse is easier for people to understand from afar. Now, I really want to point to the idea of deepening sectarian tensions as being incredibly important in the current moment, especially amongst the displaced. There are communities in Lebanon that are hesitant to host the displaced because of the finding of sectarian tensions, in part also by Israel. You know, there's Israeli officials that actually had said to Christian communities, for example, do not host or hide Lebanese or Dru. So this is very important and something that should be taken into consideration in the border discourse. But I do think, to speak to your point, there is this idea of, you know, this is a chaotic place and a failed state, and that it's easy, it's kind of. Mohamed Bezi, who's a journalism professor at nyu, said, you know, it's kind of easier for Western media to fit Lebanon into an established narrative rather than to complicate it with some of these nuances.

[Emma Vigeland]

That part about how there is this pressure on Lebanese Christians, don't hide Shia. Don't hide your Muslim neighbors. What does this sound like? I mean, what does this sound like? This is obviously a targeted ethnic cleansing campaign, and it fits into the sectarian tensions that you're talking about that have been stoked for so many years. Can you give some context on that with Drew's populations as well and how the west and Israel have fanned those flames?

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah, I mean, historically there has been alignment between the Christian community and Israel and the Druze community as well, there are Druze, as we know, in Israel. There's the complicating factor of the Golan Heights and so on. So I think what is happening is there is an exploitation of those ties, right, the connecting of those dots that's being exploited in the current moment to aid or fulfill the Israeli agenda. The invasion again of Lebanon, up until. Up until the litany, the destruction of the villages, all of this combines to form an incredibly explosive situation for the Lebanese. And I think that we are at one of the most detrimental points in Lebanese history because of the confluence of these factors. The Lebanese civil war was incredibly violent. There was an invasion by Israel in 1982. Again, sectarian divisions were found and exploited at that time as well. And that was an incredibly violent time in Lebanon. So, yeah, it's looking pretty dire.

[Emma Vigeland]

We'll wrap shortly. But just a few more questions for you. I know that the humanitarian situation that you mention is deeply horrifying. You have hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced. What. What is the status of those displaced people? And what are you hearing about the destabilization that that has created?

[Zahra Hankir]

Yeah, I mean, it's over a million, so that would be about 20% of the entire population. Amongst them are migrant workers, Syrian refugees who've been uprooted more than once, more than twice the death toll is over 1,300. And of course, there have been over 100 children. And with the displacement, I mean, you have shelters at full capacity. You have people who are being. Who are trying to find a place to stay, but people are very hesitant to host them because of those warnings from Israel, as I said. And you also have a deep concern at the behavior of the Lebanese government. In some places, the army retreated from some of those villages in the south, leaving the people who were still there in an incredibly precarious position. And then you have the destruction of infrastructure as well. Ridges, roads, electricity facilities, farmland, olive groves, the use of white phosphorus. So in general, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day. And the. Yeah, the sectarian tensions are obviously just an additional destructive and concerning factor.

[Emma Vigeland]

And when you mention Syria, it's just so important to point out how even when you hear regime change, or that being the stated goal, when Israel says it out loud or the US does, it's also quite beneficial to their aims for states to fail because it weakens the resistance. It allows for more military incursions and the seizure of territory. I mean, how many countries, how much territory that is in Israel's, are they going to conduct military operations? In by the, you know, the end of the first half of Trump's term. I mean, they've really expanded significantly and the violence in the west bank is escalating as well. So it's just as the democracy is preaches the ethic. This is quite literally an assault on the ability for kind of democratic self actualization of many of these states, Lebanon included.

[Zahra Hankir]

Yep. Yeah. I think the situation in Lebanon is highly complex because like I say, the Lebanese state is actually trying to disarm Hezbollah. And I think that we will continue to see that tension and how that manifests. I think that there are efforts, efforts for Lebanon to normalize with Israel. And you know, of course, this is something that the Lebanese population, majority of them do not want, although some do want because they are so fed up of war and. Yes. So just it kind of complicates things just to know that these divisions are there and they're very real.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, Zahra Hankir, her latest piece in the Columbia Journalism Review is entitled who Is Left to Cover Lebanon? I encourage everybody to check it out. Thanks so much for your time today. I really appreciate it.

[Zahra Hankir]

Thank you so much, Emma.

[Emma Vigeland]

Of course. With that, folks, we're going to wrap up the first hour of this program, head into the fun half. I'm pretty sure we'll take calls today if we can get the computer working, which is not always easy. So as a reminder, this show relies on your support. Join the Majority Report, become a member, you can IM the show, all that good stuff. Check out our merch store, shop.majorityreportradio.com got some great stuff there. Matt, what's happening with Left Reckoning and the Jacobin Show?

[Matt]

Yeah, check out there's a new Jacobin show, Andres Pagliarini on Lula. But I also wanted to do sort of like a reverse promotion. Stop listening to the Bulwark. If you're in our audience, just listen to us or find another leftist show to fill in that gap. You should not listen to those freaks. I know there's a lot of people that like to be sort of even handed and indeed I saw there's a new piece by Mona Sharon by the Bulwark about how it's not worth it to win if you have to win the way of accepting people like Hasan Piker in your fold. Mona Sharon is a National Review writer who likes several years ago was talking about how Elizabeth Warren is a big liar, which I mean, I have some issues with Elizabeth Warren, but not the same ones that Mona Sharon has. And also that you should stop It's a big circus around Brett Kavanaugh. And the left should be ashamed of themselves. These are bad people. And so I just want to say that unsubscribe to the Bulwark.

[Emma Vigeland]

I mean, we like Will Sommer.

[Matt]

I like Will Sommer, and I appreciate. I appreciate putting him up, because I would say I like some people at the Bulwark, but I wouldn't want you to think I meant Tim Miller. So I do want to say Will Summer explicitly.

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah. I can't believe that they've decided that it's part of their kind of holy duty to borrow from the Weeknd to go after Hasan.

[Matt]

Let's go. Let's get it. I said at the start of this that whenever people pick this kind of fight, they'll jump in with both feet and start swinging, because it is a fight we need to have. We should have had it a while ago. We should have had it in 2024 when Sarah Longwell was not. She didn't pitch the idea that you should run Liz Cheney. It was just a huge part of her campaign. And by the way, she was the one invited by Kamala Harris to moderate it. Get these idiots out of the Democratic Party. If they have such a big constituency, go bring it to the fucking Republicans.

[Emma Vigeland]

Little preview of that's Left Reckoning tomorrow. The Left Reckoning tomorrow. Maybe we'll touch on that tomorrow as well. We'll give Left Reckoning the head start there. But that was some infuriating discourse that I got a glimpse of over the weekend. Lunatics.

[Matt]

People are lunatics with too much money.

[Emma Vigeland]

All right, folks, gonna head into the fun half. See you there. Okay.

[Brian]

Emma, please.

[Emma Vigeland]

Well, I just. I feel that my voice is sorely lacking on the majority report.

[Sam Cedar]

Wait, what?

[Brian]

Look, Sam is unpopular. I do deserve a vacation at Disney World, so. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome Emma to the show.

[Zahra Hankir]

It is Thursday.

[Matt]

I think you need to take over for Sam.

[Brian]

Yes, please.

[Sam Cedar]

No, no, no.

[Brian]

I'm.

[Emma Vigeland]

I'm.

[Brian]

I'm gonna pause you right there.

[Sam Cedar]

Wait, what?

[Brian]

You can't encourage Emma to live like this. And I'll tell you why. Someone's offered a tour. Sushi and poker with boys. T. Sushi and Pokemon. Poker with boys. Who was offered a tour?

[Emma Vigeland]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Sushi and poker with boys. What? Sushi and poker.

[Emma Vigeland]

Tim's upset.

[Brian]

Twerk sushi and poker or Two boys. It was offered the twerk sushi and that's what we call biz. Sushi and poker or por boys.

[Emma Vigeland]

Right.

[Brian]

Twerk sushi and we're Gonna get demonetized. I just think that what you did to Tim Pool was mean.

[Emma Vigeland]

Free speech.

[Brian]

That's not what we're about here. Look at how sad he's become now. You shouldn't even talk about it. I think you're responsible.

[Emma Vigeland]

I probably am in a certain way. But let's get to the meltdown here.

[Brian]

Sushi and poker with the boys. Oh, my God.

[Emma Vigeland]

Wow.

[Brian]

Sushi. I'm sorry. I'm losing my mind. Someone's offered a tour.

[Matt]

Yeah.

[Brian]

Sushi and poker with the boys. Logic. Sushi and poker. I think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a kid. Twerk. I think I'm like a little kid. Think I'm like a little kid. Had this debate 7,000 times. A little kid. Think I'm like a little kid. A little kid. Think I'm like a dick. I'm losing my mind. So I'm not trying to be a dick right now, but, like, I absolutely think the US should be providing me with a wife and kids.

[Emma Vigeland]

That's not what we're talking about here.

[Brian]

It's not a fun job. That's a real thing. That's got a real thing. Real thing. Willy Wonka's work. That's a real thing. That's got a real thing. That's a real thing. That's a real thing. Real thing. That's a real thing. That's real thing. Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Rogan has done it again. That's a real thing. I think he might be blowing it out of proportion. Real thing. That's boys. That's a real thing. That's poker. Let's go, Joey.

[Matt]

Twerk.

[Brian]

Sushi and poker. Take it easy. Sushi and poker. Things have really gotten out of hand. Sushi and poker with the boys. Sushi. You don't have a clue as to what's going on live YouTube.

[Emma Vigeland]

Sam has, like, the weight of the

[Matt]

world on his shoulders.

[Emma Vigeland]

Sam doesn't want to do this show anymore.

[Brian]

Anymore.

[Emma Vigeland]

It was so much easier when the majority were report was just you. You're happy.

[Brian]

Let's change the subject through.

[Trey Yingst]

Rangers and Knicks are doing great now.

[Brian]

Shut up.

[Emma Vigeland]

Don't want people saying reckless things on your program.

[Sam Cedar]

That's one of the most difficult parts about this show.

[Emma Vigeland]

This is the Pro Killing podcast.

[Brian]

I'm thinking maybe it's time we bury the hatchet.

[Emma Vigeland]

Left his best trump. Pilot twerk.

[Brian]

Don't be foolish and don't tweet at me. And don't the way Emma has all of these people love it, and that's

[Emma Vigeland]

where my heart is. So I wrote my honors thesis about it. Oh, sorry.

[Sam Cedar]

She wrote an honors thesis. I guess I should hand the main

[Brian]

mic to you now. You are to the right of me on foreign policy.

[Emma Vigeland]

We already fund Israel. Dude. Are you against us?

[Brian]

That's a tougher question I haven't answered. God, incredible theme song.

[Emma Vigeland]

Hi, bumbler.

[Sam Cedar]

Emma Viglan.

[Brian]

Absolutely one of my favorite people, actually. Not just in the game, like, period.