Palestinian American Noura Erakat on the Israel-Hamas War | FULL EPISODE | Uncomfortable Convos 

Thank you Emmanuel for trying to see the story as a neutral and allowing a Palestinian to speak without interruption but with the intention of understanding.

Emanuel, Can you have a discussion with both Noura Erakat and Noa Tishby at the same time. Talk about how we can be pro the people and anti the forces that put us in the crossfire of this conflict.

These conversations make a difference. Thank you Acho. Asking the right questions, "what emotions do you feel in your body...?" "I don't struggle from a place of guilt anymore, I struggle from a place of love"

This is so sad, the international community need to do something now. The Palestinian people have been suffering for far too long

As a Jewish American, I am so sorry Noura. The story of your cousin breaks my heart. That should never have happened to your family. And the messages that you recieve are vile and no logical Jewish or Israeli person should ever type or speak those words. I am also recieving death threats in my inbox for defending and even just mentioning Jews and the historical atrocities that my ancestors have faced. Unfortunately, it seems to be happening to ALL of us. I would have loved to hear more about your perspective on Hamas and how they treat and stand for the Palestinian cause.

"You cannot extinguish a people's thirst for freedom"....deep words by Noura

Hi Noura, I’m so sorry for your loss and what’s happening to the Palestinians right now and in the past. I have Jewish roots and many Jewish family members but I condemn the Israeli government. I’m so torn bc at the same time I also condemn Hamas and how Jewish people have been treated for centuries now. The pain and trauma on both sides is very real and so heartbreaking. I’m reading a lot of books about this topic, trying to educate myself on this without choosing a side. But my heart goes out to all the Palestinians suffering. And the Israelis and Jewish people. Heartbroken. We are all human in the end. I hope this comment doesn’t get hate. Now is a time to show love and compassion. We are craving it.

Even during “ordinary” times the Gaza Strip suffers from a chronic water shortage. About 90 percent of the water in the faucets is not potable. The majority of the 2.2 million inhabitants depend on water that was desalinated and purified in special facilities that is sold or distributed in containers and at special drinking fountains in the cities. Only a small, specific class of people can afford to buy bottled mineral water.

Neura, I applaud you and your comments. I’m neither Israeli or Palestinian nor am I Jewish so maybe it’s easier for me to see the humanity and the inhumanity in this conflict and, I agree, we have to ask how and why did we get here. The only thing that I do know is that war is not the answer. Dehumanizing people isn’t the answer.

I knew Ms. Noura would go much more in depth about the oppressed history of the Palestinians! Ms. Noa acted as if she couldn't find 1 single reason why Israel would be seen as the oppressors, smh. Thank you for bringing Noura Erakat on to shine light on the situation. It was much needed after that last interview!

You deserve to be free and you deserve to be loved just like every other innocent human being on both sides..God bless 🙌🏼

Such an important conversation to have so that we have a better understanding & be more empathetic when it comes to Palestinians. 🙏🏼🇵🇸❤️

Thanks for this Emmanuel. This conversation NEEDS to be heard

I applaud you again for using you platform to provide some clarity on the plight of those that are being affected by the GENOCIDE that has been unfolding. Innocent people are dying daily, Hammas needs to be condemned and stopped just as the Isreali govt need to be curtailed and restrained!!! Thank you for speaking the young child's name! We cannot sit and watch this happen without acting

"When the oppressed becomes the oppressor"

13:46. Exactly right, Gaza has a beautiful shoreline. So why Hamas, since 2005 when Israel left Gaza didn’t invest in Gaza, and instead put all it effort to smuggle arms from the sea (hence why the blockade) from the Egyptian border (hence why Egypt close their border with Gaza and export Terri to Israel (hence the tight border on the Israel side) and built a huge tunnel system to attack Israel or smuggle arms from the Egyptian side.

Sanctity of human life is something all humans should be able to agree on. I appreciate her perspective

I have Palestinian American friends. They once told me that his brother was going to get married. So both brothers were traveling to Palestine together. The Israelis gave them such a hard time at the airport. They interrogated them for about 8+hours. The Israelis kept insisting on the brother if you are coming for your brother's wedding whom you are sitting right next to and traveled with from America, "where is your wedding invitation card?"

Much of this was predicted by the late professor Zeev Sternhell, a Holocaust survivor and Israel’s foremost authority on fascism, who explained in his 2018 essay titled “In Israel, Growing Fascism and a Racism Akin to Early Nazism” that these fascists “don’t wish to physically harm Palestinians. They only wish to deprive them of their basic human rights, such as self-rule in their own state and freedom from oppression.” Though the appointment of the sadistic Ben Gvir as minister of National Security is about wishing the Palestinians physical harm. In short, those who continue to doubt that fascism is an impending danger for Israel, are not paying attention to how its coalescing chauvinistic forces are planning on ravaging whatever is left of Israel’s liberal institutions in order to turn the Jewish state into a full-fledged fascist theocracy.

Welp she definitely got the harder questions… and she handled herself very gracefully! #freepalestine !

It’s a shame she didn’t acknowledge all the Jewish people cast out of their homes in Arab countries.

So glad to see this prospective!! I was critical yesterday glad to see this brother covering the whole story.

I love Noura Erakat. ❤ Thankyou for interviewing her.

Big ups to you Acho for getting to the real, when most Americans blindly following the government and not understand what’s really happening. What’s happening on the holy land is so so so much deeper than everyone realizes.

We need to keep these conversations going . Thanks for giving all sides of this conflict an opportunity to tell their stories .

It’s funny because you never hear Palestinians denouncing Hamas

Beautifully said. Thank you for this brave conversation ❤️

I don't know who's ultimately right or wrong in this situation and I don't have a side... but being black in America, I can relate with what she's expressing and going through much more than I can connect with your other guest. I would love to hear the conversation with both of them together!! That's the real Uncomfortable Conversation... make it happen Emmanuel and let's see what's really real!!

Let’s be honest. This conversation is so needed but sadly it is one of few. Thanks for being so bold and courageous and doing this.

My challenge is that Gaza has been given an unbelievable amount of foreign aid and it has been squandered. Allowing Hamas to be your leadership in Gaza has destroyed the Gazan people and their future. It is tragic and sad, and the results of attacking your neighbor are horrific.

I noticed that in the conversation with the Israeli American the sentiments between the two women were quite similar actually. They both want peace & freedom from both sides. It’s important to separate the people from the politics. There are people in many countries suffering under corrupt, inept, or authoritarian governments. Sadly, other countries cannot go in & fix other governments. We tried that in Afghanistan. The Palestinian people must first be free of Hamas if they can ever consider a democracy.

Hey Emmanuel I would love to see if it’s possible getting both groups on the show at the same time talking to each other. Don’t know how much of a conflict that would be. Just trying to understand

😢I’m not Palestinian. I’m amazed by the courage of the Palestinian people. It’s time the world to step up for human rights. 😢😢😢

Such a beautiful conversation with such a positive ending, which every human being deserves in this earth equally. Thank you for arranging it, Emmanuel Acho. Really appreciate it ❤

First we need to have the guts to condemn any extreme groups and ideologies and absolutism.

As french Jewish, I am so soory Madame Erakat ... My grand grand parents got deported and killed by monster and I know that no one must go like this again ... Im soo sorry ...

Thank you again for the two perspectives Emmanuel! These make a difference!

Everyone deserves to be free and safe, but let's remember what happened on Oct 7th. NOTHING can justified what happened that day in Israel.

I love her point that "we all have the right to belong to this land, but not be masters of this land.' Therein lies the crux of the problem. I am a Christian, from the US. I am no expert. However, I don't believe that Jewish people or Muslim people are more or less at fault for the problems regarding peace in the Middle East. I am supremely frustrated by the unwavering support of Israelis by the US government and some citizens with complete disregard for the human rights of Palestinians. This is heartbreaking. Thank you for this honest conversation!

Absolutely heartbreaking. Your heart strings are pulled by hearing the story of her cousin. I'm so sorry to hear of it. She displays great strength in the midst of hurt. I'm praying for her. I applaud Acho for asking the questions and helping us to be aware of the suffering from people that have connections to the issues going on in the Middle East. Let us pray for a peaceful resolution to this.

Thank you for speaking TRUTH. The world is waking up !!!

Thank you for being willing to have this conversation

Dude, never stop. The world needs to have these conversations. These thoughtful clips are a toe in the water to get people talking. The trick is to get this messaging outside the echo chamber.

Much love Emmanuel to you and Noura. I'll do all I can which isn't much, however I can and will continue to pray for freedom and peace.

Thank you Emmanuel. We needed this. May all of our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters hopefully find peace amidst the fog of War being enacted by those who simply refuse to move on

We pray for peace ,serenity & understanding for all

My heart is breaking. How can people treat others like that and call themselves 'human'?

What a horrific situation for a family member to endure. May God help us all.

Would love to see a conversation between her and Noa 🙏🏽

Unimpressed doesn’t begin to explain my reaction to this interview. Hamas wasn’t mentioned one time by this woman. Its highly relevant given that Egypt also enforces the blockade of Gazans because they have a terror problem. Egypt spent decades fighting terror and they don’t want the cancer that is Hamas spreading within their borders either. Her clear and deliberate choice not to address the terror group that is deeply entrenched in that land when that group’s entire mission is to exterminate all Jews did nothing to help the Palestinian cause. To fail to condemn Hamas or even to simply acknowledge that everyone who disagrees with jihadists is threatened was a very big miss on her part. The only people she impressed were people who already do not believe Israel has a right to exist.

Thanks so much for this courageous conversation!❤

I learned so much from Noura, thank you both for this conversation❤

The contrast between these two women is striking. What an amazing woman Noura is. So hearfelt, so eloquent, so honest. Palestinians just want to be seen as human and worthy of consideration. And plenty of Jews (myself included) agree with their plight.

Emmanuel, thank you for asking these questions calmly and compassionately. And thank you to your guest for responding calmly and compassionately. I am heartbroken for her personal loss, and for the subjugation of the people trapped in Gaza under the brutality of both the IDF and of their own Hamas leadership. It is incredibly tragic that she lives in fear for her own safety, with evil maniacs like that landlord out there (who is rightfully in jail and facing first-degree murder charges). Her answers, while heartfelt, are also admittedly biased (as every person with relatives in this conflict are) and based on her personal heart-wrenching experiences and perspectives. Most American Jews, most American Palestinians, and most people around the world sincerely want there to be peace - genuine peace with both peoples living without fear. There are extremists in the Israeli government who promote awful policies of "settlements". And it would be immensely naive to view Hamas as anything other than a terrorist organization, whose singular mission (as stated repeatedly in their founding charter, in their current leadership's words, and most of all in their actions since 2007) is the literal extermination of 9 million Jews and other non-Muslims living in the region. It is irrefutably the origin of the phrase "from the river to the sea", despite effective co-opting by the PLO to tack on the phrase more recently "Palestine will be free" in order to sway global public sentiment. The most important question Emmanuel asked, is near the end when he asks how to "practically" achieve peace. Tragically, your guest could not answer that question - not in practical, logistical terms. No one has been able to, on either side, for decades. That is the key issue here. How can Israel, with all of its horribly flawed governmental policies, logistically and practically tear down the walls that were set up after Gazan residents elected Hamas into power, while also protecting their 9 million Jewish, Christian and Palestinian residents (yes, there are many Palestinians living outside of Gaza and the West Bank) from a terrorist organization funded by Iran. When Israel ripped its residents out of Gaza in 2007, the international community pushed tons of resources and equipment into Gaza in hopes that schools and hospitals would be rebuilt. Hamas, in complete control, instead used that concrete and those resources to build a network of tunnels and means by which to use their own residents as human shields. This is not a simple good versus evil problem. It's tragedy beyond words, especially for the 2 million innocent Palestinians trapped in Gaza. Anyone who tells you it's one side being evil and the other side being good is either naive or deliberately lying to you. The modern age of social media only exacerbates this problem, when facts are hard to verify because the conflicting reports are coming directly from the IDF (who have lied before) and from Hamas (who use lies as one of their primary weapons). The weaponization of misinformation is one of the primary tools used by Hamas, and has been for decades. This is an awful situation with unspeakable acts of horror levied against both populations, and I have yet to hear from either side any practical and logistical means by which to end the persecution of Gaza's and the West Bank's residents while also preserving safety for the millions of people in Israel. Notice this doesn't even begin touch upon the added layers of complexity in the geo-political interests and influences by Iran and the United States. There's a reason this is the most complex conflict in world history. Now watch me get death threats...

Awesome presentation showing both sides of Israel/Hamas war with truth and compassion!

Thanks and props for having her on and giving the Palestinian perspective.

Thank you, Noura. My heart hurts for the Palestinian and Jewish people. I pray for peace.

Great show! It's so horrible what has happened to the civilians. Thank you for using your platform to have these conversations. We may not all agree, but we can agree to disagree without hurting one another. Koodos to you.❤

im a christian and im proud to say i do not favor one group over another group. both sides need to be acknowledged and offer hospitality

Thanks for these two episodes , loved both ladies, praying for true peace

Thank you for giving the Palestinian a voice. They have suffered too long and Western media doesn't care 😢

I love how she answered the question about why asking why is “insensitive”. My tummy was in a knot at the fact that he even said that. Has he not researched what happened? This was upsetting. Honestly. Also, #FreePalestinian! The right side of history is the side that calls for an end to Genocide. We are watching Israel to do to the Palestinians what the Nazi’s did to Jews. Language matters. It’s important people learn the difference.

I appreciate this timely conversation. We stand against genocide and support Palestinians in their fight for liberation. Thank you Noura Erakat for your story.

I appreciate this Eman. I appreciate this platform. As humans this is heartbreaking. I love how his questions were in a way that black people can relate to

Wow. Not enough questions, Acho. Not enough definitions. Define “Palestinian,” “Zionist,” “Israeli,” ask about Hamas and Hezbollah. What is the polar opposite of “Zionist.” How much should 1949 inform 2023? Why was there an “Arab-Israeli War” at that time to begin with?

The 850,000 she’s talking about is more complicated than that. Neighbouring Arab countries attacked Israel the day Israel accepted the UN partition plan. Many fled because they didn’t want to live in a war zone and also they planned to return once the Arabs won, but that didn’t happen. Also, no mention of Arab countries expelling 1 million Jews from their own countries all but forcing them to return to their ancestral homeland in Eretz Israel.

Beautiful interview. I pray for peace for her and her family. 🙏❤️ What a horrible story of her family that was killed on the way to a wedding. 😢 I do wonder if she feels it would be insensitive to ask “why” the Israeli government would respond to a Palestinian the way she implored us all to ask why Hamas did what they did to innocent civilians on October 7th. “If we don’t ask why…” Would that feel insensitive to her? All of these questions we ask of the other side we have to first ask ourselves.

Thank you for being brave and telling your history!

There's so many casualties in this brutality, not just Israeli or Palestinian. It's just a massacre responded to with another massacre. And the breakdown of WHAT Gaza is, on the words of a Palestinian, is mind-blowing to hear for the first time. An Open-air prison. Never would that stand in America, or so I would hope. Imagine being told you can live in your city but you can't leave it without military approval. You work, buy, eat, drive, watch, interact with ONLY what is permitted to be within those borders, and you could be harshly punished if you break these laws.

I spent a month in Jerusalem in 1999. As a black American I will say that the Palestinians were the nicest people in the world. Many of them called me brother. On the other hand, most Israeli Jews I met were not very welcoming. As a lover of humanity, the media in America has been overwhelmingly slanted towards Israel. As a Christian, I recognize that a large segment of Christians are adherents of Christian Zionism, which has had an influential impact on American politics. This is an asymmetrical situation which leads to extremism being fostered on both sides. As a lover of humanity, one must embrace the plight of the Palestinian people.

Thank you brother for being consistent and hearing both sides of the story. May God bless you with guidance and the true message of Jesus, who walked on the land of Palestine. 🇵🇸

As an American soldier let me put myself in the shoes of the IDF soldiers at the checkpoint. A car is approaching the checkpoint and refuses to stop. This obviously seems like an attack, normally in this type of attack there would be a bomb in the car. Doctrine dictates escalation of force until the vehicle stops and the threat can be identified and subdued. If the vehicle never stops this doctrinally ends in the driver getting shot. Following the vehicle stopping, my first call is EOD and no one approaches the vehicle for any reason, including medical, until EOD gives the all clear. If the vehicle truly malfunctioned and caused a crash that’s a shame, but according to her account of the events the soldiers did nothing wrong.

Great Interview. Noa and Noura's inteviews are great. Jews and Palestinians have, for different reasons, the same story. Hate and death.

"You can not extinguish a peoples thirst for freedom." -Noura Erakat

Nour as Palestinian I’m proud of you ❤️ I love you xx

Thanks Emmanuel for sitting down with both Noura and Noa. A big red flag for me Noura’s encouragement to ask “why” with regards to what happened on October 7th. There is no good reason or justification for what happened. It doesn’t matter if someone was tortured, there is never reason to act such a way in order to get revenge. God is the only just avenger. What has happened with both Palestinians and Jews is terrible, sad, and heartbreaking, and we should try to understand and empathize with each others’ hurts, not justify what caused them.

How about having Noura and Noa together for Uncomfortable conversations? It was difficult to train myself to not bang my head against the table on Noa's assertions that it was Palestinians who refused a peace settlement. Does it not occur to Noa that maybe the "terms" were unacceptable to the Palestinians?!!!

You know what would be best, to hear both Noura & Noa sit next to each other & discuss these topics. A civilized conversation, not a debate.

"When elephants fight, the grass is trampled" African Proverb. Both governments create the conditions for the people to suffer.

I love how candid and honest she is. It’s not just about Israeli people, it’s about all people. How many Palestine people have been killed over the years? We get so caught up in what the media has to offer that we don’t do research for ourselves.

It’s very telling to me that she did not condemn Hamas nor the atrocities committed. Instead she asks why they did it, as if to legitimize them. Emmanuel approached it with much compassion, but the real question is is whether Noura thinks Hamas’ why justifies their actions? Noura’s subsequent points, no matter how eloquently put, suggest to me that she thinks the violence was justified. An eye for an eye is how we make the whole world blind, and that goes for both sides of this conflict.

Bravo Brave Truth Teller! I wish for freedom all around the world, to every individual ❤🇨🇦

Noura, Even in the West Bank I felt like in the Prison just one the bigger territory. All those check points, harassment at the airport when entering the Ben Gurion airport, I did not feel comfortable at all. I love this sentence you said "sanctity for all civilian life".

I remember my mother telling me that people don't know how to love anymore, I try to prove her wrong now that she is gone but it's getting difficult 😞

I feel like maybe because she seemed more calm and less intense Emmanuel handed her or was able to hand her the more uncomfortable questions as when he was interviewing the other Israeli American author he seemed to play it more safe like he was afraid to upset her further. I felt like the other episode wasn't as uncomfortable with the questions. Then in this episode the questions were harder but yet I've felt more logical informative answers with less emo attached were given.

After seeing and hearing E.'s interviews with Noura and Noa I thought this is the time to talk about interview styles and how content sometimes defines and indicate style. Nay we needed a more informed E., critical and creative Emmanuel, a more active Emmanuel and not these sophomoric, really sometimes robotic, sophomoric, diffident universal questions. Thank God then that these two women in different ways took over the shows. I would love to bring Noura and Noa together in a series of conversations 4 with three different interviewers and for the last conversations, a third person not needed at all. Just the two of them. Both have great manner, passion, brilliance and honestly, setting up 4 real conversations between these two women would be awesome! I dislocated my cool temper Acho momentarily when you asked Noura, a Palestinian and a Palestinian American, if people ask now the question "why" that would that be insensitive!

This interview should have been longer

Pulling at heart strings once again. History speaks for itself.

But you chose to write a book with only one of them. Why?

This human woman made me cry. I am so sorry. I can empathise because I am African.

6:06 When do you allow yourself time to be human? That broke my soul. 7:07 Don't ask why, ask How did we get here? I still wonder how its a religion vs a natiionalty? 3 nautical miles on their own shore lines is CRAZY. My freedom doesn't take away from your freedom. AMEN.

Thankyou for giving someone an opportunity to speak on this issue, when MSM is mute on this entire perspective

The only thing I find uncomfortable about this conversation is that neither one condemns hamas.

Emmanuel, I was really disappointed when you took a quick public stance but these interviews were both neutral and fair. As a Palestinian American- much appreciated.

Not even one word about Hamas She kept saying we should ask why but needed to ask her the difficult questions of the “why” 1. Why hamas is classified as terror organization 2. Why hamas keep saying they want to kill every single Jew 3. Why hamas is hiding behind civilians 4. Why hamas leaders hiding in Qatar and turkey 5. Why hamas get fund from Iran 6. Why the Palestinians didn’t build a peaceful autonomy in Gaza after Israel left it And there are so many more whys

Thank you

Noa Tishby better be watching this and doing some serious soul-searching

It's terrible what happened to her cousin but I think it's important to note something people might not be aware of. There are a ton of Palestinian terrorists that perform ramming attacks with their cars against civilians and against soldiers so of course the soldiers thought he was attacking them.

Good attempt on with both Noura and Noa. It would have been even more revealing if the two women sat across each other. You may have asked them prior, but I think it would be more powerful. There is so much more to this. Thank you.

What about suicide bombers? I think it’s a valid question this lady should have been asked. Their ideology is sick. This should be a big part of this conversation. Freedom is a beautiful word. But then again, what about suicide bombers and other terrorists ? Both Israel and Egypt are concerned about their safety. Egyptians are Muslims, They are Palestinian true brothers and sisters by blood. They even have many family members residing in Egypt and yet Egypt doesn’t want them due to safety reasons.