Real Talk

Middle East Eye

Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview series hosted by Mohamed Hashem that explores the unique stories and experiences of a diverse range of guests — from artists, to musicians, to politicians and more.

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20 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr
English

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S1 · E55
September 7 · 59 min
He was born into Israeli ‘privilege’. Now his life's work is to abolish it | Eyal Weizman
"It's my burden. I was born into it." Eyal Weizman is a leading architect, author, and the founder of Forensic Architecture, whose evidence has fed directly into South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. His new book, Ungrounding, traces the destruction of Gaza back to the Nakba of 1948 and argues that what's happening there today isn't a rupture, but a continuation of decades of dispossession. In this Real Talk interview, Eyal sits down with Mohamed Hashem about the founding of Forensic Architecture, the argument at the heart of his new book, and how he holds all of it against his own Israeli identity.
S1 · E54
September 1 · 1 hr 7 min
She was asked to defend America's Gaza policy to Arabs. She quit instead | Hala Rharrit
'Nothing for me is worth selling my soul.’ Hala Rharrit spent 18 years as a US diplomat, most recently serving as the State Department's Arabic language spokesperson. In the wake of the Gaza genocide, she was tasked with defending America’s Gaza policy to the Arab world. She refused and soon quit. In this Real Talk interview, Hala sits down with Mohamed Hashem about what she saw from inside the Biden administration, and what she makes of former Biden officials now claiming they should have done more.
S1 · E53
August 17 · 49 min
AIPAC spent millions to unseat me. Here’s why they’re now losing: Ex-congressman | Jamaal Bowman
'You cannot run in a Democratic primary as a pro-Israel candidate and not get destroyed.’ AIPAC poured nearly $15 million to unseat Jamaal Bowman in 2024, making it the most expensive House primary in US history at the time. The former Congressman joins Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk to break down what the progressive wave, including Abdul El-Sayed's primary win in Michigan. means for the Democratic Party, and what's next for AIPAC's millions in US elections.
S1 · E52
July 27 · 24 min
Why the US pro-Israel lobby wants Trita Parsi out of America | Real Talk
'That pro-Netanyahu, pro-Likud crowd have been gunning for me for 25 years’ Trita Parsi, political analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, joins Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk to respond to the campaign against him, including calls for his deportation from the US, and explains why it backfired.
S1 · E51
July 21 · 48 min
He's one of the world's most celebrated photographers. Then he spoke on Palestine | Misan Harriman
"I am now getting death threats from registered Telegraph readers." Misan Harriman is a widely celebrated photographer and activist. He’s also the first Black male photographer to shoot the cover of British Vogue, and the director of an Oscar-nominated short film. His work has spanned at least three continents, documenting protest movements from the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 to the pro-Palestine marches in London. In this conversation on Real Talk, Mohamed Hashem joins Harriman at Hope 93, a gallery in London, to discuss his work, his activism, and what happened when he turned his lens to Palestine. Harriman also opens up about the right-wing outlets that have been accused of a coordinated smear campaign against him, and where it left him.
S1 · E50
June 21 · 1 hr 5 min
I tried cooking for London's top Palestinian chef. And interviewed him in the process | Fadi Kattan
Fadi Kattan is a renowned Palestinian chef from Bethlehem and the co-founder of Akub, one of London's most celebrated Palestinian restaurants. In this conversation on Real Talk, Fadi invites Mohamed Hashem into his restaurant to talk about Palestinian food,Israel's appropriation of Palestinian cuisine, and why food is one of the most powerful tools of cultural survival. All while Mohamed attempts to cook musakhan for the first time, under Fadi's supervision.
S1 · E49
June 12 · 1 hr 23 min
I was an Israeli peace negotiator. Here’s what I later realised about Zionism | Daniel Levy
"You got me to talk about things I don't talk about normally." Daniel Levy is a former Israeli negotiator who served under two prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak. Today, the British-born analyst and president of the US Middle East Project is one of the most prominent voices heavily critical of Israel's actions against Palestinians. But in this conversation on Real Talk, Daniel Levy speaks to Mohamed Hashem about his own journey. From an Orthodox Zionist upbringing in North London, to sitting at the negotiating table with Palestinians, to where he stands today.
S1 · E48
June 4 · 1 hr 7 min
Molly Crabapple spent 7 years recovering the Jewish history Zionism tried to erase
'Hundreds of people are coming to my events, many of them Jewish, and they tell me I gave them their ancestors back' Molly Crabapple is an Emmy Award-winning artist, author and journalist. Her new book, Here Where We Live Is Our Country, tells the largely forgotten story of the Jewish Labour Bund, a secular, socialist, anti-Zionist mass movement founded in 1897 that at its peak was the largest Jewish political organisation in Eastern Europe. The Bund believed that Jewish people had the right to stay in their homes, and refused to accept that the answer to antisemitism was a Jewish ethnostate in Palestine. In this conversation on Real Talk, Molly sits down with Mohamed Hashem to talk about her Jewish identity, her 2015 reporting trip to Gaza, seven years of archival research, and what the Bund's story means during this time.
S1 · E47
May 28 · 46 min
Arsenal fired me on Christmas Eve for opposing Israel | Mark Bonnick
‘I regret losing my job. Not what I said’ Mark Bonnick worked at Arsenal for 22 years. Then on Christmas Eve 2024, the former kitman was fired over posts he made on X criticising Israel over the genocide in Gaza. Arsenal accused him of bringing the club into disrepute. The case was quickly framed by media outlets as one of antisemitism. But reports later revealed that the Football Association told Arsenal his posts had not breached any of the governing body's rules. Mark is now suing Arsenal for unfair dismissal. In this conversation on Real Talk, he sits down with Mohamed Hashem outside the Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal prepare for the Champions League Final, to tell his story for the first time.
S1 · E46
May 21 · 45 min
Why Ana Kasparian is ready to work with the right on Israel
"The left loves to lose. They can't get enough of it." Ana Kasparian has been an influential and prominent voice in US independent media for nearly two decades. The co-host and executive producer of The Young Turks speaks with Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk to make the case for a left-right coalition on Israel, and why she believes the establishment of both parties has failed the American people. Kasparian calls out AOC for being outflanked by Marjorie Taylor Greene on Gaza, and explains why she's willing to work with anyone, regardless of politics, to "stop a genocide." She also opens up on the personal cost of speaking out: lost jobs, death threats, and Israeli soldiers sending her weapons imagery.
S1 · E45
May 14 · 1 hr 21 min
‘Mom, I’m at our house’: How this war reporter covered the horrors of Sudan’s war | Yousra Elbagir
"Mom, I'm at our house." Yousra Elbagir is Sky News UK's Africa correspondent. She has been highly praised for her reporting on a war that's been largely absent from mainstream news coverage: Sudan. As the fighting enters its fourth year, Sudan has become the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Millions have been displaced as cities are destroyed by a brutal power struggle and foreign interference. But for Yousra, this isn't just work, or a news story. Sudan is also her home. In this conversation on Real Talk, she speaks with Mohamed Hashem about her reporting from inside the country, the siege of cities like el-Fasher, the UAE's role in giving the Rapid Support Forces global cover, and Europe’s inaction on the war. Yousra also reflects on returning to her family home of 25 years in Khartoum, ransacked by the RSF, and what it means to report a war that is also your own.
S1 · E44
May 7 · 1 hr 13 min
Did the US military turn a blind eye to recruiting neo-Nazis? | Matt Kennard
"My commanders liked the fact I was a Nazi. They saw it as making me a better warrior." Matt Kennard is a British investigative journalist who co-founded Declassified UK, and is also the author of Irregular Army. It’s a book that uncovers how the US military, desperate to fill its ranks during the War on Terror, began looking the other way on things that would once have disqualified soldiers from serving, such as neo-Nazi tattoos, gang affiliations, and mental illness. In this conversation on Real Talk, Kennard speaks with Mohamed Hashem about the openly neo-Nazi veterans he met and interviewed, the moral waiver programme that opened the door to convicted felons, and the Rumsfeld Doctrine that was the catalyst.
S1 · E43
May 3 · 1 hr 11 min
Why this lifelong Conservative turned on the British establishment | Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne spent decades at the heart of the British establishment. The award-winning journalist and author of ‘Complicit’ sits down with Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk to break down how the Iraq war set the template for Gaza, and why there is a direct path between the two. Oborne also calls out Keir Starmer for not condemning Israeli war crimes, and what it means that Margaret Thatcher was more willing to stand up to Israel than the UK's current prime minister. He also opens up on why he walked away from mainstream British media, and never looked back.
S1 · E42
April 28 · 1 hr 8 min
She spoke against the Iran War. Her community turned on her | Ariana Jasmine | Real Talk
"I don't feel safe with my own people." Ariana Jasmine is one of the biggest Iranian-American political content creators, whose videos on Iran's history, the US-Israeli war on the country, and US politics have been widely shared online. In this conversation on Real Talk, she speaks with Mohamed Hashem to discuss the Iranian diaspora's split over western intervention, the Pahlavi monarchist movement and its "cult-like" following, and why she believes opposing the US-Israeli war on Iran made her a target within her own community. Ariana also reflects on the personal cost of speaking out, the threats, the harassment, and why she refuses to stay silent in spite of it all.
S1 · E41
February 18 · 1 hr 9 min
Hasan Piker: Making sense of a world going to sh*t. Epstein, Israel, & US decline | Real Talk
“Can I curse on this?” Hasan Piker is one of the most influential political streamers in the world, followed by millions across platforms who tune in daily to watch him dissect news, culture and global politics in real time. In this wide-ranging conversation on Real Talk, he sits down with Mohamed Hashem to discuss the Epstein files, Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the state of the Democratic Party, and the backlash over his anti-Zionist stance. The left-wing commentator reflects on the personal and professional cost of speaking out, the limits of platform censorship, and what shaped his understanding of US power and hegemony.
S1 · E40
Dec 13, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Israel | Murtaza Hussain | Real Talk
What was Jeffrey Epstein doing for Israeli intelligence? A new series of reports by Drop Site News has been examining this very question. Drop Site journalist Murtaza Hussain joined Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk to examine Epstein’s lesser-known ties to powerful figures inside Israeli political and intelligence circles. Hussain explains how Epstein formed a relationship with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and how a senior Israeli intelligence officer stayed on his estate for weeks at a time. This conversation delves into the reports and email leaks about the wider network surrounding Epstein, and explores how his activities reached other countries, like Russia, Syria and India.
S1 · E39
Dec 1, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
She's an insider now exposing OpenAI. Here's why you should be concerned | Karen Hao | Real Talk
If AI is an empire, Karen Hao is saying you can resist it. “We don’t need empires to benefit from AI.” Hao is an investigative journalist and author of Empire of AI, she joined Mohamed Hashem to share what she saw while embedded inside OpenAI. In this conversation, she reveals the inner workings of Silicon Valley, such as how CEOs like Sam Altman shape the story of AI, and what all that means for society, labour and the global economy. Hao explains why AI is not inevitable, how ordinary people can reclaim agency over the technology shaping our future, and why resistance is already forming around the world as we grapple with the questions surrounding this new technology.
S1 · E38
Nov 18, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
Can this pod save the UK? (Feat. Mamdani win & Nando’s) | Nish Kumar | Real Talk
Does the UK need its own Zohran Mamdani? “It’s not The Office,” says British comedian Nish Kumar. “You can’t remake it from one country to another.” The acclaimed stand-up comedian sat down with Mohamed Hashem on Real Talk for a conversation that ranged from Mamdani’s win to the UK’s Nando’s obsession. They also unpacked the state of progressive politics in the UK, and what it means to do comedy at a time when Britain’s far right is seen as becoming increasingly emboldened.
S1 · E37
Nov 10, 2025 · 42 min
Facing Ben Gvir: I was stripped, beaten and detained in Israel | Yasemin Acar | Real Talk
“Ben Gvir came to me and said, ‘You are a terrorist, and you will be treated as a terrorist’.” In her first media testimony since leaving Israel, Yasemin Acar recounts what she endured after being on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission that set sail in international waters to break Israel’s siege on Gaza. Yasemin, a leading activist from Germany, describes the moment she was dragged, beaten, stripped, and humiliated after the flotilla was intercepted in September and the volunteers were taken to an Israeli prison. She also recounts her direct confrontation with Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who personally called her a “terrorist”.
S1 · E36
Oct 13, 2025 · 57 min
‘I believed I could save her’: Inside the making of The voice of Hind Rajab | Motaz Malhees | Real Talk
“I hear her voice in my dreams.” Israel’s killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab in 2024 sent shockwaves around the world, sparking global outrage and condemnation. Hind was fleeing Gaza City with her relatives when their car was targeted by Israeli forces. She survived the initial attack and, trapped among her family’s bodies, pleaded for help in desperate phone calls with Palestine Red Crescent responders. Hind was killed before rescuers could reach her. Her body, and those of her relatives, were recovered twelve days later. A new film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by acclaimed Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and executive produced by Brad Pitt and Joaquin Phoenix, brings Hind’s final moments to the screen. One of the film’s main stars is Motaz Malhees, widely regarded as one of the most talented Palestinian actors of his generation. In this emotional conversation on Real Talk, Motaz opens up to Mohamed Hashem about the toll of portraying this story, the moments he broke down on set, and why he says, “I really believed I could save her.” The film has already won multiple awards, sparked Oscar buzz, and received a 23-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

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