In this episode of Occupied Thoughts, FMEP Fellow Peter Beinart speaks with Palestinian political analyst Iyad El-Baghdadi about Israel’s regional military campaigns, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and how it’s current aggressive posture reflects the attitudes of Israel’s founders. Looking forward, the two discuss how the bigger picture provides a framework to suggest what might come next.
Iyad El-Baghdadi is an internationally-recognized Arab Spring activist and expert on authoritarianism. He is the President of Kawaakibi Foundation (kawaakibi.org) – whose tagline is, “Our work causes headaches and sleepless nights for tyrants and terrorists,” and Editor-in-Chief of the Arab Tyrant Manual, “an independent online publishing platform focused on freedom, human rights and the fight against all forms of authoritarianism globally.” Iyad is also a stateless Palestinian – born in Kuwait, raised in the UAE, and now living as a political refugee in Norway. You can follow Iyad on Twitter at @iyad_elbaghdadi or check out his website – which includes links to the Kawaakibi Foundation and the Arab Tyrant Manual – at elbaghdadi.com.
Peter Beinart is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He is also a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York, a Contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, an Editor-at-Large at Jewish Currents, and an MSNBC Political Commentator. His newest book (published 2025) is