Are vegans being hypocritical? Is Israel really the most vegan place in the world? What is vegan washing? And, what exactly does it mean to be vegan as it relates to all of this?
In this conversation, Diana Edelman and Palestinian vegan Waseem Hijazi discuss the intersection of veganism and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
They explore the challenges of being an intersectional vegan and the criticism faced when speaking out about social justice issues beyond animal rights. They also highlight the hypocrisy within the vegan community and the need for accountability.
The episode highlights the need for vegans to speak up against the oppression and violence faced by Palestinians and not use animal rights as a justification for it. The discussion also touches on the role of the vegan community in advocating for justice and the dangers of vegan washing and platforming individuals who defend the Israeli regime. The conversation concludes with a call to action to support the liberation of all oppressed nations.
References:
- 2014 - Former IOF soldier about the most moral army
- 2016 - Vegan Revolution before and after Gary Yourofsky
- 2018 - Apartheid wall affects the animals too
- 2020 - Weapon testing on animals
- 2023 - 90% of animals in Gaza killed or starved
About Waseem Hijazi:
Waseem Hijazi is a Palestinian vegan food blogger and recipe developer. He's the founder of Plant Based Arab, where he documents the traditional naturally-vegan Arabic recipes and teaches how to veganize the meat-and-dairy based cultural dishes. His mission is to make it easier for Arabs to make the switch towards a plant based diet, and introduce (or remind) vegans around the world of the vegan Arab cuisine. During his own journey in learning about veganism and the importance of advocating for animal liberation, he began realizing the connection of oppression - as it relates to the endless injustice we witness (or even sometimes contribute to) within our life. This eventually led to also learning about how animal rights can sometimes be abused to justify the oppression of other living beings - which goes against the basis of veganism: anti-speciesism.
Recognizing the effect this has on everyone - humans, animals, and all that this planet inhabits - has become a major part in Waseem's efforts to educate about the dangers of Vegan Washing, highlighting the Israeli occupation's role in that, and what we (as vegans) should be doing to stop it.
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