Palestine - The Gaza Genocide, Iran's influence in the region, Western Media Complicity and how Assal Rad's fixes their headlines.
In this episode of Save the Olive Tree, we sit down with renowned Middle East expert Assal Rad to explore the unfolding genocide in Gaza, the role of Iran in regional resistance, and how Western media distorts headlines to favor the Israeli narrative.
🔍 From misleading terminology like “conflict” instead of occupation, to the weaponization of language that dehumanizes Palestinians, this episode takes a hard look at how news is shaped, spun, and sold — and why it matters.
💣 We also unpack Iran’s political stance on Palestine, its complex relationship with the West, and why the alliances forming in the Global South are critical in challenging the status quo.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
03:00 - Iran's modern identity
08:40 - Spectrum of political opinion in Iran
14:05 - US's failed military interventions of the past
24:25 - Media complicity and Headline fixing
33:15 - Short/Long term thoughts on Palestine
40:35 - Concluding remarks
🧠Key Quote:“Palestine is our litmus test. If we can’t name a genocide when we see one, what does that say about our global conscience?” – Assal Rad
Guest Intro:
Assal Rad received her PhD in Middle Eastern history from the University of California, Irvine. She is currently a non-resident fellow at the Arab Center in Washington DC. She has written for Newsweek, the Independent, Foreign Policy, and more. Her book is titled The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture and Identity in Modern Iran. She has been a fierce voice in calling out western media complicity in the ongoing Gaza genocide.
📢 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode to amplify Palestinian voices and challenge biased narratives.
Links:
Subscribe to the channel: @savetheolivetree
Website: www.savetheolivetree.com
Instagram:   / savetheolivetree Â
TikTok:   / savetheolivetree Â
Support us: patreon.com/SaveTheOliveTree
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!