Mid-Atlantic - conversations about US, UK and world politics
Oct 4, 2026 · 55 min · 13 segments
What does a ceasefire mean when Palestinians are still being killed—and what future can a people build when their homes and land keep disappearing? Roifield Brown welcomes Palestinian analyst Mouin…
Mouin RabbaniGuest
Roifield BrownHost
I, I, I feel that we, we have to have you back on, and I'm quite sad that we keep on having to have you back on because it feels like, um, one step forward for the Palestinian people, then three steps backwards.
Um, as I said in my intro, 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in this ceasefire.
Well, the short answer is that, of course, there is no ceasefire because if you have an agreement to cease hostilities and one party continues deploying its snipers and its artillery and even its air force and kills, um, uh, well over 1,000 people in the space of a year, including, uh, men, women, and children, um, members of the party with which it concluded the agreement, um, bystanders, um, others, uh, simply for being in an area where they weren't aware that they had crossed an invisible line, that can under no circumstances be considered a ceasefire.
Now, um, it's useful to perhaps, um, uh, rewind about a year to when this agreement was reached.
Um, in addition to the constant killing, there was widespread hunger and, and displacement and so on.
And, um, the Palestinians concluded this agreement on the grounds that it would be the beginning of the end of the genocide and potentially an opening, um, towards a more positive future.
It is true that, let's say, the, the, the, um, you know, that phase of the genocide in which, um, dozens, sometimes even hundreds of people were being killed per day is, is now, at least for the past year, no longer with us.
But just as importantly, um, no reconstruction materials have been allowed into the Gaza Strip.
There is still a significant shortage of essential materials, food, water, medicine, and so on.
And it's quite clear that Israel is using, um, this phase in order to make the Gaza Strip permanently uninhabitable, uh, for Palestinians.
How have the Palestinians responded, you ask? Well, if you look specifically at Hamas, it has scrupulously adhered to the terms of the agreement it reached with Israel a year ago.
Um, uh, in part this is because, um, it made commitments and is seeking to uphold them.
In part because it is hoping that by being the party that respects its obligations, that this will somehow, um, mobilize the sponsors of these agreements to compel Israel to fulfill its obligations.
And in part it also, of course, reflects, um, their significant weak- weakness after, um, three years of unrelenting, um, uh, genocide.
I think, um, you know, we're talking about approximately a million and a half people, uh, perhaps, um, uh, somewhat more, that have been squeezed into less than 40% of a territory, um, that- That was only 365 square kilometers to begin with.
I think, if I'm not mistaken, Greater London, or I, I think it's the size of, of, of Greater Edinburgh, if I'm not mistaken, the Gaza Strip.
Now imagine you have well over a million and a half people squeezed into less than half of that area, and in addition, um, do not have, um, a f- functioning infrastructure, um, that d- that m- most of whom are living in tents that are already severely degraded because, uh, no new ones have been allowed in, no temporary caravans or any of the sort is being allowed in.
I, I, I feel that we, we have to have you back on, and I'm quite sad that we keep on having to have you back on because it feels like, um, one step forward for the Palestinian people, then three steps backwards.
Um, as I said in my intro, 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in this ceasefire.
Well, the short answer is that, of course, there is no ceasefire because if you have an agreement to cease hostilities and one party continues deploying its snipers and its artillery and even its air force and kills, um, uh, well over 1,000 people in the space of a year, including, uh, men, women, and children, um, members of the party with which it concluded the agreement, um, bystanders, um, others, uh, simply for being in an area where they weren't aware that they had crossed an invisible line, that can under no circumstances be considered a ceasefire.
Now, um, it's useful to perhaps, um, uh, rewind about a year to when this agreement was reached.
Um, in addition to the constant killing, there was widespread hunger and, and displacement and so on.
And, um, the Palestinians concluded this agreement on the grounds that it would be the beginning of the end of the genocide and potentially an opening, um, towards a more positive future.
It is true that, let's say, the, the, the, um, you know, that phase of the genocide in which, um, dozens, sometimes even hundreds of people were being killed per day is, is now, at least for the past year, no longer with us.
But just as importantly, um, no reconstruction materials have been allowed into the Gaza Strip.
There is still a significant shortage of essential materials, food, water, medicine, and so on.
And it's quite clear that Israel is using, um, this phase in order to make the Gaza Strip permanently uninhabitable, uh, for Palestinians.
How have the Palestinians responded, you ask? Well, if you look specifically at Hamas, it has scrupulously adhered to the terms of the agreement it reached with Israel a year ago.
Um, uh, in part this is because, um, it made commitments and is seeking to uphold them.
In part because it is hoping that by being the party that respects its obligations, that this will somehow, um, mobilize the sponsors of these agreements to compel Israel to fulfill its obligations.
And in part it also, of course, reflects, um, their significant weak- weakness after, um, three years of unrelenting, um, uh, genocide.
I think, um, you know, we're talking about approximately a million and a half people, uh, perhaps, um, uh, somewhat more, that have been squeezed into less than 40% of a territory, um, that- That was only 365 square kilometers to begin with.
I think, if I'm not mistaken, Greater London, or I, I think it's the size of, of, of Greater Edinburgh, if I'm not mistaken, the Gaza Strip.
Now imagine you have well over a million and a half people squeezed into less than half of that area, and in addition, um, do not have, um, a f- functioning infrastructure, um, that d- that m- most of whom are living in tents that are already severely degraded because, uh, no new ones have been allowed in, no temporary caravans or any of the sort is being allowed in.
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