Ep. 33: Political Analysis & Debate: Alena Jabarine (Author & Journalist, Hamburg)

Guest: Alena Jabarine – Journalist and Author Hosts: Efe & Philip Bio: Alena Jabarine, born in 1985 in Hamburg, is a German-Palestinian journalist, author, and Middle East expert. She studied Political Science in Hamburg and earned a Master’s in International Relations in Barcelona. After a traineeship at NDR, she worked as a radio and TV reporter and contributed to NDR Info, STRG_F, Panorama 3, Monitor, StudioM, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, and Spotify Originals. She has received multiple awards, including the Kurt-Magnus-Preis (2016), MedienSpiegel (2016), Juliane-Bartel-Medienpreis (2018), and the Grimme Online Award (2021). From 2020–2022 she lived in Ramallah, reporting on everyday life and politics for the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. Since May 2024, she curates Gaza Talks at the Berliner Ensemble. In May 2025, her autobiographical book Der letzte Himmel. Meine Suche nach Palästina (Ullstein, 2025) became a Spiegel bestseller, establishing her as one of the most prominent Palestinian voices in Germany today. In this Episode: Alena Jabarine shares her insights on the devastation of Gaza and the escalating crisis in the West Bank following October 7. She discusses how Palestinians in Israel, the West Bank, and Germany have experienced the aftermath of the attacks, the challenges faced by families, and the harshly criticized work of organizations such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. She reflects on the intersection of pro-Palestinian advocacy and public perception with freedom of expression, and considers what lessons society and schools can draw to support Palestinian communities in Germany. This episode was recorded on July 9, 2025. Links: Jabarine, Alena. Der letzte Himmel: Meine Suche nach Palästina [The Last Sky: My Quest for Palestine]. Ullstein Verlag, 2025. https://www.ullstein.de/werke/der-letzte-himmel/hardcover/9783550203145?utm_source=chatgpt.com The book title references: Darwish, Mahmoud. “The Earth Is Closing On Us.” Translated by Abdullah al‑Udhari, in Victims of a Map: A Bilingual Anthology of Arabic Poetry. Ed. Adonis, Samih al‑Qasim, and Mahmoud Darwish. London: Saqi Books, 1984, pp. 12‑13. Disclaimer: Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast team. Technical legal terms are explained in Episode 36 with Prof. Claus Kreß; contested histories are addressed by Prof. Gudrun Krämer in Episode 21.