Israel’s Starvation Campaign: The UN Tried & Failed to Suppress Our Report | UN Special Rapporteur Michael Fakhri & Comic Artist Omar Khouri
In this episode of This Is Not a Watermelon podcast, we talk to UN special rapporteur Michael Fakhri, and comic journalist and film writer Omar Khouri, about their report "Palestine and the Right to Food." They explain how starvation is always intentional – with a focus on Israel's policies towards Palestine – illustrating the broader global implications. The episode delves into the legal definitions of famine and starvation, the use of starvation as a weapon, and how the international food system is fundamentally flawed. The discussion covers the collaboration between Michael and Omar, the impact of making such reports accessible through comics, and the bureaucratic challenges they faced within the UN system. They emphasize that the issues in Palestine are part of a larger global crisis affecting food security and human rights worldwide.
To view the report 👉 Right to Food
👉 Michael & Omar's collaboration
Michael Fakhri is a professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, specializing in human rights, food law, and development, and directs the Food Resiliency Project. He is an appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food since 2020. He has taught the right to food at institutions like Harvard and the European University Institute and lectured globally on human rights and development and contributed to international forums like the WTO Ministerial Conference. His book "Bandung, Global History, and International Law" has been cited by the International Court of Justice.
Connect with 👉 Michael Fakhri
Omar Khouri is a co-founder of Samandal Comics Magazine, the first experimental comics periodical in the Arab world. In 2010, his socio-political comic strip Utopia won best Arabic Comic at the International Comic book Festival of Algeria (F.I.B.D.A). He currently lives and works in Lebanon.
Connect with 👉 Omar Khouri
Hosted by 👉 Mikey Muhanna
This Is Not a Watermelon
This podcast series is a celebration and documentation of Palestinian history and culture. We interview experts from various disciplines to help us better understand the facts about Palestine – the land and the people.
