165: Pokémon GO AWAY, with Andrey X

Quick Overview

The podcast episode features journalist and activist Andrey X, who discusses his accidental path to obtaining Israeli citizenship after fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and his subsequent work documenting the apartheid system in the West Bank by leveraging his Israeli passport to film Israeli soldiers harassing Palestinian journalists, contrasting his relative freedom with the severe restrictions faced by Palestinians.

Key Points: Andrey X obtained Israeli citizenship in three months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine prevented his return, stating he applied for the easiest passport available because he found himself 'unable to shut up' about political issues. X uses his Israeli citizenship as a 'privilege' to film Israeli soldiers and document roadblocks, noting that when he shows his Israeli ID, soldiers immediately let him through, contrasting sharply with the detention of his Palestinian colleagues. In one documented incident, after X showed his ID, soldiers let him go while two Palestinian colleagues were blindfolded, tied up, and driven away to a military base for doing the 'exact same thing' as X. X has faced severe consequences for his work, including being attacked by a settler who pierced his eardrum, and currently faces 14 court cases in civilian courts. X explicitly states his content is not for an Israeli audience, as that requires a different, empathetic approach he is unwilling to take; instead, his mission is to reach an international audience to generate external pressure. Hillary Clinton criticized young people getting news from TikTok like Andrey X for smearing Israel, claiming students who say 'from the river to the sea' do not know 'what river and what sea,' which the hosts dismiss as fabricated. The hosts view Hillary Clinton's political style as obsolete and irrelevant, noting her only remaining relevance is as a 'super villain' whose attempts to deflect anger about Gaza are transparent, especially when speaking in places like Dearborn, Michigan.