# This Palestinian-Israeli Couple is Breaking a Huge Taboo Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwD9AWaSjQ0 Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/YwD9AWaSjQ0 Generated: 2026-02-18T14:33:29.57+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The Palestinian-Israeli couple, Osama Fahda (Palestinian from a Muslim family) and Sari Bashi (Israeli-American lawyer and human rights activist), discuss the immense societal and legal taboos they broke by marrying and living together in the West Bank, detailing the difficulties faced by their mixed family, including their children's inability to travel freely and the general opposition from both sides. **Key Points:** - Osama Fahda (Palestinian) and Sari Bashi (Israeli-American) co-authored the memoir "Upside Down Love," detailing their relationship and life under Israeli occupation. - The book was started in 2010 and originally published in Hebrew, later in English, detailing the near-impossible love under Israeli military occupation. - Sari Bashi is the Executive Director of Gisha, the Legal Center for Freedom of Movement. - The couple lives in the West Bank and raises their children (ages 8 and 11) in a mixed environment, which Bashi notes is how it should be, despite political realities. - Bashi points out that the Israeli government and many Israeli Jews, even left-wing ones, are terrified of the idea of equality or a one-state solution, often framing it as Arabs murdering Jews, which she views as propaganda. - The couple faces practical difficulties, such as checkpoints and travel restrictions, which prevent their family from traveling together easily; for instance, their Palestinian father, Osama, cannot easily join them in Tel Aviv or attend family events. - Bashi notes that Jewish fear/persecution narratives have been deeply ingrained in Israeli society for centuries, making it difficult for many Israelis to accept true equality with Palestinians. ![Screenshot at 00:00: Mehdi Hasan interviews Sari Bashi remotely on Zeteo's 'Mehdi Unfiltered' about her memoir detailing the challenges of an Israeli-Palestinian interfaith marriage.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YwD9AWaSjQ0/00-00-00.jpg) **Context:** The video features an interview between host Mehdi Hasan and Sari Bashi, co-author of the memoir "Upside Down Love: A Memoir in Two Voices." The memoir chronicles the relationship between Bashi, an Israeli-American lawyer and human rights activist, and Osama Fahda, a Palestinian from a Muslim family, highlighting the immense political, social, and legal obstacles they face living together in the occupied West Bank. ## Detailed Analysis Mehdi Hasan interviews Sari Bashi, co-author of the memoir "Upside Down Love," which recounts her relationship with Osama Fahda, a Palestinian man from a Muslim family. Bashi, an Israeli-American lawyer and Executive Director of Gisha (the Legal Center for Freedom of Movement), explains that the book details the nearly impossible nature of their love under Israeli occupation, noting that it was illegal for Osama to join her in Tel Aviv from Ramallah, and that there was no space for their love to exist societally. She recounts that many Israeli Jews are terrified of the concept of equality or a two-state solution, believing that a single state would lead to the murder of Jews, a fear Bashi attributes to propaganda and centuries of history where Jews were a minority facing persecution. In contrast, she notes that Palestinian society, while pluralistic, has different societal norms outside their home. The couple lives in the West Bank with their children, ages 8 and 11, and they are actively fighting against the taboos that complicate their daily lives, such as checkpoints preventing Osama from traveling freely, even for family events. Bashi emphasizes that the goal is not to give up rights but to fight for a vision of equality where everyone's rights are respected, a vision that contrasts sharply with the current reality of Israeli power dynamics. ### Book and Authorship - Sari Bashi, co-author of 'Upside Down Love' - Memoir written in two voices (Hebrew/Arabic) detailing a Palestinian-Israeli relationship - Book began writing in 2010, published in Hebrew in 2021, then English. ### The Reality of Occupation - Israeli settlers in the West Bank use resources (roads, water) that Palestinians cannot access - Israeli settlers are often unwilling to look Palestinians in the eye, viewing them as inherently inferior. ### Societal and Political Taboos - Israeli political right-wing views equality as existential threat (Palestinians will murder Jews) - Israelis who support equality are often ostracized or called racist by their own community. ### Personal Impact - The couple's mixed family (Israeli Jew and Palestinian Muslim) living together in the West Bank is difficult - Their children face travel restrictions due to checkpoints preventing Osama from joining family events or traveling easily. ![Screenshot at 00:09: The show's title card, 'Mehdi Unfiltered,' appears on the desk pedestal.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YwD9AWaSjQ0/00-00-09.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:14: The cover of the memoir 'Upside Down Love: A Memoir in Two Voices' by Sari Bashi is displayed.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YwD9AWaSjQ0/00-01-14.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:45: Mehdi Hasan speaks directly to the camera with the White House in the background, before transitioning to the interview segment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YwD9AWaSjQ0/00-00-45.jpg) ![Screenshot at 02:02: Sari Bashi's name and title, 'Co-Author, 'Upside Down Love',' appear on screen.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YwD9AWaSjQ0/00-02-02.jpg) ![Screenshot at 09:45: Sari Bashi gestures while explaining the inherent contradictions in Israeli society regarding Jewish fear and power.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/YwD9AWaSjQ0/00-09-45.jpg)